I focus on books about unhappy mothers and people who don’t want to be mothers. Sign up to be notified when there’s a new post.
Your Voice In My Head
Emma Forrest, 2011 I basically could not stop reading from the moment I opened this book. Four stars. Oh, you want to know more? I wasn’t familiar with Emma Forrest until my local bookshop advertised for a reading/talk she was giving for her new book, Busy Being Free (which I will be reading asap). But…
Women Without Kids
Ruby Warrington, 2023 I wish this book wasn’t about a “revolution,” but it is. Sixty years after The Feminine Mystique (as one example) revealed that — GASP — not every woman in the world wants to be a mother, we are still trying to believe it. There are headlines around the world about declining birth…
Reply to: The Run-Up
Podcast, New York Times, June 1, 2023 Marjorie Dannenfelser is president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and was a guest on The Run-Up podcast today. At the end of her interview with host Astead Herndon, she said that democrats do not have a response to her organization’s proposed 15-week ban on abortion: “They don’t…
Romantic Comedy
Curtis Sittenfeld, 2023 Another novel that doesn’t have much to do with mothers, but if there are any concerns about returning to that topic — not to worry. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming shortly. In the meantime, I have to rave about the first novel I’ve read by Sittenfeld. Quick summary: Sally…
I Am Dojo’s Mom
Last year, my sister got me a luggage tag — which I keep on my goes-everywhere-with-me-backpack — that says “Dojo’s Mom” rather than my name. It has an adorable picture of my dog: He’s stretched out in his favorite spot in the kitchen, all brooding eyes, fluffy face, the golden and white fur of his…
Groundskeeping
by Lee Cole, published 2022 This is a writer’s novel, and as such I am going to critique it as a writer. Still, I do think it has broad appeal and explores a unique place. How many books have you read that take place in Kentucky? I don’t think I’ve read any before Groundskeeping. Owen…
The Book of Mother
Violaine Huisman, 2018 I have to admit first and foremost that this novel hit extremely close to home, and may shadow my review. It is beautifully written with complex characterization and an engaging plot — I can understand why it was nominated for the International Booker. But I found the characters very frustrating. The book…
Run
Ann Patchett, 2007 Run is Ann Patchett’s fifth novel, published after the success of Bel Canto. It’s the story of several families linked in ways they don’t know, that come together one night in Boston after attending a talk by Jesse Jackson. Tip and Teddy are brothers, born to Tennessee and adopted by Doyle and…
February Round-Up
The Amateur Marriage, Anne Tyler, 2004I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron, 2006Beside the Sea, Veronique Olmi, 2001 (tr. Adriana Hunter) I’m slowly making my way through Anne Tyler’s backlist, hoping I can make it last the rest of my life because each one of her books is such a joy to read. This…
Beloved
Toni Morrison, 1987 This is a novel widely regarded as one of the best ever written. I whole-heartedly agree. Not only is the story itself incredibly moving, every single character is compelling and well-developed, the sense of place and history is more vivid than any novel I can recall, and the prose is absolutely stunning.…
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Monica Cardenas 