Author: Amanda Ortlepp
ISBN: 9781925030600
RRP: $29.99
Claiming Noah is a confronting book that is going to be hard reading for some. I found it to be touching and terrifying, heartbreaking and compassionate. This is one that I feel will touch a nerve of every parent but I don’t think every parent would be able to read it.
Conception has become a very advanced science. It has been a long road to get to where we are today with IVF being a common tool to conception, if not a cheap one. We have come so far that infertile couples have another avenue open to them in that they can utilise embryo donation to become parents.
Ortlepp has taken this astounding science and applied it to a cast of characters that go from heartache to heartache in Claiming Noah, a gripping novel that will leave you with no choice but to question the what ifs and put yourself in their situation.
Catriona and James are desperate for children but the old fashioned method just wasn’t working for them so they embarked on the long and complicated process of IVF. With one embryo remaining they decide that regardless of the outcome of their third implantation they won’t be using it. After exploring their options, albeit briefly, they decide embryo donation is the only option for them; they understand the heartache of not being able to conceive naturally and want to try to ease that pain for another couple.
Diana and Liam are on the waiting list for an embryo after exploring their options and deciding they want the experience of pregnancy and childbirth. Quite quickly an embryo comes up and after expecting a lengthy wait they are thrilled. The fertility doctor likes to try and match embryos to prospective parents as closely as possible, he thinks it increases the chances of the embryo taking and it will certainly make life easier later in life for the child.
Catriona and James had a successful, though difficult, pregnancy and gave birth to Sebastian via emergency c-section after a labour that would be memorable for all the wrong reasons. Catriona suffered post natal depression that then escalated to psychosis and was hospitalised for the protection of both her and Sebastian.
Meanwhile Diana and Liam have also had a little baby boy, Noah, who is everything they could have imagined and he shares many physical traits with both Diana and Liam. At two months old Diana and Liam are faced with the unthinkable when Noah is kidnapped.
This book is definitely one that tugs the heart strings but there is also quite an element of mystery that helped keep me reading long after I should have been doing something else.
The characters are all well written and deeply flawed, not irredeemable by any means but very human and relatable. Claiming Noah is written from the perspective of both Diana and Catriona so we can really get inside their heads and understand what is driving them. The fathers in the story also play extremely important roles but because they aren’t telling the story we can’t completely understand their motivations.
I don’t want to go too deeply into the storyline because I don’t want to risk jading the experience for anyone who goes on to read this. I think it’s important to go into this one without too many preconceived ideas.
The story follows Catriona and Diana in alternating chapters, told in the third person and each chapter is dated so that we can follow the timeline of what’s going on with both families but there is a lot of overlap so quite often the beginning of a new chapter takes you back in time to look at the other woman’s life.
Beautifully written and beautifully paced Amanda Ortlepp has created a stunning debut that will leave you questioning your parenthood beliefs and deeply contemplating all the shades of grey. I love this book and think Ortlepp has done a fantastic job of coming up with a very unique storyline, it is certainly something I haven’t read before.
I would definitely recommend this book, to all parents present and future though perhaps not those looking into embryo donation in the near future. Ortlepp explored so many interesting aspects of people, relationships and perspectives. Situations aren’t always what they seem and some people are extremely good at showing themselves in the best light – which sometimes means they are far from who they claim to be.
A selection of our lucky readers will be reading Claiming Noah as part of the Beauty and Lace Book Club so I will be interested to see what they have to say about the book.
Please be advised that there may be spoilers contained in the comments below.
You can follow Amanda on Twitter.
Claiming Noah is Book #10 for the Australian Women Writer’s Challenge 2015.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
The desire to have a child and become a family is a very strong one for many woman and I was very lucky to be able to have three beautiful children with out having to deal with the stresses of fertility treatments, IVF or adoption but Im very aware of the stress that comes along with all of those options. My parents adopted one of my brothers and in those days it wasnt set in concrete that the child was yours until after the one year check by the welfare department and my Mum told me years later that she lived in fear for the first year that the birth mother would change her mind and want her baby back. I have a wonderful friend who has gone through the adoption process and I had a friend when I was 16 who gave her child up for adoption. I have a good friend who under went fertility treatment and gave birth to twins who then passed away. they then tried again and again had twins but this time they were fine. I also know of woman who have undergone IVF.
With all that being said I found this book to be one that grabbed me emotionally. I felt for both the leading woman and I felt connected to them both. Diana’s partner was very familiar to me in my own experience and I found that often i felt angry with him and wished i could slap him. I guess thats a sign of a good book when I become connected to characters and angry with others.
I found that this story had me questioning what was right and what was wrong and then when i thought that i felt I knew the answer I would requestion and understand that sometimes things are just not as easy as a wrong and a right.
If you are looking for a great book to read for the upcoming 4 days weekend then this would be perfect. I had my daughter visiting for the past 2 weeks so I found that i couldnt just sit and read all the time but when I wasnt reading I was thinking about my book and wanting to get back it.
I loved Claiming Noah. Amanda Ortlepp’s writng style was easy to read & explained the factual parts (Like the IVF treatment) without going into every minute detail.
The central characters, Catriona & Diana were relateable to me as a mother & even though I have never had fertility struggles I could still empathise with their emotions as mothers, wives, daughters & women trying to keep it all together.
I wondered if Amanda intended to leave a cloud of uncertainty over how Sebastian really died ( I thought it would come out that he really died that day in the bath, not from SIDS).
Overall I enjoyed Claiming Noah immensely & will be recommending it to my friends. Thanks for the opportunity to review this great book.
Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Found it easy to read and captivating, couldn’t put it down! This book will really make you think. You will feel like picking a side, but you will bounce back and forth only to realise there is no side. Two woman who both go though something unimaginable, and yet in the end deal with here situation in way that will impress anyone. what they go through is heartbreaking. Definitely recommend this book.
After reading everyone else’s reviews of Claiming Noah I have to agree. Amanda Ortlepp has written this novel very well and has carefully researched the subjects raised.
IVF, Embryo Donation, Adoption and Post Natal Depression are all strongly portrayed.
I really loved the way the storyline brought both couples alive to me. Heartbreak on the loss of a child from SIDS, Kidnapping and court appointments, these are all touched on.
This book was one of only a few I can honestly say I did not put down until I finished reading and have already passed my copy on and asked for it to be continued to be passed on, for as many people to read it as possible, I believe it is such a good read.
Thank you for the opportunity to read this book –it was a really good read – I was hooked in and finished it in 8 days which is quick for me.
At first I didn’t like the style of writing but after a few chapters I got into it and enjoyed the style. The writing is quite large and spaced out so the book really isn’t as long as it looks, and you can get through a chapter quickly.
I really like that the book swapped between the two main characters so we got the stories from both their point of views and saw how they were both feeling. The only thing is the dates did not run in chronological order which I found a bit confusing and was constantly flicking back to see if what this character was doing was before or after the last chapter I read about the other character.
It was a captivating read with an emotional storyline. I found myself going between hating and loving all the main characters except for Diana who was always quite an amicable character.
The prologue was very thought provoking and it was a sweet ending. I would have liked a little more information on the birth of Catriona’s 2nd child Leo in regards to how that went for her but I like that it leaves a little to the imagination.
I’ve already passed the book onto my mum who has started reading it, and I might pass it around my friends. Aside from being a great read it is also about providing awareness of issues that can affect mothers (Post natal depression/psychosis that is)
Two couples.
Couple One, Catriona and James are desperate for children and are on the IVF program. After having the second try at IVF they donate their remaining embryo to a couple in need.
Couple Two, Diana and Liam who can’t have kids naturally and are on an embryo waiting list are thrilled to finally get the chance to have their own baby.
Two couples who become two sets of parents with their own stories to tell beautifully woven into one story. With each couple you feel their joy and heartache and it’s almost as if you know them.
I found the journeys of both families were so wonderfully written but I did work out what happened by the time the supermarket scene was working its way to my eyes. Although I thought a different fate had taken Sebastian with the same result.
This is a story about love and hate, strength and weakness, life and death, relationships and endings. It is a story that will touch every parent and grandparent and those wanting to be parents.
I think each person reading will find something different to tug at them.
My close friend had undergone IVF and though I was there when she needed me, I couldnt fully understand how tenuous, frightening and complex the experience was till I read “Claiming Noah”. Had tears in my eyes more than once reading the struggle and pain both Catriona and Diana had to go through.
Loved the beautiful way that both these strong women came through a truly harrowing experience to work together for the good of Noah and ultimately enriched their own lives as well. Was really glad Diana left Liam! I couldn’nt understand why someone like him would even want a kid though.
Was a beautiful read that took me through the new and wonderful and heartbreaking world of modern child conception without getting too technical.
Claiming Noah was the best book I have read in a very long time. As someone who spent years trying to conceive our first child I felt like I could really identify with Catriona and Diana. The author captured the emotion that comes with fertility struggles very well. I found myself really putting myself into both catriona and Diana’s shoes and wondering how I would react in each situation which is the sign of a great book. Puerperal psychosis is something I didn’t know much about and I thank the author for bringing up such an important subject. Hopefully anyone reading who may be going through similar will have the courage to get help.
The custody battle was heart wrenching but I felt that it all ended perfectly. Two amazing women both getting to play a part in raising this wonderful young boy. I will be recommending the book to all of my friends.
Well done Amanda on a fantastic novel.
Thankyou for the opportunity to read “Claiming Noah”, this book was so good I could not put it down. This book really gives a good insight into IVF. Catriona and James’ decision to donate a embryo to another couple would have been a very hard dilemma, at the time they thought they were doing a great thing for another couple who also were unable to conceive naturally.
Although it would have been a very hard decision, I agree with the judge’s decision to grant sole custody to Diana and Liam. I did feel sorry for Catriona, who also deserved to be Noah’s mother.
Diana is an amazing woman to invite Catriona to remain part of Noah’s life.
Amanda Ortlepp has written a great emotional book and has obviously researched everything from IVF, post natal depression, puerperal psychosis and embryo donation.
I would definitely recommend this book.
I loved this book with a passion and thank you for the opportunity to read such an exhilarating book.
This book made we aware of IVF, something I have never really thought about, even though I have never been able to have children of my own. I thought about adoption in the past but not IVF.
The two main characters Catriona and James’ decision to donate a embryo to another couple would have been a very hard dilemma and so selfless.
I was surprised by the turn of events especially relating to how Sebastian died. I thought Sebastian had died in the bath and not from SIDS, that was a real surprise.
The twists and turns kept on coming helping to keep the reader totally enthralled. I found it very difficult to put it down and just wanted to keep on reading it. Beautifully written and executed. An amazing read.