Dating Big Bird: A Novel

Dating Big Bird was a quick and pleasant read. Thats it. I would advise against treating the book like a how-to manual aimed at single motherhood. Its not particularly believable, nor did I relate to Ellen, the protagonist, except in the most general I want to have a baby someday and boy wont it look cute dressed up in little big people clothes sort of way. I can understand the consternation a single mother might feel upon reading the book, as its not a realistic depiction of single motherhood. Having said that, however, I still enjoyed the book. As Animal Husbandry, which was great, this is a humorous novel full of fun characters and quick plot and dialogue. My recommendation for Dating Big Bird, as for many of the other books I review, is to not take it so seriously. It seems, oftentimes, that people expect much more from a book than what the author might have intended to provide. So read Dating Big Bird, laugh and enjoy, but dont expect philosophical musings on the meaning of life.

Quirky, enjoyable book. I found myself wrapped up in the lives of the characters and wanting more when it ended. Its one of those books that I found myself thinking about during the day and anxious to get into bed so I could read it! I cant wait for her next book! I think any single woman entering into her mid 30s will relate to the plot. Its a short, sweet story that I will encourage my friends to read...the single ones in their mid-30s of course!

This book gives one of the most realistic views into the mind and heart of a thirtysomething professional woman Ive read in a long time. Ellen faces the sometimes harsh, sometimes bittersweet situations that a single woman whose friends are mostly married and have or are going to have children in a way that I find very realistic. Sometimes youre jealous because your life hasnt seemed to work out in the same way, sometimes youre happy for your friends because theyve achieved what makes them happy, and theres everything in between. This book did a good job of capturing the whole spectrum of emotions that can arise. In the end, this book was a good reminder to me that life takes equal parts of pursuing what you want and being patient for things to come out as they are meant to.

If you are looking for an easy reading, this is the book you should have. I bought it on a sale and wasnt sure what to expect. I enjoyed reading it, it is quite funny too. It is the story of a sucessfull 35 year old woman who is so obsessed with her niece that she realized it is time for her to have a child of her own. The story brings the up and downs that her decision can have towards her life and others. It is a good and very fast reading book(I finished in one day!). Hope you like it, Ana

This novel strived for a deep message but seemed to miss the mark, at least to me. I would suppose that it could be considered empowering, in a sense, but it had the same Hollywood fairytale ending they all do. It was a decent book, and I finished it in one night. I have nothing really bad to say about it, but its certainly not thought provoking literature or worthy of excessive praise. If you need a little escapism fluff to read on the beach or while waiting at the docs office, here it is.

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.

I took book with me among 6-7 other beach books. I read the others in a snap. But I could easily see that Zigman is different from otherr beach books. She has a different style. I would not call this book a typical Red Dress Ink chick book.. There is more. It is not a shallow, predictable, easy to read book. Zigman makes you think, she teaches you. It is a great read. I liked it a lot, and still finished it within a day. Now that I am back from my vacation, I am going to buy her other book and read it.

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.

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.

Dating Big Bird is a delightful read about a womans quest for a child. Ellen Franck is in a loving but frozen relationship with Malcolm, a divorced father who lost his only child to leukemia. At 35, Ellen wonders if she will ever be able to have a baby. It certainly doesnt help that every woman she knows is a mother or mother-to-be. That is, except for Amy, an old high school acquaintance Ellen runs into on the streets of New York. The two begin a friendship and wade through intracacies of their own lacking relationships and desires for more. Ellen is supported by a wonderful cast of characters who are both hysterical and endearing. You will want to pick up this quick, funny and heartwarming read to discover Ellens fate. By the end of the book Ellen learns, and we are reminded, that life happens when you begin living it.