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. ThisContinue reading “February Round-Up”
Tag Archives: reading
The Men
By Sandra Newman, published 2022 I stumbled on this book while perusing Libreria near Shoreditch. While it isn’t exactly about motherhood, it caught my attention because it’s probably one of the most conventional versions of a feminist dystopia you can imagine: all the men in the world – poof! – disappear. At first the worldContinue reading “The Men”
Animal
By Lisa Taddeo, published 2021 I don’t think I’ve ever used the phrase “tour-de-force” but it’s what comes to mind with this book. I initially had a difficult time getting into the novel because the narrator is a bit strange and probably a mentally ill. Joan is a bit like Eleanor Oliphant except that sheContinue reading “Animal”
I Lock My Door Upon Myself
‘Oh–but I didn’t really want them, I thought you did.’ By Joyce Carol Oates, 1990 This book had escaped me, although I’m a big fan of Joyce Carol Oates, until Mother Tongue magazine shared it on Instagram. It’s the story of Calla, told by her granddaughter in mythical-like tangents that keep you turning the pagesContinue reading “I Lock My Door Upon Myself”
Sorrow and Bliss
By Meg Mason, 2020 This book comes with all the accolades, and with good reason. It’s funny, heart-wrenching, page-turning, and thought-provoking. If that’s not enough of a reason to read it, read it for Ingrid, Martha’s hilarious sister. Martha’s life has been messy — she has an erratic mother, she struggles with depression, and hasContinue reading “Sorrow and Bliss”
Still Born
By Guadalupe Nettel (2020), tr. Rosalind Harvey in 2022 While the title is evocative, it is appropriate to the story. So much so, I would argue no other title would do it justice. In this novel, a child is not still born, as in delivered in death. Instead, the child is born — alive —Continue reading “Still Born”
Loved and Wanted
By Christa Parravani, 2020 The U.S. Supreme Court decision on Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization is expected any day now, and has the potential to overturn the right to obtain an abortion set out in the landmark 1973 decision Roe v Wade. That makes this book especially timely. In the new afterword, Parravani referencesContinue reading “Loved and Wanted”
Shelf Life
By Livia Franchini, 2019 Ruth has just been dumped by her long-time boyfriend. She thinks it might be the end of the world, and her dry, coarse narration makes it difficult to root for her. But over the course of this unique novel we come to understand why Ruth is the way she is, andContinue reading “Shelf Life”
The School for Good Mothers
By Jessamine Chan, 2022 I wanted to love this book. It’s title and description promises precisely the kind of work I am calling for in my PhD thesis: stories that tell the truth about motherhood, that call into question the so-called “maternal instinct.” And this novel does exactly those things. However, an important aspect ofContinue reading “The School for Good Mothers”
The Lost Daughter
By Elena Ferrante, published 2006 (translated by Ann Goldstein) This book has received new attention lately thanks to a film version released on Netflix, starring Olivia Colman and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The story features middle-aged Leda on a beach holiday, who becomes mildly obsessed with another vacationing family — particularly a young mother andContinue reading “The Lost Daughter”
Monica Cardenas 