In a charming and witty novel, Sarah Bilston tells the story of a busy career woman who finds her pregnancy a breeze — until she's ordered off her feet for complete and total bed rest.
Quinn "Q" Boothroyd is a young British lawyer married to an American and living in New York City. She's checked off most of the boxes on her "Modern Woman's List of Things to Do Before Hitting 30," and her busy working life has been relatively painless. But when her doctor tells her she must spend the last three months of her pregnancy lying in bed, Q is thrown into a tailspin. Initially bored and frustrated, Q's days soon fill up as she tries to reconnect with her workaholic husband, provide legal advice for her sweet Greek neighbor, find romance for a loyal co-worker, forge new emotional bonds with her mother and sisters, and figure out who will keep her stocked up in cookies and sandwiches.
Q experiences adventures on the couch she never would have encountered in the law firm, and learns a lot about herself and what she wants out of life — above all about the little one growing inside of her.
Elizabeth Sastre brings to life the journal that British attorney "Q" Boothroyd keeps while on bed rest during her first pregnancy. The risky pregnancy is further complicated by strains in her marriage, her husband's career, and within the couple's extended families. Employing a range of accents, Sastre is equally effective with both American and British characters. At times, Q seems to trivialize her situation, but at the most dramatic moments Sastre captures the emotions and fears of parents-to-be. She is amusing in her characterizations of Q's opinionated mother and sister. This enjoyable production will entertain a range of readers with its depictions of marriage, career, family relations, pregnancy, and life in New York City from a British viewpoint. J.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
Sarah Bilston, originally from England, is married to an American and teaches at Trinity College in Hartford. Bed Rest is her first novel, and she is at work on the sequel, Sleepless Nights. She lives in Connecticut.
