by Judith Duncan
This book kept popping up in the comments of blogs about "realism" in fiction. I was able to find it on OpenLibrary. Do yourself a favor though, if you do the Read Online thing, just don't try it on a phone.
Murphy is shocked and shaken when the woman he loves, the one who left him, comes up to him on a job-site announcing she is pregnant with his child. They do manage to reach détente for the duration of the pregnancy, and even do a little better after the birth.
This book was published in 1999, but honestly the writing made it seem a bit older. The book is told completely from Murphy's point of view so it is kind of an anomaly. Everything comes from his thoughts. Overall I kind of enjoyed this book. Neither Murphy nor Jordan were perfect or long suffering. They were just two frazzled new parents. The book dealt well with a colicky baby, the effects of sleeplessness, the hazards of nursing, and breast pumping. And there was a slow buildup of a relationship between the two main characters in between all that. But, as I said, they aren't perfect. Jordan is too closed off and Murphy gives up too easy. But in the end we have our very happy ending, and excepting a few spots that seem to be obligatory romance convention, it is pretty realistic. No one got married because they discovered they were pregnant, the baby wasn't perfect and neither were the parents, and neither was Murphy's family. A fairly solid three stars. Probably best for people who want to step out of fantasy for a bit.
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