Natalie Meisner

In this slim memoir, Natalie Meisner details her and her wife's journey to pregnancy. From failed "dates" with prospective sperm donors to six-hour drives across North American wilderness before the window of ovulation closes, Double Pregnant offers a humorous, thoughtful look into the process of getting pregnant as a lesbian couple today in Canada.

Meisner is a writer, and it shows in her careful prose. But unfortunately, that's not enough to keep the story of the two women's fertility endeavor interesting. The memoir revolves entirely around the process of getting pregnant, which failed to inspire the emotional investment that would have kept me engaged in the women's story, even as someone mildly interested in assisted reproduction. Had Meisner built a stronger emotional context for her story, better developing her characters, the result may have been a more compelling read. As it was, Double Pregnant was interesting in small doses, but hard to read in long stretches.

The book would have worked well as a blog: each chapter contained a mini-narrative, offering a touch of humor and brief commentary on what it means to be a lesbian couple trying to simultaneously get pregnant. As a blog, these various self-contained stories would be perfect to be read alone or as part of a series. As a book, however, Double Pregnant is unlikely to compel readers who don't have first-hand experience with the process Meisner and wife are going through.

Note: I received an advance readers' copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.… (mere)