Pregnant Pause

by Han Nolan

A thought-provoking and courageous new novel by National Book Award winner Han Nolan.

Nobody gets away with telling Eleanor Crowe what to do. But as a pregnant sixteen-year-old, her options are limited: move to Kenya with her missionary parents, or marry the baby’s father and work at his family’s summer camp for overweight kids. Despite her initial reluctance to help out, Elly is surprised that she actually enjoys working with the campers. But a tragedy on the very day her baby is born starts a series of events that overwhelms Elly with unexpected emotions and difficult choices. Somehow, she must turn her usual obstinance in a direction that can ensure a future for herself—and for the new life she has created.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Teen, Family, Romance

340 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Han Nolan is widely acclaimed for her evocative language, her gritty subject matter, and her ability to plumb the psyche of her characters. Her books include Dancing on the Edge, which won the National Book Award, Send Me own a Miracle, a finalist for the National Book Award, Born Blue, A Summer of Kings, and several other acclaimed novels. She and her husband live on the East Coast.

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eleanor is 16 and pregnant and just got married to her useless druggie baby-daddy. Her parents are missionaries whose life work is helping AIDS babies in Kenya and don't seem to be particularly interested in helping/raising their own daughter anymore. She's rebelled and found herself in less-than-excellent circumstances. When Eleanor gets pregnant and her parents allow her to get married (biting off her nose to spite her face), Eleanor moves into a cabin at the fat camp her new in-laws run. Also, no one thinks that Eleanor should keep the baby. Her parents want her to give it to her sister (who is 10 years older and has been trying for a while with no luck yet) and her in-laws want her to give the baby to them (to replace the brain-damaged child they had long ago who died). Eleanor doesn't know what she wants.

Don't worry, her in-laws blame Eleanor for absolutely everything and don't acknowledge that their son may have played a part in making the baby and he is a piece of poo, cheating on Eleanor with another counselor, sneaking out to go drinking, and getting high all the time when he's supposed to be working. Clearly this is all Eleanor's fault. Eleanor, forced to work full-time (though no getting paid for it - child labor laws? I guess not?) at the camp as a dance teacher and counselor, finds that she actually likes kids more than she thought she would. She also starts to think that maybe her husband isn't the best for her and the baby and begins to explore the idea of maybe being with someone else. She also develops a kind of friendship with one of the campers, a shy, whiny 11-year old girl named Banner, whose rich, beautiful parents only want her to be skinny and don't actually care if she's happy.

When the day finally arrives for her C-section, Eleanor finds out that Banner has committed suicide overnight. Emotions are all over the place and Eleanor ends up having her C-section while her no-good husband is in jail for driving erratically and smoking pot, good for him. They find out that the baby has Down Syndrome and now nobody (except for Eleanor) wants her. Not Eleanor's sister, not her in-laws, and her parents are off to Kenya again and want Eleanor to come with them without the baby. They all want her to give the baby up for adoption and Eleanor KNOWS that she wants to raise her baby herself.

In a miraculous twisty ending, Eleanor winds up with a job and a place to live and she is able to keep her baby.

Really, this book was longer than I wanted it to be and it had a LOT more going on than it seemed like it could handle. Eleanor was realistic in her teen decision-making (I'LL SHOW THEM, I'M PREGNANT SO I'M GOING TO GET MARRIED! I'LL SHOW THEM, I'M GOING TO MAKE THIS MARRIAGE WORK WITH MY LOSER HUSBAND! Really, "I'LL SHOW THEM" was a running theme for this book.) but I felt like it was really trying to pack extra problems in. I was NOT impressed with the way any of the adults behaved - they were all really, really immature about the entire thing. I absolutely hated how Eleanor's parents clearly cared more about helping other children than they did about raising their own child and making sure she was feeling safe and secure. Ugh, selfish. And the way Eleanor was treated by her in-laws was completely unacceptable as well.

Basically, this book had way too much going on, Eleanor was realistically done and I was rooting for her, and I didn't like anyone else in the book.

[Chanelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - what a book. I didn't expect to love this one. Like, maybe, but definitely not love. And guess what? I do love it. Nolan has come along and created a book filled with characters that have been swimming around my head for days, making me think about them as if they were real. And when a book does that to me, I know I've enjoyed it.

What comes alive for me the most, in this book, is Elly. Elly is one of those characters you kind of want to smack upside the head at the beginning and say 'grow the hell up, girl'. But then we stay with her a little longer and the reason she acts out becomes apparent and understandable. You begin to warm to her and the immature things she does, and the snarky attitude actually become endearing. You want to root for her. You want everything to work out perfectly.

What makes this book are definitely the characters. You have pregnant Elly who has pretty much floated through her teen years getting in trouble because of her older boyfriend, and then finds herself married and living on a fat camp with him and his parents who run it. Not only does she not know what she's going to do once she has the baby, but she starts to realise that maybe her boyfriend, Lam, isn't the guy she thought he was and someone else might actually be the one for her.

Then you have Lam. He's a confusing one. I think because we're in Elly's head, we see him as she does. He's an ultimate douche, especially to her (leaving her on their wedding night to go to a party, knowing she's seven months pregnant and can't go). But, sometimes I found myself wanting their relationship to work and thinking 'aww, that's sweet'. And then towards the end, I kinda hated him.

Both sets of parents are realistically flawed, but also a great supporting cast. Especially the in laws. Every time they were described, I could picture them so well. I really liked how Elly dealt with them too.

And of course, the camp kids and counsellors. All of the - every single one that was named and described - added to the story. I was never bored around them and their conversations were realistic for people around their age group, but telling and heartfelt. I felt for the overweight kids who had been sent by their parents to lose weight. I felt for the bullied ones and even the mean ones. And that's where Nolan excels. Because though everyone is described honestly and nothing is sugar coated, she makes you see all sides to the person and you realise that no one person is good or bad. They have layers and issues and good and bad traits.

You're taken on a rollercoaster with this novel, one that I encourage you to go along with. One minute, you think everything might work out. The next, you're crying because things just go so terribly wrong. This novel is just so honest and so enthralling. It doesn't shy away from hard topics and it definitely doesn't sugarcoat anything.

I recommend this to everyone. Seriously. Pick it up and read it. You won't be disappointed.

[Reut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pregnant Pause opens interestingly, to say the least. We have 16-year-old, pregnant Eleanor, who has just gotten married. To the father of her baby, just to make that clear. This isn't The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

To be honest, this book was initially veryhard for me to get through. The first 75 pages were an absolute slog. It took me the majority of the six days I read this book in to just build up the momentum to get through it. Anyway, once I pushed through, I was touched and fascinated by Eleanor and her story.

Teen moms are nothing new in our culture, furthermore, teen moms who make bad decisions aren't either. Yet being in Elly's head as she goes through her pregnancy is something very, very new. Eleanor's complete bluntness and honesty make her a really interesting character indeed.

Something I thought about while reading this book: If you saw a teen mom on the street, wouldn't you give a disapproving look, or at the very least think to yourself, what a shame? Yet Eleanor, although in a very bad situation, managed to win me over in the end.

Eleanor's knack for making horrible decisions failed to win me over at the beginning of the book. This character flaw is not resolved at the end, so if it annoys you to have kind of stunted character development, stay away. But I swear, it's worth it. Elly's complete honesty just, I don't know, made it very hard for me to hate her. Yeah, she makes awful decisions. But she takes responsibility for everything, she admits it, both to other people and herself. She's open.

The plot of the story is very sparse, as it is with most coming of age books. The pacing, like I mentioned, is great, once you get through that initial slogging first act.

The characters are really what sets this book apart; never have I read a contemporary book with such well-crafted characters. Every.single.damn.character pissed me off at times. Every single character had their moments, both good and bad. Every single character was remarkably realistic.

I recommend Pregnant Pause if you're looking for a great contemporary novel that is literally a great book, literary wise. Symbolism and theme galore!

For my full review, visit http://reutreads.wordpress.com/2012/0...

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love, love the ending of this one. It's one of the best endings that I've read in a long time, and I'm a sucker for well-done endings. 4 1/2 stars because of the ending! I do love Elly (the main character), too. I love stubbornness and sticking up for yourself in the face of everybody in the world disagreeing with you. Yay for that! Don't want to put spoilers in this review, so that will pretty much have to suffice on what the book is about (yes, I realize I've said next to nothing about that). The name of Elly's husband/boyfriend/father of the baby is pretty hilarious, and I'm not sure how it's pronounced, which makes it even funnier to me (Lam, short for Lamont). Rockets to the top of my list of YA novels of the year, also partly because of Nolan's thoughts toward the end about really feeling your bad/uncomfortable/grieving feelings, and how that can begin the process of letting them start to dissipate. Perfect contemplation for me right now. The direction to Elly about feelings is given to her in the hospital by a Rabbi (even though she's not Jewish). I wasn't expecting some of the places this book went, and that is why Nolan is such a great writer. BORN BLUE is still my favorite book of hers, but this is a close 2nd now. It may be the most generally accessible book of hers that I've read so far.

This was my 2nd Cap Choices nomination for the year, and it didn't end up making the final list. My 1st nomination (PINK) did make it though. It seemed like this one suffered from lack of enough readers.

[Susan Bazzett-Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another example of a book that had a great story/characters, but lacked what could habe also been better writing. Elly/Eleanor is 16 amd pregnant, but not like on MTV. She has no money, unsupportive parents and a reluctantly married 18 year old husband. The unhappy couple live in a cabin and work at his parents fat camp, grow apart and struggle to figure out what to do with their lives and their impending baby. Was an easy read for the tough material. Decent novel. 3 stars.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great social problems of our time is children having children. Of course part of the problem is that we have a larger than ever class of people who are physically mature enough to impregnate/bear children but not mature enough in other ways to be economically independent, but that's a thought for another day.

Elly got pregnant the first time she ever had sex, even though they were using a condom. Her boyfriend is a guy who is a lot of fun, but who got her in trouble in more ways than the pregnancy. They had such a good time getting drunk or stoned together. She is in denial about the pregnancy until it is too late for an abortion (and she didn't want one anyway). When she insists that the boyfriend was about to marry her, both sets of parents facilitate that so these two kids are married and living together at his parents' summer camp, where she is told to lie about her age to the kids. We follow her through the summer as she realizes that her husband is not ready to be married or a dad. She learns that she has a knack for working with kids. Tragedy strikes, and then she has the baby--a baby both her sister and her in-laws want to adopt.

MILD SPOILER:
The baby was born with Downs Syndrome, and all of the sudden, no one wanted her, except Elly.

I liked this book. It was told in the first person and really sounded like listening to a sixteen year old who had crises after crises in her life and couldn't decide what to do--but that was Elly, she was sixteen, not my age, and when I felt like telling her to grow up--well, like most sixteen year olds, she needed time to do that. She wanted to build a life with the father of the baby, but he had lost interest in her, and there was another guy who really seemed to like her, which one should she pick? She was alone when she should have been loved and supported.

The camp at which the book is set is for overweight children. It is mentioned that many of them are suffering from emotional problems as much as from poor diet and lack of exercise. It is obvious that Elly and her husband have emotional issues--issues about which those who are supposed to be caring for them are oblivious. In some ways the pregnancy rescues Elly. Being at the camp puts her in a position of helping others deal with their pain and turns her into a fighter for the underdog.

One thing I didn't like about the book was the way Elly referred to sex as "the big nasty", but I guess if I had an unwanted pregnancy with a jerk the first time I ever did it...

I thought the book was pretty realistic in its portrayal of teen pregnancy and child bearing. It doesn't push "safe" sex, as Elly got pregnant despite the condom. The pregnancy wasn't fun, and the adults point out all the problems associated with keeping the baby. The emotional issues involved in giving the baby up for adoption was well covered as well. The only unrealistic thing was that the happy ending seemed a little on the forced side (and she seemed awfully active the week after a C-Section). Grade: B+

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy of this book.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the first three quarters of the book, this was going to be four stars, and I was going to write this review about how this is Han Nolan's second best book ( Crazy being the best). Nolan really did make me feel sorry for Elly - it's been a long time since I've gotten this attached to a fictional character. Nolan's big success with this book was that she really got me to cheer for Elly - I wanted so bad for her to have her character growth, for her to have some hope in her life.

But that fucking ending.

The structure was this book's biggest flaw, even from the beginning, but at the end, it just went completely incoherent. Multiple major characters are almost totally dropped, giving their storylines no conclusions. The central conflict has suddenly changed, and Elly's path to growth is now totally different from what it was before.

But that's not what's really wrong with the conclusion. The thing that's really wrong is that Elly's supposed character growth is complete horseshit. Elly doesn't actually grow or change at all, she just finds a new way of deluding herself, and as much as her life is a mess at the beginning of the story, her life at the end is somehow even worse. The problem is that Nolan doesn't seem to be aware of this - she's trying to pass off this terrible ending as growth for Elly. But it's not - Elly is still clueless, with no handle on her life, and is probably utterly screwed. This book ends up being a massive downer, not because it deals with a whole myriad of issues from teen pregnancy to suicide, but also because the hope that Nolan tries to introduce is so blatantly false that it's just pathetic. I'm rarely legitimately angry at an author for making writing decisions I disagree with, but the fact that I cared about Elly throughout this entire novel made me feel massively betrayed at the end when her story ends as hopelessly as it does. It's one of the most profoundly unsatisfying books I've ever read.

I considered giving this book one star, because of how angry and depressed I felt when I put it down. But I have to give credit where it's due - the first three quarters of this novel are pretty good. The structure was never great, but it doesn't totally collapse until around the time Elly's baby is born. And the characterization and prose are both excellent. Nolan really does know how to write characters I care about. I guess I just wish she would put that considerable talent to better use.

(Side note: Was I the only one who thought it was weird that, in this book written and set in 2011, nobody had cell phones or used the internet?)

[Just a person · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pregnant Pause will take you on an emotional roller-coaster and a journey of discovery and growth for the main character Ely.
This is a different spin on teen pregnancy, and I like the other themes that are woven in like friendship, forgiveness, self-esteem and taking (or not) responsibility under high pressure situations.
The characters are rich and really make this book, from Banner the whiny camper, to Lam the teeter totter husband, to Ziggy the one who confuses us even more, the in laws with their quirks and her parents with their naiviety, and we can't forget the Old Bat. :)
Many things surprised me about the way the story went, and it's really stuck with me. So yes, you will get some of what you expect and a lot that you don't. a
It took me a while to understand and connect with Ely, at first I just wanted to smack some sense into her, but as we find out reasons behind her troubles, and as she grows into herself, she really is an admirable character that I learned from.
I really recommend this, but I would put a mature teen label on it for some language, drug reference, sex and tough issues.

[Kyra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've had enough of whiny whyt b*tches (not to be racist, but I am very angered right now) who complain about getting pregnant even though it's clearly their fault. The main character is undoubtedly insensitive. A nine-month pregnant teenager smoking a joint at the morning she's supposed to give birth - unheard of. Then suddenly her daughter has Down Syndrome, and suddenly her sister doesn't want the baby anymore because of her defect. Like, how mean is that? I'm very angered towards this book because it contrasts my beliefs not only in rights but in religion. I wouldn't recommend this book. Eleanor isn't very pragmatic and reliable when it comes to making life decisions. Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you'll have to marry the ass who used a five-year-old useless condom and now, is the father of your unborn child. THIS IS JUST WRONG! Teenagers nowadays are very reckless and clouded by temptation and bluh bluh.

I'd never make Eleanor decide my life for me even if my life depends on it.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5

Elly really annoyed me at the start of this, and although she still had annoying moments later on in the book, I couldn't help but warm to her. She was treated so awfully by her family, and it seemed that everyone she thought she could count on walked away. I just wanted to give the poor girl a hug!

There was a few parts that bored me, and as I said before, there was a few parts where Elly annoyed me, but the majority of it was pretty good.

[Leah Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but as the story progressed it kept getting more and more interesting to me.

[Tiffany Holme · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a hard one for me and I really did enjoy it but due to having lived some of this I think I was a little more critical and emotional. Teen pregnancy is such a hard subject and Han Nolan not only does good job with it but also touches many other hard subjects while she is at it. The book was well written and doesn't waste a minute. Right from the start you are thrown into what is basically every parents fear and every teens worst nightmare. Finding out that the one moment you never expected is right upon you and you have to face the music and grow up now. It's not an easy thing to face and to be honest with you many people just can't do it but it's the choice in the end and when you make it you live with it.

Eleanor is what I would call your typical stereotype of a teen that ends up pregnant for the most part of it. She is rebellious and spiteful despite coming from a well rounded and loving family. She wasn't trying to get pregnant to tick anyone off or to spite her family but it happened and now she is terrified. Not that she lets on to anyone because she still shows them all her stone exterior and makes out like she is okay with her decision. When you look under all of that she is still scared and her sand for brains boyfriend/husband is about as supportive as a sack of rotten potatoes. This does absolutely nothing to make her life any easier. Although her blessing in disguise is really the marriage and neither her nor Lam really wanted but this is how she ends up at the camp. This is also where I started to actually fall in love with Elly. It's where she learns to actually grow up. Not just the quit the drugs and drinking grow up but realize that it isn't a game and start to figure things out.

The characters are all extremely well done from Elly to her IL's (In-laws) and the campers that you meet. I was surprised at the amount of detail that Han put into the campers actually. It was really like being there and watching all of it. Ultimately this is what really made the book for me. Banner who was sad and almost always whiny really tore at my heart. It was the connection and effort that Elly put into her that one little girl even when she made it hard that warmed me and had my hopes up that she would keep her baby. I know that she is only 16 but things happen and if you can step up and be responsible then I believe you should and without any crapola guy Elly could do it.

Though there was much grief and hardship that passed within the last 100 pages, this is where I felt the most truth was. That being said there's a lot of parts that I feel the emotion fell short. Many times I was frustrated with how Elly let everyone walk on her. Her parents, her in-laws, her husband and for awhile the campers. Let me tell you no matter the circumstance a person in her situation can only put up with so much(remember been there done that). I wish that Elly had stood her ground or showed more emotion towards her straying husband the most. Young or not I felt that Elly's emotion level could have kicked it up but really rather than that she was awesome.

Han Nolan did an overall wonderful job with this novel overall. There was a clear and emotional point to the story but I think she lightened the emotional load just a little too much on the pregnancy front. This was made up with all of the other hard to chew subjects and emotions that will both pull at your heart and leave you feeling like you could burst. If you are looking for a good contemporary book this is one that you need to seriously consider. After reading this one I will be looking into anything else that Han has written!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also posted on Readers In Wonderland

Rating is 4 1/2 stars.

I was roaming Goodread's lists when I came across a "best YA pregnancy books" and for whatever reason I've always enjoyed books that deal with teen pregnancy. It's weird I know. When I opened the list, I was pretty disappointed in the books that were on there, because they were just the same old books everyone reads. But then I saw this one, and it caught my interest right away, because of the cute little beaded baby bracelet on the cover. I added it to my list, and went to check reviews to see how good it'd be. Most reviews comments on how the writing was a bit iffy but the storyline was good, and that the book was contradictory to the cutesy cover. I decided I needed to read it as soon as possible, and went to my digital library to request it. This took me on a roller coaster of emotions, ask Alise, I was constantly complaining about the protagonists horrible family and friends. Although I think in some aspects I liked this book because of how much I could relate to it. I had so many feels for this book that It's just easier to separate this review into a "Likes" and "Dislikes" type of thing.

Likes:
Elly. Even though in the first half of the book, she's just a naive brat, who does whatever she wants. You find out that she's the way she is for a reason. She's too trusting, even after someone betrayed her, she still believes that they can change. Although it sounds like I'm bashing her, I really liked her. In the second half of the book she really steps up and starts to take responsibility for her actions, and her the fact that she's about to have a baby. When the baby was born was when I really realized how much I liked and respected her. She didn't give up and she found solutions to her problems. I realize that sounds super vague but If I give any details, it gives away the ending and what happened in the climax.

The ending. Usually the open ended books annoy me to no end, but in this book it just gave me comfort more than annoyance. To know the everything would be okay. Although after the comfort faded I did think about it a little and wonder what happened next, but after a while i came to the conclusion that even with how open it was it was still the perfect ending for this story.


Dislikes:
The "romance candidates." I hadn't liked Lam even a little at any point in the book. On his and Elly's wedding night he went out with friends leaving her alone, just to get drunk and high. Despicable. And his shitty character only got worse as the story went on. Ziggy on the other hand I liked for awhile. I never wanted them together though, and my opinions on that became stronger after more events happened. I myself was thrown off when Elly started having feelings for Ziggy too, because I was like, "Hey girl you're married. If you don't like Lam anymore sort out your priority and divorce him." Although you have to feel for her a bit because she was forced to marry at 16.

I hated how exaggerated everything was. Most of the dialogue especially early into the book made me cringe and at some times laugh because of how ridiculous it was. The author made their maturity levels closer to preteens then someone 16-18.


Conclusion:
Despite some major annoyances, I still really enjoyed this book.

[Amber ~ The Reading Addict · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is it wrong of me to have a morbid fascination with teenage pregnancies? I think they are terrible, and I understand how tolling (both psychologically and physically) they are on young teen girls, but for some reason I've always enjoyed reading about them. My current theory is that I enjoy really emotional books, and books about teen pregnancies usually kick it up a notch. They have a depth that other stories sometimes lack.

Eleanor, to be frank, is a brat. She rejects the guidance of her family and strikes out on her own by sneaking out, doing drugs, and sleeping with her boyfriend, Lam. Then she discovers that she is going to be a mother, and her attitude does a one-eighty. Suddenly, her lack of plans for the future is a real problem. How will she support a child? How will she finish school and pursue a career?

Playing the role of the reluctant eighteen year-old husband, Lam has the word JERK written all over him. Seriously, I wanted to punch him the entire time I was reading Pregnant Pause. He cheats, does drugs, drinks, and neglects every single responsibility that is delegated to him. I understand that you can't ever completely let go of your first love, but how could Eleanor possibly have feelings for this loser? In fact, Eleanor seems to develop feelings for guys that turn out to be jerks. If you're looking for love, this isn't a romantic story. All of Eleanor's relationships go down the toilet.

While the first half is mostly Eleanor complaining about her job as a counselor at a camp for fat kids, the plot steadily picks up as her due date approaches. Then, after the baby's birth, things get tough. Like, the hardest-life-choices-you-will-ever-make tough. I can't even fathom being in Elly's shoes. The choices she has to make... *whistles*

Overall, this is a book about life and the curve-balls it always seems to throw at us. Heartbreaking and inspirational, the story demonstrates how challenging life can be and how, with an iron will and determination, we can combat even the most extreme situations. Definitely recommended!

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Halfway through, I thought this would be a four-star book, but as I got further in I slowly changed my mind.

For a pregnant-teenager book, I thought this was extremely well done. Not that other pregnant-teenager books that I've read were bad -- just that this offered something of a different spin. The story starts when Elly's already seven months pregnant, so although she gives us backstory when it's relevant, it's just that -- backstory -- and it doesn't get in the way of the meat of the story. She's also refreshingly, well, teenage about things. She doesn't have the maturity or experience to make great decisions all the time, and her choices are often coloured by being irritated with her family or her in-laws.

So that was all good -- what bumped it down? Well, ultimately it just felt like too much. Teenage pregnancy, okay. Deadbeat dad, great. Adds conflict. Ditto abrasive in-laws. Camp drama, sure. Everyone wants the baby -- maybe pushing it a little, but okay. But then we get two boys fighting over Elly, another boy sort of in the wings, a C-section, a camp suicide, and a baby born with Down Syndrome, which immediately makes the people clamouring to take the baby back off. And, well, that's a lot. A well-written lot, but a lot. I understand why the author picked Down Syndrome rather than, say, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome -- it removes the it's-all-my-fault factor -- but it still kind of feels like yet another complication to pile on.

I liked this book. I really did. It was a quick read, and the characters were generally pretty believable (and more complex than they could have been). I can't say that I loved the ending -- a little too tied-up-with-a-big-red-bow for my tastes -- but I appreciated the more complex look at teenage pregnancy.

[Amaya Toribio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan, is a young adult fiction novel about Eleanor Crowe, a sixteen year old girl with a stubborn mind. She becomes pregnant by her high school love, eighteen year old irresponsible senior, Lam. From here, she was given two options; move to Kenya with her parents or marry her baby's father and work at his family's summer camp in Maine. Eleanor aka Elly, chose the only one she thought was right since she was masked by her love for Lam. So, they got married and moved into a cabin in the middle of Camp Weight Away, a camp for the obese youth. Elly faces conflicts with herself and society as she goes through her pregnancy. After she gives birth, many new challenges rise from the ashes. Pregnant Pause will take you on an emotional roller coaster. You will get a real emotional feeling of what it is like to be a teenage mother-to-be. I savor this novel because of the way Nolan presented a sensitive look on the difficulties of teen pregnancy. The gloomy and depressing aspects of the book can be overwhelming at times but her struggles with sorting out her complicated issues strikes a cord with the readers who love characters who persevere through obstacles in their lives. This novel exceeded my expectations for what I read on the back cover. Plus, I do not fancy books more than one hundred to two hundred pages, but I enjoyed reading this novel because of the realism within the first person narrative. I feel as though there should've been a few more pages to understand the aftermath of the race against time that she had to face. Pregnant Pause draws in both averse and eager readers, this novel is an inspiring page-turner served with a great deal of heart.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pregnant Pause deals with a whole bunch of issues, not just teenage pregnancy. There is mention of drugs, smoking, sex, self esteem issues and suicide.

I'll be honest, whilst I was reading this book, I went back and forth between cheering Elly on and wanting to smack a little bit of sense into her. It's written from her point of view so in the end that enables us to fully understand how she's feeling as her pregnancy progresses.

There's humour mixed in with the serious subjects too, Elly has some sass in her and she's not afraid to say what she thinks - that's one thing I loved! - but there are also quite poignant moments, the storyline involving suicide was a big shock and the reaction that comes from Elly really shook me to by core. It was written really well and by the end of the chapter you're just brimming with emotion.

The ending made me smile, after all the hardships Elly has to go through - believe me, by the end, you just want this girl to catch a break - it's an ending where you can close the book and not need more. It's just right.

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Really, really.

A pregnant sixteen year old, missionary parents, a drugged up boyfriend she's forced to marry, living at a fat camp? It has all the elements of an amazing story.

But then you add the FIL and MIL who resent her, the uptight older sister, the camper with issues, the flirty older guy, the dorky older guy, the bratty camper, the bitchy campers, dance class, a baby with Down syndrome... it's just too much story shoved into one book.

Too many mini plots that don't get the attention they deserve turned this book into underwhelming read.

The part of the book I was most unimpressed by was dealing with Emma Rose. Okay, a baby with Down syndrome is hard to deal with. But for the sister to throw such a shit fit after so desperately wanting the baby didn't fit in with the perfect older sister vibe the rest of the book spoke of. Having everyone desert Eleanor and Emma Rose in the last minute because of Emma Rose's diagnosis was a cheap and easy way to bring the book to it's (admittedly) satisfying conclusion.

[Erika Padilla]

What would you do if you were an unmarried teenage girl that is pregnant? Before you found out you were pregnant you were doing drugs, breaking into houses, and getting in trouble with the law. In the novel Pregnant Pause, by Han Nolan. A pregnant sixteen year old, Elly, has to pick between moving to Kenya with her missionary parents. Or she can Marry the baby’s father, Lam, plus work at his family’s summer camp. What will she pick to encounter the obstacles ahead of her.
I did like the book. One thing that I liked about the book was what she picked between going to Kenya or marring Lam. I liked the choice she picked because it made the book interesting on seeing her obstacles and how she would overcome them. The thing I didn’t like about the book was how the parents felt about Elly and the baby.
I would recommend for you to read this book. The ending might have you suprised. It’s a great book about Elly and her obstacles of being a pregnant teenager. In how she had to change her bad habits and become a mother.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone I respect hated this book, so I was prepared to hate it too, but I really loved it. Why not five stars? I had trouble suspending disbelief about her really bad horrible no good very bad day. And a couple of the adults (the rabbi) were mouthpieces, not people.

But otherwise, yes, it's great. The heroine is a terrific pain in the ass, but she's so strong and funny, you can't help rooting for her. And she knows she's a pain in the ass (maybe a bit too much of that, actually). You know how you see stubborn toddlers and you say to their mothers, "wow, that kid is going to change the world!" all the while thinking crap, glad I don't have to deal with it? That's this heroine and we get to watch her change from holy horror to a mover and shaker in her small way. Watch out school system, I can just imagine her as the person who won't shut up in PTA meetings but who makes a difference.

[Sameera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan is a book about this girl, Eleanor and how she is pregnant at 16. Due to this situation, she is forced to marry her boyfriend and move to this weight loss camp that her in laws run so she can work their alongside her now to be, husband. Eleanor is not pleased about this however, she has no other choice. At first, I did not enjoy the book a lot as I thought the pace was slow, but as the book progressed, I really enjoyed it. The ending was sad as Eleanor had to decide whether to keep her baby or give the baby away. I like the manner in which the book was written and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great storyline.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Han Nolan's writing, so I don't know why I was so surprised by how much I liked, and was even moved, by this book. I CRIED! ON THE BEACH! I didn't see any of the plot twists coming, but yet they were all so organic that I never felt manipulated. I loved the characters, even the bad ones. Again, they all felt so human. And I really really really loved Eleanor.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5

I thought this was a great read. I thought Elly was a great character. However, I did find her annoy at times. I thought her family treated her poorly, and it was very sad to see. There also points where I got bored and had to put the book down. Overall, an enjoyable read.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Han Nolan is a brilliant writer and her talent is vividly on display in this completely engrossing, emotional story. The ending comes together a bit too neatly, but that's easy to overlook because the rest of the story is so beautifully told.

[Shaina Iascone · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to page 51 & i couldnt finish the book. I couldn't finish because it got boring. It got boring because the plot wasn't moving fast enough and getting into any details.

[Susie Kolman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This quarter, I read a book called Pregnant Pause, by Han Nolan. This story is narrated by Elly, a 16 year old girl who, almost on the daily, does drugs and drinks alcohol. She has a mind of her own and an attitude she isn’t afraid to show. After spending time in juvy, she reunites with her boyfriend. It’s all fun and games until suddenly, everything takes a turn. Elly feels fatigued, sick, experiences breast pain, and misses her periods. She desperately tries to ignore it, until 5 months later, she has a big belly and swollen feet. This book is full of joy, sadness, happiness, tears, and surprises you’d never expected.

Pregnant Pause is an amazing insider to what it’s like being a pregnant teenager. It shows the ups, downs, and in-betweens of carrying a precious life for 9, bittersweet months. “I sniff and wipe a stupid tear away. ‘They’ve always been more your friends than mine, and anyway, what am I gonna do while everyone gets stoned? Just stand there and watch? I can’t do anything ever again. We’re going to have a baby—a kid, a responsibility’,” (page 23). This quote reveals that the downfall of Elly’s pregnancy is not being able to participate in activities she wants to. She grieves the life she used to have and wishes this baby wasn’t such a limitation. Another quote is, “And I’m important to Emma Rose. Or I could be. I should be. I’m her mother. I created her. I want to make her the most important person in my life,” (page 321). This tells the readers that Elly’s baby gives her hope, wisdom, encouragement, maturity, and power. She feels connected to and wants to nurture her in every way she can. I feel like teenage girls (especially ones in the same place as Elly) and mothers would really benefit from reading this. All in all, this is a 4 out of 5 star book.

[Arminzerella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eleanor Crowe keeps messing up and she knows it, but she's really in trouble this time. She's only 16 and she and her boyfriend Lam (18) are pregnant and both their families are furious with them. They don't know what they want to do about the baby (keep it, give it up for adoption, allow Lam's parents to raise it, allow Elly's sister to raise it), and they keep changing their minds. Elly is trying to do everything right so she has a healthy pregnancy, but Lam is clearly in denial and running from any kind of responsibility. When Elly's parents insist on returning to Kenya to continue their work with children there, Elly has to spend the last months of her pregnancy at a fat camp in the wilderness (run by Lam's parents) and "work" (though, she's not getting paid) as a counselor. It's not ideal - Elly is supposed to help teach crafts and dance and she knows very little about either - and her in-laws and some of the other counselors and campers treat her like she's trash. But gradually Elly discovers that she's stronger and smarter than she thought - not just a hot mess - and that she actually likes working with and being around kids. Maybe she'd make a good mom? But at 16, she's not really sure how to make that happen and no one else seems to want to help.

Elly's life is really a rollercoaster of her own design, but something she discovers along the way is that she needed more from the adults in her life than she got - and not just punishments. She's just beginning to learn how to formulate and work toward her own goals, and half the battle is figuring out what she wants from life and not running away from the tough decisions because she's scared. Fast-paced and full of drama!

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book thinking i was going to love it.

When i first started this book i thought hey this seems pretty good. The further i got in the book the more i realized i could not stand some aspects to it. For alot of the story elly pretty much whined an complained about how much her life sucked. No matter how much she hated the way things were she did basically nothing to change it. Lam cheated on her the entire time an she would get mad an then just forgive an forget. These are just some of the issues i noticed when reading it. Now i will say that some of the book crushed my heart. Banners entire story was brilliant an i loved that part of the story even though i cried like a baby. I will also say that in the end Elly changed drastically an i did enjoy her as a character. So like i said i have some mixed feelings about this book.

[Montana · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT: (This is for a book report, and it spoils the ending, so don't read this if you don't wanna know the details about the book)
The reason I chose this book was because I was in the library during passing period and I picked up the book and checked out and left hoping it would be good, and luckily it was otherwise I wouldn't be writing this right now.
Basically the book takes place at a camp for fat kids and the only reason why Elly is there is because when her parents find out that Elly is pregnant they don’t want to live in the US anymore and they want to move back to Kenya where they do their work but Elly is a teenager who is “in love with her boyfriend” and she doesn't want to move to Kenya because she would be all the way across the world from her boyfriend and her baby daddy. Elly becomes pregnant at the age of 16 as a druggy and a party girl and her boyfriend Lam is 17 almost 18, also a druggy and a party kid, the only way to make it legal to have a baby together and date would be to get married so they got married and since Elly’s parents were moving to Kenya, Elly decided to move into a cabin at the fat camp with Lam. So they did. They live in the cabin and as long as they work and do stuff around the camp or the IL’s (Lam’s parents) won't let them stay. The IL’s don’t like Elly because they think that they turned their precious son into some bad guy, but in all reality it’s the other way around. The IL’s want Elly’s baby when it’s born and so does Elly’s sister who is married and can’t have kids on her own, and Elly is stuck in between who she should give the baby to or if she should keep the baby. As the story goes on Elly meets this little girl that goes to the camp and her name is Banner. Banner and Elly start to get along really well because Banner gets bullied by the girls in her cabin and Elly is really the only one who is nice to Banner, they start to get really close throughout Elly’s pregnancy and as the days go by Elly is seeing less and less of Lam because he keeps saying he has late swim lessons for kids, but finally she talks to some of the other camp counselors and she finds out that Lam hasn't been to any of the early or late swim lessons and that he always goes and gets high with his friends. While at this camp and being alone a lot because Lam is never home she meets a counselor named Ziggy and Ziggy falls in love with Elly and they kiss but it was a mistake until Elly finds out that Lam cheated on her and was having sex in the canoe shed with another camp counselor Jen. They fight and then make up and then fight some more, and then make up. One night when Elly went to go to the bathroom she heard some noise so she shined her flashlight over and she saw Banner, she was really freaked out and she asked Banner what was up and Banner came clean that she was always so hungry that she snuck out every night to go steal bread from the kitchen, now remember this is a camp for kids who are obese and they want kids to lose weight so extra eating isn't aloud. Banner told Elly how she feels and how she feels that no one wants her and how no one will miss her when shes gone, and Elly thought that she just meant from the camp, and after their talk she brought Banner back to her cabin, and in the morning when she woke up it was her due date, and she saw a necklace on the door handle and it was Banner’s and Elly was flattered that Banner gave her the necklace, until she realized what Banner said last night, “No one will miss me when I’m gone.” and she panicked, she ran all over looking for Banner and she ran down to the lake and saw something floating in the water and she realized it was banner, and she screamed and cried and screamed so someone could save her but they couldn't, she was dead, and it was Elly’s due date and she was crying and she had to go to the hospital so Lam brought her but Elly wouldn't stop crying so he pulled out a joint to make her calm down and she thought about it and took it but didn't smoke it and then a cop came and knocked on the door and saw the joint and arrested Lam, and took her to the hospital to have her baby but they realized that she had to have a C-SECTION and there could be one person in the room and she was pissed that Lam wasn't there and her mom wanted to be in there but the only person she wanted was Ziggy so they called Ziggy and he came and was in the room until Lam got released and then the doctor came and told her that Lam was there and if she wanted him to switch with Ziggy they could but she didn't and obviously Lam was pissed. After they got the baby out Elly went to sleep for a while and when the nurse came in they still didn't have her baby, and she wanted to see her baby but they wouldn't let her and she thought that the baby died but it turns out that the baby has down syndrome, and everyone that wanted to take the baby turned her down but when Elly finally got to see her baby she didn't care because she loved her baby like she never loved anyone else. She fell in love with her and named her Emma Rose, and she wanted to keep her baby, but the IL’s told her she couldn't stay at the cabin anymore because her and Lam were over, and her parents lived in Kenya and she had no where to go. So she put Emma Rose up for adoption but she had like 13 days to decide if she wants her back and that gave her just enough time to find a place to live and she did, she moved in with an old lady which is one thing I wont spoil who she is, and she helped her clean, and she took care of her, and that old lady fed and kept Elly and…. Emma Rose with her. Elly got to keep her baby girl.

[Fire Starter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this wasn't quite as good as other Han Nolan books that I've read. Parts of the plot seemed forced. Upon learning that she was pregnant, the main character, Eleanor Crowe, had only a few options available. According to the blurb, they were "to move to Kenya with her missionary parents or marry the baby’s father and work at his family’s summer camp for overweight kids." The only option that sounds remotely realistic is the one where she has to marry the father - another teenager - of course.

I don't regret reading this, but I do wish that Han would have found another way to set up the plot. Then I could have enjoyed it more.