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Waiting for Daisy: A Tale of Two Continents, Three Religions, Five Infertility Doctors, an Oscar, an Atomic Bomb, a Romantic Night, and One Woman's Quest to Become a Mother Paperback – December 26, 2007
"Dazzling…the platinum standard for memoirs regarding couples struggling to become parents."―Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Peggy Orenstein's widely hailed and bestselling memoir of her quest for parenthood begins when she tells her new husband that she's not sure she ever wants to be a mother; it ends six years later after she's done almost everything humanly possible to achieve that goal. Buffeted by one obstacle after another, Orenstein seeks answers both medical and spiritual in America and Asia, all the while trying to hold on to a marriage threatened by cycles, appointments, procedures, and disappointments. Waiting for Daisy is both an intimate page-turner and a wrly funny report from the front.
- Print length228 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBloomsbury USA
- Publication dateDecember 26, 2007
- Dimensions5.86 x 0.66 x 7.83 inches
- ISBN-101596912103
- ISBN-13978-1596912106
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Editorial Reviews
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“Suspenseful [and] unsparing…Orenstein's interrogation of her own profiteering pregnancy retinue comes across as a welcome, even necessary exposé.” ―New York Times Book Review
“Orenstein's memoir is not just hers; it is the story of a generation of women who dared to wait for motherhood, took risks to achieve it and were brave enough to question their decisions every step of the way.” ―More
“Just when you think there is no more to say about the comedy and tragedy of infertility, Peggy Orenstein comes along and changes your mind…Daisy is a fine meditation on what it means to live a fulfilled life.” ―People
“Riveting...It's no small feat to write a page turner that gives away the ending on the dust jacket, but Waiting for Daisy is more than just the Perils of Peggy. Orenstein has written a memoir, a confession, a polemic and a love story all at once.” ―Los Angeles Times
About the Author
Peggy Orenstein is the author of Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self- Esteem, and the Confidence Gap and Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half-Changed World. A contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine, she has also written for the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Elle, Vogue, Parenting, Discover, More, Mother Jones, Salon, and the New Yorker. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Steven Okazaki, and their daughter, Daisy.
Product details
- Publisher : Bloomsbury USA; First Edition (December 26, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 228 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1596912103
- ISBN-13 : 978-1596912106
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.86 x 0.66 x 7.83 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,916,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,929 in Fertility
- #9,011 in Medical Professional Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Peggy Orenstein is the author of the New York Times best-sellers Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter and Waiting for Daisy as well as Unraveling, Don’t Call Me Princess, Flux, and the classic SchoolGirls. A frequent contributor to The New York Times and a contributing writer for AFAR, Peggy has also written for such publications as The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, New York, The Atlantic and The New Yorker, and has contributed commentaries to NPR’s All Things Considered and The PBS News Hour. She has been featured on, among other programs, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, The Today Show, Morning Joe, and NPR’s Fresh Air. Her TED Talk, “What Young Women Believe About Their Own Sexual Pleasure,” has been viewed over six million times.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the theme inspirational and therapeutic. They also praise the writing style as well-written and find the humor funny, interesting, and refreshing. Opinions are mixed on the tone, with some finding it interesting and refreshing, while others say it's depressing and overwhelming.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the theme inspirational, therapeutic, and a great personal account of her struggle and success.
"...She liked it and said it was helpful to hear of others experiences." Read more
"...In this wry, intensely personal, beautifully told tale, she presents us with a cautionary tale of modern life that can be summed up as "Don't put..." Read more
"...A nice read, and an inspiring one at that." Read more
"...this was a great personal account of her struggle and then success." Read more
Customers find the writing style well written and appreciate the author's honesty. They also like the author’s voice.
"...Thank you Peggy for this well written..." Read more
"...It did make me laugh many times, and the writing itself is excellent...." Read more
"This book is exquisitely written from an infertility standpoint...." Read more
"...kids without IVF (3 after 35, and 1 at 43, 1 at 45) the author was very relatable and brutally funny. Oh, and I cried." Read more
Customers find the book funny, interesting, and refreshing.
"...And a fast read. Orenstein is funny. She's extremely candid about her fertility treatments, both conventional and alternative...." Read more
"I thought I was going to love this book. It did make me laugh many times, and the writing itself is excellent...." Read more
"...the author was very relatable and brutally funny. Oh, and I cried." Read more
"...An amazing story, told with a sense of humor and a lot of honesty.. I loved this book!" Read more
Customers are mixed about the tone. Some find the book funny, interesting, and refreshing, with many twists and turns. They also say it's an amazing story, told with a sense of humor and honesty. However, others say the experiences are depressing and overwhelming, with unrealistic expectations. They say the book contains an inexplicable happy ending.
"...It has so many twists and turns and moments when you find yourself holding your breath as you read along!..." Read more
"...And this book contains a wierd, inexplicable happy ending of her being able to conceive and successfully carry the baby to term ... out of the blue...." Read more
"...An amazing story, told with a sense of humor and a lot of honesty.. I loved this book!" Read more
"...never been on her journey, each page was a new piece of a very intriguing puzzle. A tear jerker with lots to offer any woman." Read more
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One reviewer said the book is really negative, and whining. I don't agree with that. I think Orenstein is funny, and a survivor. She's an example of the kind of person who can take the hit and keep going back to the drawing board. I would think people struggling with fertility would actually empathize and enjoy reading this book. On the other hand, since Orenstein did have bad experiences with most of the things she tried, if people want to keep on rose colored glasses about their chances for any particular procedure, then yeah, Orenstein's recounting of her negative ones isn't going to give them any cheer....
The one potentially frustrating thing is that clearly this book is going to appeal to women who are having fertility issues. And this book contains a wierd, inexplicable happy ending of her being able to conceive and successfully carry the baby to term ... out of the blue. (Her main issue wasn't conceiving, but with experiencing constant miscarriage). On one hand, it's a good lesson that our bodies can sometimes do that sort of stuff...but if you are looking for commiseration in infertility, this sort of pat, inexplicable, Hollywood type ending, "And when I least expected it, I got pregnant!!!" may be exactly what you do NOT feel like hearing right now.... For stories of women who had infertility that did NOT resolve, then I would suggest Ann Taylor Fleming's "Motherhood Deferred" or Liz Tilberis' "No Time to Die." She also seems to want a biological child so strongly that she basically seems to intentionally avoid an adoption that almost falls into her lap. If you have adopted kids, or think you would like to adopt, you might find yourself disliking Orenstein or being amazed at her behavior regarding this...
Sorely disappointed...
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The only reason it's not a 5/5 for me is completely personal, but I would have loved for her to share some guidelines or tips for coping with infertility. However, this book was written as her own bit of history, so it's still completely enjoyable.