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The Ten-Year Nap Audiobook
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(2.00) - 3,919 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
For a group of four New York friends, the past decade has been largely defined by marriage and motherhood. Educated and reared to believe that they would conquer the world, they then left prestigious jobs to stay home with their babies. What was meant to be a temporary leave of absence has lasted a decade. Now, at age forty, with the halcyon days of young motherhood behind them and without professions to define them, Amy, Jill, Roberta, and Karen face a life that is not what they were brought up to expect but seems to be the one they have chosen. But when Amy meets someone who seems to have fulfilled the classic women's dream of having it all—work, love, family—without having to give anything up, a lifetime's worth of concerns, both practical and existential, opens up. As her obsession with this woman's bustling life grows, it forces the four friends to confront the choices they've made—until a series of startling events shatters the peace and, for some of them, changes the landscape entirely.
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"I really enjoyed this one, a whole lot more than I had expected to. The writing is great (though there are a couple missteps---e.g., the literal-minded Chinese couple who are of course math geniuses), and the scope of the story is generous and impressive. Recommended for both female and male readers."
— Liz (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“In The Ten-Year Nap, Meg Wolitzer uses her trademark wit and intelligence to animate questions more often posed by nonfiction: Why are many women tempted to stop working after having children? What do they gain—and lose—by doing so? The result is both a complex portrait of contemporary motherhood and an arresting dispatch from the family frontlines.”
— Jennifer Egan, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Visit from the Goon Squad -
“The tartly funny Wolitzer is a miniaturist who can nail a contemporary type, scene, or artifact with deadeye accuracy.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Brisk and moving…Whatever you opt for, something gets cheated. That’s what’s known as the human condition. The ultimate peril is motherhood, loving someone more than you love yourself. Meg Wolitzer nails it with tenderness and wit.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“Wolitzer’s middle-aged moms are flawed: selfish, neurotic, and occasionally petty. But they—and their conflicts—feel vividly satisfyingly real.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“An engrossing, juicy read about girlfriends, marriages, jealousies, and money.”
— Salon -
“Able to nail an era or emotion, snack, or sexual position with deadpan accuracy, [Wolitzer’s] the kind of writer who leaves you gulping with recognition. The well-maneuvered cast of minor characters—from schlepping husbands to anorexic single mothers—add another layer of complexity to an already rich feast.”
— Independent (London) -
“It’s a rare novelist who can transform domestic fiction into a sustained, smart, and funny inquiry into the price of ambition, the value of work, issues of class, and the meaning of motherhood—Wolitzer is that novelist.”
— Booklist -
“Wise, witty…A perceptive, highly pleasurable novel that serves as Wolitzer’s up-to-date answer to the old question: ‘What do women want?’”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
The Ten-Year Nap Listener Reviews
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" I know i am not a stay at home mom and I have no idea what it is like to be one but the characters were very whiny I started out liking the book at first ecspecially the mixing of stories of the characters moms but by the end of the book i could care less what happened with any of them "
— Trish, 2/16/2014 -
" Okay if you like reading about what a bunch of thirtyish women in NYC do with their time. "
— Courtney, 2/10/2014 -
" I couldn't finish this book despite my best efforts to meet my commitment for book club! I didn't like the author's writing style at all. There was way too much narrative and not enough action. Some of the author's observations were interesting, but I just felt the book droned on and I finally gave up. "
— Sonny, 2/9/2014 -
" While I loved one of her early novels (Friends for Life), Wolitzer seems to have terrible contempt for all of her characters in this one. Some witty descriptions of New York real estate dilemmas and atrocious children's fantasy fiction, but mostly it's a book filled with people you'd never want to meet. "
— Berit, 2/5/2014 -
" put me to sleep "
— Stef, 1/27/2014 -
" This book is slow, and it jumps from character to character without letting the reader know. I wish I could have my money back. "
— Ashley, 1/19/2014 -
" meh, I couldn't get into this one. I've shelved it for now, maybe I'll come back to it at some point. "
— Krista, 12/29/2013 -
" I liked the concept of the book, but the book overall was not an easy read. I didn't enjoy the author's writing style and it made it very hard to get into the book. "
— Wen-Chi, 12/25/2013 -
" I didn't like this book at all. It was hyped as really good but I couldn't relate to or care about any of the characters. They were all self-absorbed and whiny. I'd call it the ten year boring read. "
— Tobi, 12/24/2013 -
" This took awhile to get "into" -- maybe because it was beach reading and thus pick-up, put down, but the parallel lives of the women in the book were interesting to follow. "
— Nadine, 12/15/2013 -
" I found the characters completely unsympathetic. "
— Liz, 12/7/2013 -
" Listening to it on my MP-3. Entertaining but not a lot happening so far. Nice story! "
— Adine, 12/7/2013 -
" The conflict facing young women, raised by feminist Mothers, to choose Motherhood or career - or both. Should have been gripping and relatable. Instead I found these women to be whiny ungrateful women of privilege, who remained unsatisfied despite having so many opportunities. Dull. "
— Wilmina, 12/4/2013 -
" Couldn't finish it, didn't hold my interest. I couldn't relate to the women at all and I approached this book with high expectations. "
— Arsala, 10/14/2013 -
" It's a shame that primary caretakers of our own children should feel that we need to search outwardly to add meaning to or lives (in the eyes of others). "
— Chrispy, 3/14/2013 -
" Loved the first 300 pages, but did not think it ended as strong. That said, it is an enjoyable read and she does a great job describing a perplexing time of life. "
— Debbie, 2/10/2013 -
" Finished it, finally. Okay overall, but not as interesting as I thought it would be. "
— Tammy, 12/28/2012 -
" Started out eager learn about the lives of these women....gave up about a third of the way thru. Ended up I didn't really care about any of these people. They came off as whiney ladies who needed a focus in their lives. Was that the overall focus of the book? Sorry Meg, I will never know. "
— Judy, 3/18/2012 -
" Funny, smart, navel-gazing for me and the characters. "
— Kimmae, 11/20/2011 -
" I wanted to love this book that had beautiful turns of phrase and tackled interesting (to me) issues like motherhood and opting out of the workforce. But in the end Wolitzer brought in too many characters and didn't make me care enough about any of them. "
— Angie, 11/19/2011 -
" I am giving this book three stars because there were parts of it that I really liked but I thought the end dragged hopelessly. Not my favorite but not my worst either -- really just a middle of the road read. "
— Jan, 10/25/2011 -
" didn't even finish it. half-way through and stopped. so boring. "
— Emily, 5/15/2011 -
" Only got to page 103 before I gave up. I hate giving up on a book but I just couldn't get into this one. "
— Kristen, 5/12/2011 -
" A little melancholy but I loved this book and especially Wolitzer's beautiful writing. "
— Debbie, 5/11/2011 -
" Audio Book. Why did I finish it. I should have just stopped listening. It doesn't get much more boring than stay at home moms in New York. I think I was supposed to have empathy for them but it was just really boring. "
— Jake, 5/6/2011 -
" don't do this very often, but I stopped reading the book - just couldn't get into it. "
— Lee, 5/3/2011 -
" Disappointing read. I never really liked any of the characters. They seemed so unhappy but unwilling to do anything about it. The book tried to mimic The Joy Luck Club, but in the end, it didn't have anything interesting to say. "
— Jennifer, 5/1/2011 -
" I never saw this book's twist coming! "
— Karen, 4/12/2011 -
" I just could not get into this book. "
— Pattie, 4/9/2011 -
" I was mildly excited to read a book about 4 moms who were struggling with career ideas after raising their kids- didn't draw me in at all. And the 8 "f-words" in the first 32 pages caused me to put it down forever. Really, that ain't literature! "
— Hannah, 4/7/2011 -
" Interesting and thought provoking, another take on the age old SAHM versus working mom thing. Some parts of the plot should have been more developed. "
— Staci, 4/5/2011 -
" Listening to it on my MP-3. Entertaining but not a lot happening so far. Nice story! "
— Adine, 3/22/2011
About Meg Wolitzer
Meg Wolitzer is a New York Times bestselling author of several novels for adults as well as Belzhar for young adults.
About Alyssa Bresnahan
Alyssa Bresnahan is a dynamic dancer, actor, and audiobook narrator. She has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, has earned twenty Earphones Awards, and was named one of AudioFile magazine’s Golden Voices. In 2009 she was a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best fiction narration.