Kelli Maloy Maloy itibaren Hulu Bernam, Selangor, Malezya itibaren Hulu Bernam, Selangor, Malezya

A quick read, with interesting characters and a few plot surprises. It would have been interesting to know more about the interior life of Iris; seeing her from the besotted Daniel's point of view told us more about him than her, and I was left wanting to know more about her motivations.

I was finally motivated to pull this weighty tome down off of the shelf after an intriguing review by my sister of Hrdy's most recent work: Mothers and Others. An anthropologist, Hrdy uses human history, observations of our closest evolutionary relatives, and even social insects to examine what is really the true nature of motherhood. As a feminist, she is perhaps not surprised to find that much of what we have traditionally viewed as natural maternal behavior is in fact wishful thinking. I found this book incredibly impressive and profoundly influential. Many times I've found both Andrew and I reciting anecdotes and arguments from this book in discussions on gender and parenting. (There were quite a number of sections I just had to read aloud to Andrew.) Though I didn't always agree with her every point, I look forward to reading other work by Hrdy, and will continue to recommend her far and wide.