Foetal Attraction by Kathy Lette

Rating: 3 out of 5

ISBN-10: 0330335278
ISBN-13: 978-0330335270

Maddy is an Aussie who falls in love with an Englishman, and gives up everything she knows for her happy ending. By the time she realises Alex is not her happy ending she has also discovered that she is pregnant. Will Alex step up to his responsibilities or will he run screaming in the other direction?

There is a strong pregnancy theme to this book which could be off putting to some. The narrative alternates between the birth of Maddy's child and the story of how she got there. It works well and is not difficult to read.

It is a funny book, with a few laugh out loud moments. The birth scenes are well written and extremely funny. If you have been through pregnancy and having a baby you will be able to relate to many of the scenes and characters Maddy encounters. Kathy Lette though can be quite rude and crass which may be a turn off to some readers.

There is a very Australian feel to the narrative. This is probably mostly in part to the main character being Australian and in part the author being Australian. I can see how though this may make it difficult for non-Aussies. It is also very cliched with the Australian sayings and imaging.

The character Gillian was a hoot being self centred, shallow, and obnoxious. I do find it interesting that in books characters like Gillian are considered funny, even likable, however in real life you would probably shove her face into the nearest cake. Other characters in the book who act in a snobby fashion are not treated as kindly or as fondly. I found this interesting that a lot of the British characters are portrayed in an unfavorable fashion and the behaviour is tolerated in some characters but not in others.

The book is set in the 1990's and feels a little dated with its references to celebrities, royalty and pop culture. This does not make the book unbearable to read, in fact it provides an interesting snapshot of the time. This I feel is one problem with Chick Lit as a genre, it is usually written in the present tense set in the time it is written. So ten or twenty years down the track it feels outdated and may even be completely irrelevant in it's views.

I enjoyed the book. Probably more now that I have had a baby then if I had read it before.