This September saw the movie adaptation of Telegraph columnist, Allison Pearson’s seminal novel, I Don’t Know How She Does It starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan. A major international bestseller with sales of over 3.5 million copies, the book was published nearly 10 years ago but has lost none of its power to make you laugh, cry and nod your head in acknowledgement. Now re-released to tie in with the movie, Vintage Books has kindly offered us 10 x copies of I Don’t Know How She Does It to give away. For your chance to win a copy of this hilarious novel enter your answer to the simple question below in our dedicated competition page https://new.londonmumsmagazine.com/competition-area The question is ‘What’s the name of the main character of I Don’t Know How She Does It?’ Deadline to enter is 25th November 2011.
Deadline to enter is 25th November 2011.
Kate Reddy, a British workholic woman in her thirties, has the perfect life: a well-paying, enjoyable job as a hedge-fund manager; a handsome and kind husband, Richard; and two lovely children, Emily and Ben. She has, however, no time to enjoy what she has accomplished. She leads a hectic, non-stop life, always trying to meet everyone’s needs and live up to the standards of motherhood that she believes are reached by the stay-at-home mums.
She imagines herself appearing before a judge, charged with being a working mother who gives her children expensive gifts to make up for missing their bedtimes and not spending enough time with them. Through a mistakenly sent e-mail, she accidentally starts a flirtation with an American business associate. She gets so wrapped up in trying to fit everything into her schedule that her husband leaves her. In the end, Kate recovers what is dear to her, and she and her husband move to the country, where she becomes a full-time mother and wife. The novel ends with a hint that Kate may start working again, perhaps in a way that provides a more balanced life.
Allison Pearson mixes humor and sadness to produce a very entertaining novel. Her use of a diary-like format, with “must remember” lists and e-mail exchanges, has the affect of bringing the reader directly into Kate’s roller-coaster life, providing a revealing look into the life of a very engaging character.
