A novel of midlife motherhood and the basis for the TV movie starring Carol Burnett—from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Gentleman’s Agreement. Dori Gray—married, then divorced, age forty, professional journalist—had given up hope of a child. A botched abortion left her functionally infertile, and after a string of bad relationships, Dori’s prospects have seemingly dwindled to naught. Then comes the astonishing revelation that she is pregnant—by her married ex-lover.
Dori’s options are limited. Fearful that her doctor will decline to oversee an illegitimate birth, or that she’ll be forced into a hermitlike existence until the child is born, Dori confides in her married best friend, Celia Duke. Surprised by Celia’s confidence and support, Dori decides to confront her predicament head-on.
Laura Z. Hobson (1900–1986) was an American novelist and short story writer. The daughter of Jewish immigrants, she is best known for her novels Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), which deals with anti-Semitism in postwar America, and Consenting Adult (1975), about a mother coming to terms with her son’s homosexuality, which was based upon her own experiences with her own son. Hobson died in New York City in 1986.