And Babies Make Four...

And Babies Make Four…
by Ruth Owens
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
This was a colorful, cute story. Originally written in 1996, it's just what you need when you're looking for a throwback to a time with less technology and some nice, passionate angst. Sam and Noel burn hot and cold all the time. They'll be thinking happy, loving thoughts about the other and then a random comment will entice all kinds of angry vitriol, followed closely by tears and making up.

I loved the way Ms. Owens has with words in this book. She was able to seamlessly weave tropical metaphors into everything. All of the ideas and emotions in the story were tied to hurricanes, winds, waves, riptides. I was truly amazed at how well written and poetic all of the imagery was.

It was amusing to read all of the computer related tidbits. All of the ideas that we had back in the 90's about what computers would turn into; some things came true and some things are just fun nostalgia. The computer personalities went back and forth between advanced adults, small petulant children and Islander teenagers. But they were fun to read and remember how we thought things would develop in the 90's. It made me stop and reminisce about what I was involved with computer-wise back in the 90's.

I didn't buy into everything in the book. There was the almost requisite surprise pregnancy that just didn't add up when calculating days. The main part of the plot, trying to solve this "Eden Equation", was a little confusing to me. Even by the end of the book, I wasn't sure why is was necessary to go to the tropical island. It almost seemed that there was some supernatural force involved in some of the decisions, but it was only slightly eluded to and I would have liked to see that explored a little more.

After seeing the epilogue and browsing Ruth Owens books on Amazon, I think this book might be the last one in a series of interconnected books. So maybe some of the other books give a little more context for this one. As of this review, the other books have not been reissued yet.

This was a nice book to sit back and read to put a smile on your face. I wouldn't say it was a hugely emotional book for me. I liked the characters and the setting, and the prose was very captivating, but I didn't feel completely invested in Sam and Noel's happily-ever-after. It was a good way to relax and unwind at the end of the long day though.