Reproduction Is the Flaw of Love

By: Lauren Grodstein

Narrated by: Ernie Schwartz

This sweet, honest account of the life and loves of 20-something Joel Miller will keep listeners engaged with its quirky characters and insights into human relationships.

It's a Saturday morning in Brooklyn. Joel Miller, age 28, stands outside his locked bathroom door. Behind it are his girlfriend Lisa, a Dixie cup, and a pregnancy test. While she stalls for time, Miller is left in his hallway to wonder and wait: for the results of the test, for the pieces of his addled life to come together, for some kind of divine intervention to guide his actions when Lisa finally emerges.

Thus begins Lauren Grodstein's beguiling debut novel, a wise, wonderfully assured journey deep into the heart of the commitment-phobic male. Reproduction Is the Flaw of Love fearlessly charts the romantic odyssey of one endearing New York bachelor, and in so doing illuminates some universal truths about family, loyalty, devotion, and love.

©2004 Lauren Grodstein (P)2005 Bolinda Publishing Pty. Ltd.

Critic reviews

"Sweet, honest....Compulsively readable." (Publishers Weekly)
"An insightful study of our search for meaningful connections" (Booklist)

Terrible Reader

This story isn't bad in and of itself, but the reading is awful. The narrator's voice is annoying and he mispronounces several simple everyday words. I had trouble making it through to the end of this one, but I wanted to find out what happened to the characters enough to muscle through.

Flat presentation

I wish I had read the book rather than listening to the audio version. The narrator had such a flat, uninteresting voice that I was utterly bored. I think the story, itself, is probably worth reading, but the reading is just too monotone. (And he mispronounces a surprising number of words--how did that get past an editor?)

un

On rare occasion an author can accurately and insightfully speak from the perspective of the other gender. This is not one.

The main character is an early-mid twenties male, living with a girlfriend. The author doesn't even get close to estimating his internal dialog and emotional states.

Particularly bad are the parts where he is waiting for his girlfriend to take a pregnancy test and where he is reflecting on his relationship with his divorced parents. Both of which I have had some experience with :)

Caveat: these scenes are at the begining of the novel. I did not read on. Who knows... maybe it get's better?