The Mothers: A Novel
In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.
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Community Reviews
The mothers was almost eerie in tone. I liked the mix of aloof observers (the mothers) and the story that unfolded. I was intrigued by the intense friendship that our characters had, and couldn't decide who I wanted to root for. It was a complex book that made me question what choices I would have made if put in the same situations. I hope that I never am. This got 4 stars because I felt a little meh about the ending, and I was not as impressed w...read more
It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel. Bennett has woven a world of family and loss and love both given and withheld. There is a horrifying domino effect that springs from an unknown despair in a young mother. The ripple effects of this and a series of choices the characters make broke my heart. Nadia is our primary narrator, but other players are well characterized. I feel like i know Aubrey and Luke, have met Pastor and Mrs Shepard, ...read more
JellybeanLorene reacted with :thumb_up:
Four stars for beautiful writing that I breezed through. However I have to say my enjoyment of this book and appreciation for the topics were more of a 3. It was a heavy-handed abortion novel and I have to wonder if the author had ever been pregnant at the time of the writing as she got an important detail wrong-- one that always horrified me in the pro-life regulation setting: an early sonogram (at say 8 weeks, at least as recently as 2014 when ...read more
JellybeanLorene reacted with :thumb_up:
After reading The Vanishing Half, I had very high expectations for this book. While the story line kept me anticipating, it fell short of completing all of the door openers. I felt nostalgia in reading as I grew up in church and I know about church drama and secrets, along with the hypocrisy that unravels in the personal dichotomy of spiritual beliefs & life's reality. I would have liked for some closure.
Karen Heffernan reacted with :thumb_up:
Book 11: I loved this book more than anyone else in my group. I love this book more than anyone else I give it to. I don't know. I guess it's how the communication and insecurity are handled throughout the book. It resonated with something I was working on. The collective narrator was also really effing impactful for me. The ending? eh. It's also amazing that Bennet started this when she was 19. It took her years to write, but she was still so yo...read more
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