EVERYTHING SHE THOUGHT SHE WANTED

Elizabeth Buchan reflects upon the ramifications of child-bearing on a woman’s life through this fictional account of two women. Barbara Beeching is the traditional English housewife who manages her family and nothing else. Siena Grant, by contrast, is a career-driven woman contemplating having a baby in contemporary London. Seemingly unconnected, the two women cope with similar issues from opposite perspectives. Katherine Kellgren gives a sophisticated, smart, yet gentle voice to Siena, while Ruth Moore portrays Barbara as the more socially astute housewife. Both Kellgren and Moore successfully project each woman’s anguish as events unfold in their lives. While Siena can be self-absorbed and self-important and Barbara can seem a bit dull, Kellgren and Grant put human and lovable faces on the women in this generally engaging novel. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/SEP 05]