Jennifer, Gwyneth
& Me: The Pursuit of Happiness by Rachel Bertsche is one of those books
that I'm not quite sure how I feel about.
On the one hand, reading about Bertsche's common struggles with having a
baby will, I'm sure, resonate with a lot of women. However, she intersperses those vignettes
with her attempts to lead a celebrity-driven lifestyle that, at times, can seem
a little disjointed. It was almost like
reading two different books, one about infertility struggles and one about her
strives to be Jennifer Aniston, et al.
The basic concept of this book is rather simple. Bertsche looks at the various aspects of her
life and decides which superstar best exemplifies that aspect's highest
pillar of success. For example, which celebrity
does she deem the best cook? Gwyneth
Paltrow. Who has the best marriage? Jennifer Garner. She then reads up for hours and hours on how
Jennifer Aniston works out, etc., and tries to emulate her. By the end, she tries to do it all (and there
is a celebrity who best exemplifies that too).
However, all of this seems out of place next to her infertility issues
in the same chapter.
I think Jennifer,
Gwyneth & Me would have been best suited for two separate books, but
that's just my opinion. With how well Us Weekly and People Magazine sell, I'm sure there will be enthusiastic readers
of this tome.
