Babyville by Jane Green

As I don't have any pennies spare for new books at the moment, I have been rereading the books on my bookcase. I have just finished Babyville by Jane Green so thought I would review it here.

Babyville tells the story of three women; Julia, Maeve and Sam. The book is split into three parts, with one of the women taking centre stage in each part.

Julia and Mark have been in a stale relationship for a few years, made worse by the fact they are struggling to conceive.

Maeve is single and that is the way she likes it until a one-night stand leaves her pregnant.

Sam and Chris were happily married until their son came along and changed everything. With sleepless nights and the pressures of raising a baby, Sam's and Chris' marriage starts to crumble, especially when Sam develops a crush on another man.


I first read Babyville in 2002, when I was pregnant with my first child so it couldn't have come at a better time. I consumed anything remotely touching on the subject of babies and childbirth. But how was it now, 9 years later?

I found it just as enjoyable, even though I knew exactly what was coming up next (I have read this book many times in between). It's an easy read that you can pick up and put down as you please and it doesn't interrupt the flow, which is useful when you have two kids running about the place, demanding care (selfish beings that they are).

I like the story and how they weave into one another, though I would have liked more attention on Maeve as her section was my favourite part of the book and seemed to be over too quickly. There were a couple of flaws that I noticed this time round, for example Johnny being in the bar when two pages previously he'd gone home after not feeling too well but he wasn't a major character so you can overlook it.

Also, in Julia's part there were a couple of cringe-worthy moments when she and Jack first get together (apologies if this is a spoiler) - "You could tell me whether or not I could kiss you"? Vomit-inducing cheese. "Is it..." Smooch. "Ok to do this." Vom, vom, vom. But it's only a small portion of the book so you won't be chucking your guts up all the way through :-P


Overall, I found the book a brilliant read and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet read a Jane Green book.

Verdict: My cup of tea - definitely give it a go