Review: Fun
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 19, 2012
This is fun type of "book" - actually it's been done before by the likes of Charles Dickens and other great authors. But they did their serial storytelling by sending in chapters to newspapers keeping their readers on the edge of their seats waiting for the next installment. This is how A Christmas Carol was initially published.Totlandia tells the tale of an exclusive Moms and Tots playgroup where the children who get in ....have parents who want the best for them and are willing to go to any lengths to get what they think will provide their children with any advantage in what they think is a dog eat dog world. Even a playgroup for an infant.The rules for joining are absurd. The mothers are absurd. The concept is absurd. The book is hysterical. It's short, biting and full of characters that you want to know more about. Book 1 introduces the main players, the hows and whys of The Pacific Heights Moms and Tots Club and of course, the children. There are 4 spots open for this year but 6 mothers vying for the places.  So a Survivor-like contest is decided as a way to winnow out the two extra applicants.Each of the women has a secret that will surely lead to her dismissal if found out so they do their best to keep them hidden as they and their children bond. The dialog is fun, the challenges faced are real and there are some laugh out loud moments. I don't think it took me two hours to read so it's a perfect light, funny tale to have handy when you have a little time and want to have something to read.The only thing I did not understand at all, character wise was the one mother having a 14 month old child who had not started walking or talking and she had not had him tested. She doesn't go to a doctor until a yoga teacher suggests it. A yoga teacher? Would any mother in this day and age let a child get to 14 months without talking and walking and blindly ignore the lack of development? Not to mention no questioning of this by the father or family members? I thought this was really just out of touch. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know. But beyond this one complaint I really did enjoy this installment and I'm looking forward to starting the next.