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There are currently 31 member reviews
for Delicate Condition
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Victoria B. (Little River, SC)
Mixed Bag
In trying to formulate my thoughts to give a fair and accurate review I can only say there are a lot of themes to unpack here and one very big author agenda.
Delicate Condition is about an actor who is trying her best to get pregnant through fertility treatments. Anna Victoria Alcott who is in her late 30's is regretful that she has skipped her prime fertility years chasing her career. As she and her husband go through multiple bouts of IVF, the possibility of having a baby becomes more dear to her and yet more elusive. Anna learns that her husband Dex left his first wife because she didn't want children, something she didn't share with him until after they were married. When Anna finally becomes pregnant, she has to deal with a stalker who is threatening her life.
Interspersed with Anna's story are chapters about other women from the past who have gone through childbirth and have delivered monsters. There is a very non sequitur chapter about a young med student at Columbia University who spits gum on a statue of a doctor who led the way in obstetrics by experimenting on slave women.
The author then introduces themes of Satanism and witchcraft to add a little more confusion or tension to the story.
To tell more about this book would be to introduce spoilers and I don't want to do that. As a psychological thriller the book is good, not great. The author's agenda (not theme) of poor women's health care is unmistakable and at the forefront throughout the book. It seems as if she has a real ax to grind about American health care in general and about doctors specifically. If you can get past the agenda and the multiple themes, you may enjoy the book.
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Joyce W.
Unbelievable
I had a very difficult time rating this book. The author does a very good job of creating suspense. I raced through this book, but was it because I wanted to know the ending OR because I couldn't stand the book and wanted to be done with it? It was both reasons.
Her biased slant overwhelms the narrative. Doctors don't listen to or believe their pregnant patients. The ending is very unsatisfying. The book appears to be a diatribe. Her bizarre symptoms negate her narrative of not believing. A normal person, much less a Doctor would never believe what she is saying.
I would suggest this only be read by those who are past having anymore pregnancies.
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Liz B. (Fairview, TX)
Not for Everyone
This novel is unpleasant in almost every way. I thought the synopsis sounded promising but it was overly graphic and I didn't care for the supernatural aspect of it. The character development was shallow at best and no one was likeable. Do not read if you are pregnant or hope to become pregnant!!
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