Dating Big Bird: A Novel

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.

Its been awhile since a fiction novel has really pulled me in like this one. I read it in ONE night, (I was late for work the next day too) and just loved every word and page of it. The language is just great and its a wonderful work of fiction. Great GREAT book.

Dating Big Bird focuses on an (almost) middle-aged woman that would do anything for a baby of her own. The problem is that her relationships are frozen, so whats a girl to do? Which is what the book is about. Personally, I found the book cute, funny, and rather adorable. The humor was fantastic, very witty with alot of one-liners. I loved the main character, just as I loved the secondary characters, and of course, a happy ending. Id recommend this book to someone that wants a cute, sweet book with humor.

Dating Big Bird revolves around a single woman Ellen Franck who desperately wants to have a baby and her decision whether or not to do it on her own or to wait and find Mr. Right. Theres a lot thats good about it and funny, warm and entertaining. But despite all that I did like, there seemed to be something missing, some dynamic that made it feel somewhat flimsy and light even though it had great potential. Ellen is not alone in her insatiable baby quest. She encounters an old high-school rival who is pretending that her siblings baby is her own, something Ellen often fantasizes about with her own niece. Together, the two pledge that they will decide what to do about their baby lust at the end of the nine months and then take the necessary steps to achieve it. Along the way, Ellens romantic life takes twists and turns as does her professional one and a cast of supporting characters, some more interesting than others, dart in and out. The title comes from Ellens realization that Big Bird, the sensitive, lovable bird from Sesame Street, really is the perfect father. Its an interesting enough idea, and the execution is fine, decently written with some really funny moments. But ultimately, I found it unsatisfying, too neat and contrived. Thats expected in the genre to some extent yet the glimpses Zigman offered of sharper edges made me hope, I suppose, for a little less shmarm. Still, its a nice enough way to spend a few hours, as long as youre not expecting a masterpiece.

I cant say I was entirely shocked by some of the behavior recounted in this one. Rumors have been flying around for years of what was going down on that Childrens Television Workshop soundstage. Culled entirely from hypnosis confessions, several of Big Birds victims come forward and tell of their experiences at the hands of this madman. At this point, were all familiar with BBs quirks. Shame, lawsuits, and disease just seem to follow this guy around. Im a little tired of it, and a lot of the material is old news. The more famous stories werent interesting anymore. After all, weve heard them a million times. Who wants to hear again about Grover and that mule? Or how our protagonist got the nickname Birdy Sanchez? The really telling stories were of the lesser known episodes in BBs life. I, for one, didnt know he grew up in a jail brothel or that he lost his virginity to Marth Raye. (yes, he said he often called her The Big Mouth during) That lady was the Wynona Ryder of her day. Not many got away from her. (Hugh Downs and one other) I bet ole Martha Raye would put a hurtin on Bright Eyes. Shed tear that Kansan a new one alright! I felt a little sorry for the young ladies (and gentlemen) as they told of their hotel experiences with Bird. I have to admit though, I couldnt help but chuckle when Dottie M. said she actually fell for it when asked upstairs to see his Yella Fella!! I mean, jeezey pete, thats the oldest puppeteer trick in the book.

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.

Good light read.

I love Animal Husbandry. It may be my favorite recent read, and I wanted to love this book. I didnt. I kept wondering why. I thought perhaps I couldnt relate to the pain of delayed motherhood. I like to think that Im a good enough reader that a book doesnt have to speak directly to my personal life experience in order to engage me. Even if that were the case, this character actually does what I do for a living and Ive never found this in a book before. Wouldnt that engage me at least a bit? It didnt. I enjoyed the side characters more than the main character. Her work friend was wonderful. Same with the impoholic writer, he rang very true, though the situation was bizarre--and I liked how bizarre that situation was. At least it was interesting. Her descriptions of her nieces very specific behaviors rang true, but did not particularly entertain me. I guess what was missing, for me, was a sense of the real emotional core of this main character. She was flat, bleached out, kind of lost. I wondered if having a child to fill up this blankness was going to work for her, but sadly, did not particularly care.

This is a great book for summer, all girls will love the honest, loveable story. And all who have babies on the brain will see there own life in the story!

I read this book in a span of two days. I just couldnt put it down. Ellen is such a thoughtful character and the storyline of dealing with an emotionally unavailable man is familiar to alot of women. I like the way she stands on her own two feet and doesnt come to rely on a relationship with a man for what her heart truly desires, a child of her own. I recommend this to anyone who likes light, easy reading. A great book.