"Love and other impossible pursuits" tells the story of Emily, slowly drowning in guilt, grief, and despair after losing her infant daughter to SIDS. If trying to love her husband’s 5-year-old from his first marriage was a constant struggle before now, mothering this child and its peculiar needs and habits becomes unmanageable. Add to this the ever-present, critical ex-wife and unresolved emotional issues following Emily’s parents’ separation a long time ago, and it is easy to see how the young woman will eventually drive even her supportive and patient husband away. In the end Emily emerges out of her self-pity and onto a brighter path much as she rediscovers negotiating the twisted lanes of Central Park, her favorite personal space since childhood, but intermittently her worst nightmare as it is also a place full of happy mothers and babies. The book contains many interesting facts about the planning and history of Central Park and is, despite its heartbreaking subject, an entertaining and witty read. Set in the Jewish upper-class community of New York City, "Love and other impossible pursuits" will definitely appeal more to women than men.