Great Expectation: A Father's Diary

By Dan Roche

In Great Expectation, Dan Roche gives a man's perspective on what it means to start and expand a family relatively later in life. Through a series of diary entries in turns humorous, angst ridden, and full of hope and joy, Roche describes his own thoughts and concerns during the nine months of his wife's pregnancy.

With five years of parenting his irrepressible daughter Maeve under his belt, Roche, already forty-five years old, and his wife, Maura, face the prospect of another arrival and the myriad of emotions that come with a second child. From revelling in the joys of pregnancy such as Maura's delight at "having cleavage" and being able to eat whatever she desires; to assuaging the parental anxieties of choosing the right obstetrician, correcting the mistakes one made with the first child, and sending children to college in the future; to navigating the unforeseen, experiencing the unexpected death of a parent, and feeling trepidation toward the thought of having a son, Roche records his emotions with unusual candidness and intimacy.

Reflecting on day-to-day events and their significance in his family's life together, Roche wonders what he is getting himself into and how much deeper he can immerse himself into parenting. Together, he and his wife face the bittersweet intersections of death and new life, menace and hopefulness. With sincerity and a mature wit, Great Expectation stands as a wise recounting of nine months' time, with all of its chaos and charms, and offers a fresh perspective for first-time and veteran parents alike.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587296616
• ISBN13: 9781587296611
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: University of Iowa Press
• Length: 147 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Expectations Fulfilled

Dan Roche's second memoir is a fulfilling successor to his first effort, Love's Labors. Here, he focuses on the birth of his second child. Wisely utilizing the journal-style allows readers to experience the day-by-day "expectations" of what it's like to be a father in "labor," as it were--a story rarely heard. Certainly waiting fathers will want this book, but the writing goes beyond any "target" audience: witty, poetic, sensitive, and highly attuned to daily scenarios: the language pulls us in front and center. If you want a humorous, touching narrative that celebrates parenthood, marriage, and the multileveled moments of our daily lives--add Great Expectations to your reading list.