Domestic Affairs - Hardcover

Syndicated columnist Maynard (author of the novel Baby Love paints scenes from her 10-year marriage, centering on the care of three children. Detailing, often humorously, her three-pronged adventure of "making a home, making a marriage work, trying to have a career," Maynard brings the reader into the intimacy of her rural New Hampshire home bustling with the exhausting but gratifying work of raising children. Entertaining and instructive episodes focus on motherhood, a high-risk occupation from which there is no vacation. Many other young couples will find resonance in this tale of the Maynard's marriage. As the world of baby-sitters and peanut butter impinges on larger, more global concerns, such as nuclear dump sites, Maynard quotes a male follower of her column: ". . . reading about your children made me decide . . . to get a vasectomy."
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Readers who remember Maynard from her autobiography as an 18-year-old writer weary of life will enjoy these scenes revealing her obvious devotion to family and the future. Much of the book first appeared as newspaper columns, which means there is some repetition; however, that detracts little from the charm. Here is a testimony to the joys and sadness to be found in the most routine events of family life. The author is a keen observer and skilled at making the important connections between those routine events and the larger picture. This will have great appeal to young parents. Recommended. Hilma F. Cooper, Cheltenham Twp. Libs., Pa.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.