Bed Rest

by Sarah Bilston

Book Overview

Quinn Q Boothroyd is a young British lawyer married to an American and living in New York City. She's checked off most of the boxes on her Modern Woman's List of Things to Do Before Hitting 30, and her busy working life has been relatively painless. But when her doctor tells her she must spend the last three months of her pregnancy lying in bed, Q is thrown into a tailspin. Initially bored and frustrated, Q soon fills her days by trying to reconnect...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060889950
• ISBN13: 9780060889951
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Funny

I am a L & D nurse and deal with women with these issues everyday. I reed this book and found very funny. Not all facts true of course, but good read for any mom or someone about to be a mom.

Humor and Humanity, for Pregnant Women and their Husbands

My wife, who is seven months pregnant, put "Bed Rest" in my hands and told me that I should read it if I wanted to understand what she is going through. Even though she is not on bed rest (thank goodness), she identified with the main character Q's loss of control over her life. I've never read much "chicklit" -- really just "Bridget Jones's Diary" and Meghan Daum's "Quality of Life Report" -- but I found "Bed Rest" just as tightly plotted and often as funny as "Bridget Jones" (and much, much better than "Quality of Life Rpt"). What sets "Bed Rest" apart is the emotional depth that the author Sarah Bilston gives Q and her situation. There is real darkness in Q's life: unresolved issues about her job, parents, siblings and husband that rise to the surface when, temporarily and involuntarily, she gets off the professional treadmill. And all the while, there is the unimaginably sad possibility of a baby who won't survive birth. The scenes in the hospital are unforgettable. That Bilston can write so gracefully about the humor and the terror of being on bed rest is a tribute to her considerable literary gifts, keen intelligence, and resiliency, having spent months on bed rest herself.

great mommy-lit book!

Q is preggers and told to be on bed rest towards the end of her pregnancy. The amniotic fluid is low and bed rest should help restore the levels. Q doesn't think this will be difficult but after just a short while, it gets old and she dreads the long wait bedside. Her husband is a worker bee and leaves her food while he goes to work. Sometimes he forgets which is funny, but not! Her coworkers stop by bringing food and distract Q, briefly, with their lives and woes. Q's trials and tribulations during the waiting period are most interesting. Her relationship with her sisters and mother ring true. The humor in this book is wonderful and perfectly put where it should be. I very much liked the plot and look forward to the sequel, Sleepless Nights!

Couldn't put it down

As a six-months-pregnant woman with an twenty month old to take care of, I value my sleep time (I am not on bedrest). But I still found myself unable to put this book down. Pure pleasure and easy on the brain without being brainless (a rare quality), Bedrest is a perfect read for both mothers and pregnant women. And while Bedrest takes the fears of pregnancy seriously, Q's adventures are reassuring.

Been there done that!

I have been there twice! First time I was in there three and a half weeks before having a daughter still three months early and then I was in the hospital for three months before having daughter #2. I laughed and loved reading this story. You will love Q's spirit. Imagine you are doing what you do every day; live, being able to go where you want when you want, having a career, but excited about your baby that is soon to be born. A normal doctor's visit shows maybe some fluid is missing. You are put on bedrest. Bored out of your skull, you turn to culinary delights. Your husband is busy trying to make partner. You feel left out of the loop and no one understands. Q tries a little matchingmaking, some legal advice from the couch and a whole lot of pregnant hormones. Enjoy this book. Hopefully we will hear more from this author!