Dating Big Bird: A Novel

While this book is a quick read and can keep you somewhat entertained, its rather simplistic. I saw the movie Someone Like You, based on Zigmans first novel, Animal Husbandry and was glad I didnt read the book. I wasnt really impressed with the characters or the storyline. And Im not very impressed by the characters or the storyline in this new novel either. You may think its because of my male perspective, but I love romantic comedies. These, I dont. I can see Ashley Judd narrating this current story just like the previous one. And it doesnt make it any better. Anyway, this is a good read for you if you like simplism. And if you like that I just made up my own word (simplism) then youll love that Zigmans main character creates her own mind-numbing word, too. Just like creating a theory in Animal Husbandry. One more criticism before I go: the author spoonfeeds the readers with details that arent necessary and implied. For example, when the main characters boyfriend says something, we dont need an explanation of why he said it. We know why. Were familiar with his background. We get it. Just move on with the story. Sorry to be so negative. Its a great story if you dont care about what you read and dont have a lot of time to concentrate. Its quick and simple. Although so is microwaving meat, but you wouldnt pick that over a charbroiled steak, would you? :)

... thatll help one to get to the safety of a desert island. Looks like literature, reads like literature, not literature. Good observations on a very banal yet eternal subjects (male commitment phobia, pressures of the modern Western life and what they do to women) that every woman could make by the age of 30 based on personal experience. Some witty remarks, not a single positive (or even identifiable enough to really be one) male character, an upsettingly uncunning description of a New York big job furnished with big names, to make contrast with the unfulfilling private life and general feeling of unhappiness, etc. etc. Makes you to identify youself *positively* with somebody who you know you dont want to be. 3 stars because its a true feel good read - doesnt matter where the comfort comes from if it helps, thats the theory if I got it right?

From the title of this book, I figured it would be a light summer read, just what I was looking for. After all, when The Pickle told Auntie La-La that Big Bird was just what the 35-year-old needed when she was lonely at night, I could relate. A three year old sometimes knows what is best for her! It was a mostly funny and sometimes poignant look at the old ticking clock theme with a totally fantasy ending. Ah! Just what we romantics need once in awhile to break up the monotony of all that cynicism.

tho im only 19, i feel weary and cynical about the state of things, and i can understand ellens need to have a child so much she wont mind having one by an unknown sperm donor. big bird would make a really good father, like ellen said, but that does not exist in real life...sigh!

Ellen Frank is a 35 year-old woman who likens her reproductive system to a gumball machine, and the gumballs are running out. Having devoted most of her adult life to a career in the fast-paced yet shallow world of fashion, Ellen now finds a little voice telling her theyre just clothes more often than she is comfortable with. Moreover, she finds herself absolutely smitten with her 3 year old niece, whom she affectionately refers to as The Pickle. Ellen desperately longs for a Pickle of her own, but her Pickle-producing-profile is not promising. Malcolm, The man in her life is a compassionate and funny companion. The best one Ellens ever had. Except hes a Prozac-induced impotent. Oh yeah, and her doesnt want kids. His lifes is your basic tragedy: his only son died of leukemia, he became an alcoholic and his wife left him. Hes frozen, unable to escape the dark shadows of his past. And yet Ellen loves him.She just doesnt know if she can get a baby out of him. I had trouble putting down this funny, lively book. Zigman does a wonderful job navigating Ellens emotional roller coaster as she tries to determine how to become a mother, and who to include on her journey. It is a satisfying, feel-good read.

For whatever reason, I find myself reading a lot of chick lit lately. Considering that my first love is horror, Im finding it interesting to read the same things that so many of my friends are reading. I got this book without ever intending to read it, but I opened it and had to finish it. Ellen Franck is yet another in a long line of successful, single, and neurotic New York City residents to grace the pages of novels in recent years. She works for a world-famous designer, and she dates Malcolm, a professor who is profound, kind, and impotent in more ways than one as a result of the death of his son. Now Ellen finds herself staring down the dark side of thirty-five and contemplating her future. She knows one thing: She wants a baby. She is crazy for her niece, Nicole (The Pickle), and she experiences heartbreak everytime she sees someone pushing a stroller on the street. What is a thirty-something gal to do when she doesnt have a viable partner to help her create a Little Pickle of her own? Well, if youre Ellen, you give yourself nine months to thoroughly research all your options, to drive everyone around you insane with baby talk, and to continue to obsess about every small detail of your life. This is a super-fast read (I finished it in just a few hours), and it doesnt require a lot of deep thought. There are no life mysteries resolved in these pages, but Zigman manages to make this an amusing, fun read that is probably perfect to read on a day at the beach or in a few hours curled up on your sofa on a rainy day. Aside from Ellens own obsessions, there arent a lot of complex issues at work here. Also, if you are one of the women in her 30s who has never felt that desire to create a Little Pickle (like me), you might find it difficult to relate to Ellens quest. Warning: This is the epitome of Chick Lit, and I dont think testosterone is allowed to open the cover. (mellion108 from Michigan)

I picked this book up yesterday just because the title struck me as funny... I couldnt put it down. Dating Big Bird is one of the funniest books Ive read in a long time. Its a great summer read; whether you like fluff or deep literary tomes, youll enjoy this book quite a bit.

I read this charming book in one sitting. She is funny and insightful.

Yeah I know, another chick book. Another story of single successful sexy women.. ala bridget jones and sexinthecity (I honestly wish I could find as many brutes as those girls, but hey, Im not here to talk about them!). I wont go into the details of the book because every other reviewer has and you MUST be bored by now. This honestly is so well written and lovely and creative that one just must have it. I love reading stuff like this. Its smart, its funny, its REAL life.. It makes me feel like Im not a freak; single and cute at 36..

Ellen is whiny thirty-something single career woman who is a realtionship with the walking dead. Who works in the fashion industry with people who only think about promotion and guest list. Ellens only outlook is being with her three-year old niece and imaging what if. You really want to root for Ellen as she flips back and forth wanting to be a mother and still trying a human version of Big Bird.