Knocked down A high-risk memoir

Love, marriage, and a harrowing pregnancy yield a haunting story of survival in this gripping account from Weintraub (We Got Game!). After a year of dating, Weintraub married her partner, Chris, a New York City hedge fund trader, and the two moved in to his family's empty farmhouse in Accord, N.Y. When Weintraub became pregnant, the happy life they dreamt of living felt nearly complete, until doctors discovered that she had one tennis-ball- and two football-size fibroids competing for womb space and put her on strict bed rest; "The message was clear," she writes, "lie down for the next five months and don't get up. Ever." Delving into the mental and emotional toll she underwent in "near-solitary confinement" ("My only crime: an ailing cervix"), Weintraub details a constant "loop of anxiety," amplified by her and Chris's decision to purchase a troubled local business. As their marriage buckles under the strain, their dilapidated farmhouse becomes a poignant metaphor for their situation's fragility: "We had become so delicate... not wanting to give up anything, not even to each other." Weintraub balances her brutally frank account with hope and humor before finding the ultimate release in the delivery of her healthy baby boy. While the catharsis isn't easily given, there's beauty on every page. (Mar.)

This honest, laugh-out-loud (and possibly cry-out-loud) memoir will entertain any reader. Raised with conservative Jewish roots in Brooklyn, commitment-phobic Weintraub enters a whirlwind marriage in the wilds of upstate New York. Shortly after tying the knot, she winds up with monster-sized fibroids, a high-risk pregnancy, and five months of bed rest. Will she see this through or run away the first chance she gets? Narrator Sofia Willingham's whispered and at times monotone narration offers a steady pace and clear annunciations but cannot do Weintraub's writing justice. Lined with humor and plenty of sass, this intimate look into Weintraub's pregnancy is still warm and authentic. She does not shy away from the raw and overwhelming feelings of grief, motherhood, survival, and growth. While Willingham offers variations in the secondary characters' dialogue, her performance lacks the necessary inflection and enthusiasm to bring out Weintraub's vibrant personality during this emotionally wrought and beautiful journey. VERDICT Captivating and wonderfully written, a print version or the upcoming audiobook narrated by the author is best for collections.--Emily Pykare