When I started this book I thought, "There is no way I can root for any of these characters, they are all just awful and financially irresponsible and they deserve what they get." But dang if the author didn't get me caring about ALL of them by the end. It's hard to sum up the plot, but some (very VERY) bad choices by one brother ends up pulling the financial rug out from all of his siblings, who'd been counting on an upcoming nest egg. The author changes perspective between all the adult siblings and other characters as they try to adapt and grow up and become better.

Note: Lots o' swearing and some teenage sexuality. I don't know if there was less swearing as the book went on or if I just stopped noticing.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook, and getting more of the details about what everyday Regency life was like for the people in the households who were, you know, doing the work. The events of P&P are the backdrop to what I thought was a really interesting story on its own.

REALLY interesting read, gave me loads to think about. Dr. Brown pulls from her developmental psychology background and her parenting experience. She makes a persuasive case that our society over-relies on gender-based labeling and assumptions, to the detriment of our kids' academic, emotional, and physical potential.

The book includes lots of positive, practical advice. She recommends the simple change of using the word "kid" when talking about children unless there's a reason to specify the gender, so that we're not constantly emphasizing the label of "boy" or "girl." (A child who's acquiring language attaches a lot of significance to that & starts thinking in terms of "team boy" and "team girl.") Brown offers suggestions when thinking about toys, sports, parties, and conversations. And she gives examples about how to offer tactful correction when we hear stereotypes, either from our kids or from people who interact with them.

I'm a SAHM who does less than 10 hours of paid work per week. But I am horrible about time management and really want to do better, especially since I want to move back to full-time work in the future.

I love the idea of creating a time map for the 168 hours in a week (she calls it a "mosaic" with activities logged in half-hour intervals). Once we analyze how we actually spend our time, we can start making decisions & changes. It sounds like most time-mappers are surprised to see that their mosaics include less work, more sleep, and more leisure time than they assumed. I haven't read her other book (168 hours), but I assume this idea is in there too.

One talking point I found intriguing was that the average FT working mom works 35 hours a week. The average woman in her study (earning $100K+ a year) worked 44 hours per week. So they work 9 more hours but make 3x more money. She reports some women being scared away from professions that supposedly require 60-80 hour work weeks. But not only do the people in those professions not actually work those hours (people who say they work 75 hours a week actually work 50), but their jobs may be a lot more flexible when it comes to scheduling around family stuff.

So good. I'm glad I finally read this after having it on my list for years!

Didn't love "Eat Pray Love" but THIS book I could not stop telling people about. Loved Gilbert's voice on the audio as well.

I was in the mood for Brit chick lit and this fit the bill. It got into some emotional depth but I would have liked to see a bit more romantic tension leading up to the end.