Review: My Hollywood, by Mona Simpson

In this novel absent husbands try to make it in Hollywood, anxious wives balance guilt with professional desires, and Philippino nannies quietly raise their children. One of the narrators, Claire, is a composer, and the book faintly thrums with a musical feel. It's full of pithy insights about marriage, motherhood, and friendship, a book that mothers will likely nod their heads to frequently.

Rating: four celery sticks