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From
the June 16, 2003, issue of National Review
Recognize
Anyone?
amanda
bright@home, by Danielle Crittenden (Warner, 368 pp., $23.95)
By Sarah Maserati
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n this charming
novel, Danielle Crittenden gives us a year in the life of Amanda Bright:
mother of two, wife of Bob Clarke, and resident of Washington, D.C. Amanda
is a graduate of Brown who gave up her career to stay home with the kids.
Bob is a Justice Department lawyer. His public-sector job is a source
of pride for them, but also the cause of their money shortage.
Having finally convinced
his boss to pursue antitrust litigation against software-giant Megabyte
(think Microsoft), Bob becomes wrapped up in his work and the notoriety
the high-profile case brings. Meanwhile, Amanda continues her act in the
ladies-who-lunch circus, feigning interest in its chief stunts: gabbing
about money, redecorating the house, and undergoing plastic surgery. With
Bob off crusading, Amanda feels invisible, lacking identity; she yearns
to return to work.
Fiction allows Crittenden
freely to explore the ideas contained in her wise polemic What Our
Mothers Didn’t Tell Us. Her portrayal of the struggles encountered
by at-home mothers is sensitive and convincing. The usual compliments—“I
really respect what you do,” “Staying at home is the noblest calling”—however
well-meaning, fall flat. We see Amanda’s self-doubt, and even wonder if
perhaps she should go back to work. She flails about, looking for
meaning, even contemplating a romantic affair. But a simple plot turn
causes the second “click” within Amanda’s soul (the first came when she
realized how much she needed to stay home with her son). She realizes
that the sense of accomplishment and identity she sought had been there
all along, in motherhood.
NR readers will
recognize some of the characters, such as Cathy O’Toole, hard-hitting
pundit at National Standard magazine. Insiders will discern even
more character likenesses. amanda bright@home is a fast read, perfect
for beach readers—not to mention busy mothers.
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