Book Review: Cutting teeth

Author: Julia Fierro
Genre: Family, fiction, Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A perfect portrayal of the complexities, dilemmas and vulnerabilities of early mid-life and the challenges of modern-day parenting. Highly recommended albeit the slightly over-dramatized characters.

Note: I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this book from NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

From Goodreads:
One of the most anticipated debut novels of 2014, Cutting Teeth takes place one late-summer weekend as a group of thirty-something couples gather at a shabby beach house on Long Island, their young children in tow. They include Nicole, the neurotic hostess terrified by internet rumors that something big and bad is going to happen in New York City that week; stay-at-home dad Rip, grappling with the reality that his careerist wife will likely deny him a second child, forcing him to disrupt the life he loves; Allie, one half of a two-mom family, and an ambitious artist, facing her ambivalence toward family life; Tiffany, comfortable with her amazing body but not so comfortable in the upper-middle class world the other characters were born into; and Leigh, a blue blood secretly facing financial ruin and dependent on Tenzin, the magical Tibetan nanny everyone else covets. These tensions build, burn, and collide over the course of the weekend, culminating in a scene in which the ultimate rule of the group is broken. 

I was looking to alternate my travel reads with something light and easy to read, since the travel-writing books tend to get a bit boring at times and I am glad I received this book at the right time. 
First off, I'd like to mention that, if you are a parent there is more chance you can totally relate to many of the characters/parents and incidents in the story. Julia does a great job of focusing on almost all of the pitfalls of modern-day parenting and the conversations that happen inevitably when parents meet, ranging from nannies, to the best private schools to organic-vs-non-organic food debates. At the outset, it might seem like you are introduced to a lot of characters and makes you think its going to be hard to keep track of what everyone is up to, but Julia makes it a point to juggle their stories around perfectly and the transition between each chapter is seamless.

Cutting teeth is about a group of upper-middle class Brooklyn parents who are joined together as part of their children's playgroup.  Each character is portrayed as a high-drama and a super complex one with each having a unique issue of their own, the children included. Nicole - the super obsessive and paranoia mom who turns to her secret stash of marijuana to prevent her from going insane. Leigh - the former debutante who has a high needs child, Chase and often seeks the help of her Tibetian nanny, Tenzin, who is referred to as the "Tibetian Mary Poppins" to calm Chase down. Rip - The stay-at-home daddy, the only man in the playgroup, often calls himself "mommy" who is desperate to have another child to feel necessary and wanted. Tiffany - the know-it-all mommy who has a 4 year old diva, and is desperate to prove she is not white-trash. The pregnant lesbian mom - Susanna with her twin boys and her partner, Allie.

For the most part, the novel seems to chronicle the frustrations of the parents that have them trapped in a terrible emotional quagmire. The story gives us an honest peek into the lives of these complicated characters and their interactions. As a reader, we get to witness the secrets, the troubles and the desperation that pushes people to act a certain way which we normally don't get to witness in day-to-day life as an outsider. Despite all this, they are still loving parents who want nothing but the best for their kids. Although I could not relate to their lifestyle and the problems these parents face, I could empathize with most of them and often found myself vigorously nodding my head along while reading their conversations. 

Cutting teeth is an absolute no-nonsense book about a bunch of parents who could very well be the parents and people we meet in our day-to-day lives minus the pleasantries and the superficial smiles that entails our discussions. It is brutally honest, it is straight and portrays the ultimate harsh truths about parenting and the challenges associated with it. Julia is a terrific writer and has shaped each character's personality well that it remains their "tagline" or something that comes to your mind first when you think of them after finishing the book. I can't pick any one character as my favorite since you are bound to dislike all of them at various points in time throughout the story.  My only gripe being the fact that almost all the characters were over-dramatized and the ending was rather abrupt and rushed.

Cutting teeth is a perfect juicy beach read, you will find yourself rapidly turning pages anxious to find out where the story leads you. I can absolutely see it becoming the hit of the summer. 

Book Review: In a Sunburned Country

Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Non-fiction, Travel
Rating: 4/5
Verdict:A delightful read about the land Down-Under but a tad long.

In a Sunburned country is a fascinating read about Bill Bryson's travels throughout Australia with a lot of humor sprinkled all throughout. It is full of funny stories, anecdotes, fascinating facts and a lot of unique details about the different cities and a whole lot of detail on the natural and scenic wonders of one of the largest islands on earth.

Bryson starts with a brief introduction to the history of Australia and the fact that Britain originally used Australia as a prison camp - Fascinating, right?! You get to read so many such unique and interesting trivia all throughout the book -  like his story about the building of the Opera House, the anecdotes about the parks and the city plans of Adelaide and Canberra, the sharks, snakes, spiders and other lethal creatures which can kill you in a single bite and the plants, flora and fauna that do not exist anywhere else on the earth but Australia. One common theme that has been mentioned by Bill often in the book is that Australia is HUGE. He makes great efforts to travel all throughout the country but fails because of the vastness of it. To me, Australia has always been all about the different cities - Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the usual tourist spots - Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, Darling harbor. But I liked how Bill spent very little time on those and instead spent more time in the emptiness of the Outback. It was fascinating and intriguing to read about the trekkers across the Outback and the Aborigines who settled in it and the animals that still inhabit in there.

The one thing that I loved the most about the book is Bill's writing - This is not the usual "Day 1 - Went to X, ate at Y and stayed at Z" travel guide. This is not a book about what to see and do while in Australia. Instead its a book about the people, places, culture and the natural wonders that Australia has to offer. Some of the facts are so bizarre, but that's what makes it a truly wonderful read. If you want to know about where to stay in Sydney or the sight-seeing places in Adelaide, look else where. If you want to know what it is like to stop in the middle of the Outback or kangaroos hopping across the horizon, then this book is for you. I still recall Bill's narration about visiting the Great Barrier Reef. While one would have expected a "It was beautiful, exotic and vibrant" message, No, that's not what Bill talks about. He tells you about an American couple who got left behind when the boat departed without them and were never seen again, probably eaten by sharks, he speculates. It is at that moment you truly realize and marvel at the natural wonder!

I must admit that I got a tad bored while reading certain sections of the book, but Bill totally makes it up by balancing that with his witty anecdotes, funny incidents and some hilarious moments. My only gripe about the book was that it was a bit longer than I had expected and I was waiting to get to the end which is never a good thing for a book. Despite that, this book is a keeper. Australia has been on my must-visit list forever now and the book only made me yearn for a trip down under sometime very soon!