An entertaining portrait of an economically comfortable place and people, this novel gives us a rainbow of cringe-worthy parents ... Hemmings perfectly captures modern parenthood among the privileged and, with moments of concise poignancy, the silent shames of motherhood: envy, boredom, laziness and guilt.
...what makes How to Party With an Infant such a pleasure is its sly takedown of 21st-century parenting ... Underneath this wicked wit, though, is a warm heart.
The novel’s characters and settings are rich and resonant. Unfortunately, its structure and plot are thin ... Greatness we do not find here, but this smart, funny send-up of modern motherhood, San Francisco-style, succeeds nonetheless.
...it’s a relief to be in the hands of a writer. Not a blogger, not a storyteller, but someone who can bring the reader into the moment-by-moment sensations of an experience, an interaction. Someone who homes in on conflict and character and brings them richly to the page via details, actions, gestures and descriptions that create in the reader a sense of living the story ... an absorbing book.
