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bibliobethreads's review
4.0
First of all, a huge thank you to Becky Hunter and the team at Headline for sending me a copy of this fantastic debut novel by Nikola Scott in exchange for an honest review. My Mother's Shadow is a cosy and compelling read that I found myself instantly intrigued by and it was easy to race through it as I became determined to discover the root of the mystery which also provided a very satisfying conclusion. I'm also a huge fan of a dual timeline and was delighted to realise that I enjoyed the narrative set in the present day just as much as the story set in the 1950's (usually it's the opposite way around for me!).
The novel follows our main character Addie in the present time and her mother, Elizabeth Holloway when she was a young adult in the fifties. It comes as quite a shock to Addie exactly one year after her mother's death to find a stranger on her doorstep claiming to be her long lost twin sister. At first, it's inconceivable to Addie and her family that this woman, Phoebe is telling the truth although the evidence she provides is highly stacked in her favour. When it turns out that Phoebe might actually be who she says she is, the two girls join forces to uncover the secrets behind their birth. As Addie had quite a tumultuous relationship with her mother, the details of what they find are incredibly eye opening, moving and surprising and makes her look at her late mother in a whole different light.
I was so happy when this book turned up on my doormat - I was just in the right sort of mood for a novel such as this, something which was gripping, poignant and heart-warming all at the same time. The author has an obvious gift for creating characters that you immediately become fond of, especially the two main characters of Addie and her mother, Elizabeth. As I mentioned, I loved the dual timelines and I felt each characters story was captured to perfection, in a way that always made me want to read just "one more chapter." My Mother's Shadow is a beautiful combination of historical and contemporary fiction with a slice of mystery on the side and I loved attempting to unravel what had happened to Elizabeth in her past that led to two estranged twin sisters, multiple secrets and a bucket load of questions. It's the ideal book to cuddle up with if you like a bit of a puzzle to solve and I'm really looking forward to what this author writes next.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
The novel follows our main character Addie in the present time and her mother, Elizabeth Holloway when she was a young adult in the fifties. It comes as quite a shock to Addie exactly one year after her mother's death to find a stranger on her doorstep claiming to be her long lost twin sister. At first, it's inconceivable to Addie and her family that this woman, Phoebe is telling the truth although the evidence she provides is highly stacked in her favour. When it turns out that Phoebe might actually be who she says she is, the two girls join forces to uncover the secrets behind their birth. As Addie had quite a tumultuous relationship with her mother, the details of what they find are incredibly eye opening, moving and surprising and makes her look at her late mother in a whole different light.
I was so happy when this book turned up on my doormat - I was just in the right sort of mood for a novel such as this, something which was gripping, poignant and heart-warming all at the same time. The author has an obvious gift for creating characters that you immediately become fond of, especially the two main characters of Addie and her mother, Elizabeth. As I mentioned, I loved the dual timelines and I felt each characters story was captured to perfection, in a way that always made me want to read just "one more chapter." My Mother's Shadow is a beautiful combination of historical and contemporary fiction with a slice of mystery on the side and I loved attempting to unravel what had happened to Elizabeth in her past that led to two estranged twin sisters, multiple secrets and a bucket load of questions. It's the ideal book to cuddle up with if you like a bit of a puzzle to solve and I'm really looking forward to what this author writes next.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
bonecarvdweaver's review
4.0
CW: Child grooming, abuse, neglect, brief descriptions of abortion, incest, depression and infidelity
My Mother's shadow follows forty-or-so old Addie, a woman seeking some sort of change in her life. Not the sort that comes with her mother's sudden death, more or so like regaining control of her passion in pastries and finding what she wants to do in life, albeit a little too late. A call comes through the day of her mother's funeral and unravels a mystery that will not only change her life, but her family's too.
This is a story told in present tense, the days leading up to and after Addie's mother's funeral, and back to the 1950's in journal entries written by Addie's mother, Elizabeth. The diaries tell a story of a seventeen year old girl whose mother is dying, she's shipped off to a distant relative for the summer, hoping to come home and have life return to normal. During that summer she falls for the new glamorous life she's swept up into, and for someone who will change her life for the worse.
I personally preferred the diary entries written by Elizabeth, a look into the way of life in the 50's that post-war were filled with excitement and money, but something horrid for women, especially those who are giving birth before marriage, who are seen as sins, and how they are punished, abused, and treated in society. To sum it up, cruel.
I felt like Addie's parts went on too long. While seeing her relationships unfold with her family were tense and interesting, I felt like there were parts I was bored by, scenes that didn't quite feel unnecessary, and characters who weren't fleshed out properly who were more important to the story than some other things. Whenever we got back to Elizabeth's chapters, I was floundered by the change of writing style. It was beautiful, it was surreal, and it swept me up so emotionally that it was almost brutal to switch back to her current daughter's POV. I loved seeing the cause and future outcome of Elizabeth's life, and as we come into contact with Addie's living, adopted twin, and their strange adventure to figure out who their real father is.
Overall, despite being a bit too long for my taste, I thought this was a wonderful book. I adored the characters, the mystery and the twists. And more than anything, it reminds me of my relationship with my parents, and how much more I could know if I truly got to know who my parents were before me, as to explain who they are now and who I am also.
This book often had a lyrical, nearly poetic prose that took me back in time to the story. This really makes me interested in historical fiction, and I think anyone interested should give it a try.
laurentess_xo's review
5.0
Wow! Is this really Nikola’s debut novel?! It most certainly read like a 5th book of the authors.
My mother’s shadow is a gripping family story with a twist – one that I certainly didn’t see coming! I felt it also reflects on the love and loss between a family.
Nikola has a beautiful yet descriptive writing style. Whilst I was reading, I really felt like I was in the story.
My mother’s shadow is a powerful story that at times will frustrate you and at other times will move you – you may find you need the tissues handy! I know I did.
On the back of the book it says ‘perfect for readers of Kate Morton.’ I’ve not read a Kate Morton book as of yet but if you like Gill Paul, I strongly feel that My mother’s shadow is perfect for you.
My mother’s shadow is a gripping family story with a twist – one that I certainly didn’t see coming! I felt it also reflects on the love and loss between a family.
Nikola has a beautiful yet descriptive writing style. Whilst I was reading, I really felt like I was in the story.
My mother’s shadow is a powerful story that at times will frustrate you and at other times will move you – you may find you need the tissues handy! I know I did.
On the back of the book it says ‘perfect for readers of Kate Morton.’ I’ve not read a Kate Morton book as of yet but if you like Gill Paul, I strongly feel that My mother’s shadow is perfect for you.
emerlea's review
5.0
Nikola Scott is a tremendous writer with the depth it takes to write a variety of scenes and emotions without becoming repetitive in how she does so. The writing flows seamlessly and each character is easily recognizable by how they are written.
One of the things I enjoyed about the book is that is was a wandering journey with subtle plot and character development throughout, rather than a race to the finish. Many authors race to get you to major plot and character points, making the development unnatural. Ms. Scott was wise enough not to do this. She created a book to be savored, not rushed through.
The book is written from two perspectives,
1) Liz/Elizabeth - The portions from her perspective are as Liz, what she was called during her teen years, and are told through her journal entries. Her sections deal with the loss of her mother, the resulting loss of her childhood, and the loss of her innocence about life; all items that forever changed who she became as an adult.
2) Addie - The eldest daughter of Elizabeth. The two had a complicated relationship during Elizabeth's life, leaving Addie to feel she was never able to meet her mother's expectations the way her two younger siblings had. A year after Elizabeth's death, a stranger arrives stating she's Addie's twin. What follows in an uncovering of sometimes painful revelations, the testing of family bonds between Addie and the father she adores, a new way of understanding her mother.
Life and families can be complicated and messy. Ms. Scott did a wonderful job of showing us one of many ways they can be so, will resolution in the end.
One of the things I enjoyed about the book is that is was a wandering journey with subtle plot and character development throughout, rather than a race to the finish. Many authors race to get you to major plot and character points, making the development unnatural. Ms. Scott was wise enough not to do this. She created a book to be savored, not rushed through.
The book is written from two perspectives,
1) Liz/Elizabeth - The portions from her perspective are as Liz, what she was called during her teen years, and are told through her journal entries. Her sections deal with the loss of her mother, the resulting loss of her childhood, and the loss of her innocence about life; all items that forever changed who she became as an adult.
2) Addie - The eldest daughter of Elizabeth. The two had a complicated relationship during Elizabeth's life, leaving Addie to feel she was never able to meet her mother's expectations the way her two younger siblings had. A year after Elizabeth's death, a stranger arrives stating she's Addie's twin. What follows in an uncovering of sometimes painful revelations, the testing of family bonds between Addie and the father she adores, a new way of understanding her mother.
Life and families can be complicated and messy. Ms. Scott did a wonderful job of showing us one of many ways they can be so, will resolution in the end.
jackielaw's review
3.0
My Mother’s Shadow, by Nikola Scott, is not a book I would have chosen by the cover, looking as it does like some sort of romance. And it does have a romance thread, but underplayed enough not to detract from the main plot which involves a family secret kept for decades. When offered a proof I was told that the writing would appeal to those who enjoyed Kate Morton’s books (I remember liking The House at Riverton). Again, this comparative marketing often leaves me cold but the synopsis intrigued. I decided to put aside my prejudices and review.
The first few chapters were overwrought and my scepticism returned – I was tempted to stop reading at this point. I felt impatient with the giddy behaviour of the protagonist who appeared to lose her power of hearing, knock objects over or bump into things every time she was told something unexpected. The revelations she was offered initially generated denial rather than more natural curiosity.
The story makes use of the now popular trope of telling interlinked tales concurrently across two timelines. The first is written in the form of a diary and begins in the summer of 1958. Sixteen year old Elizabeth Holloway, the only child of George and Constance, is sent to stay in a coastal country house belonging to wealthy acquaintances of her mother. Constance is dying of cancer and does not wish her child to remember her as the husk she knows she will imminently become.
The second part of the story is set forty-two years later. Addie Harrington has been summoned to the family home by her domineering sister, Venetia, to mark the first anniversary of their mother’s death. Venetia revered her mother and has demanded that her belongings be left untouched, the house like a shrine. Their father has remained in a state of limbo since his beloved wife’s sudden and accidental demise.
Addie, who appears to be something of a doormat, had a difficult relationship with her mother, Lizzie, never believing that she fulfilled her exacting demands and expectations. Lizzie had attained a PhD and worked at a university. She wanted greater things for Addie than her chosen career as a baker. The reader is offered more detail than I personally needed about baking.
As Addie and Venetia prepare to leave their father at the family home the doorbell rings. A stranger introduces herself as Phoebe Roberts and tells them that she is looking for Mrs Elizabeth Harrington née Holloway, that she has recently discovered that Lizzie is her birth mother. Phoebe was born on the same day as Addie.
What unfolds is the story of a gilded summer and its dark aftermath. In the later timeline Addie and Phoebe are trying to discover why they were seperated at birth. Neither girl had been told that the other existed. The secret has come to light only because Phoebe came across a notebook written by Elizabeth during her confinement and kept by Phoebe’s adoptive parents.
There are twists and turns aplenty as threads of the mystery are revealed. Wider outcomes are easy to guess but the detail and reasoning are presented at a pace and with sufficient depth to keep the reader engaged. It offers a salutory lesson for those who look back at life in the 1950s as cosy, safe and innocent. The author states:
“Lace-curtain respectability and pre-war propriety relegated women, who’d gained a foothold in the male-dominated society during the war, who’d worked and played and propped uo their country, back to home, hearth and family, subjecting them to the hypocrisy and double standards of a Victorian morality that tolerated little errant behaviour.”
The denoument was reached thanks to the type of coincidence that has to be accepted in a story such as this. I suffered irritations such as the diaries remaining hidden given where they were placed. However, my interest had been piqued and retained, the plot developed with a few clever twists.
A tale of the personal costs of the underlying cruelties inflicted on young women who dared to have sex before marriage, regarded by many as reasonable punishment for moral deviance. The epilogue was rather too twee for my tastes but this was a congenial if unchallenging read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
The first few chapters were overwrought and my scepticism returned – I was tempted to stop reading at this point. I felt impatient with the giddy behaviour of the protagonist who appeared to lose her power of hearing, knock objects over or bump into things every time she was told something unexpected. The revelations she was offered initially generated denial rather than more natural curiosity.
The story makes use of the now popular trope of telling interlinked tales concurrently across two timelines. The first is written in the form of a diary and begins in the summer of 1958. Sixteen year old Elizabeth Holloway, the only child of George and Constance, is sent to stay in a coastal country house belonging to wealthy acquaintances of her mother. Constance is dying of cancer and does not wish her child to remember her as the husk she knows she will imminently become.
The second part of the story is set forty-two years later. Addie Harrington has been summoned to the family home by her domineering sister, Venetia, to mark the first anniversary of their mother’s death. Venetia revered her mother and has demanded that her belongings be left untouched, the house like a shrine. Their father has remained in a state of limbo since his beloved wife’s sudden and accidental demise.
Addie, who appears to be something of a doormat, had a difficult relationship with her mother, Lizzie, never believing that she fulfilled her exacting demands and expectations. Lizzie had attained a PhD and worked at a university. She wanted greater things for Addie than her chosen career as a baker. The reader is offered more detail than I personally needed about baking.
As Addie and Venetia prepare to leave their father at the family home the doorbell rings. A stranger introduces herself as Phoebe Roberts and tells them that she is looking for Mrs Elizabeth Harrington née Holloway, that she has recently discovered that Lizzie is her birth mother. Phoebe was born on the same day as Addie.
What unfolds is the story of a gilded summer and its dark aftermath. In the later timeline Addie and Phoebe are trying to discover why they were seperated at birth. Neither girl had been told that the other existed. The secret has come to light only because Phoebe came across a notebook written by Elizabeth during her confinement and kept by Phoebe’s adoptive parents.
There are twists and turns aplenty as threads of the mystery are revealed. Wider outcomes are easy to guess but the detail and reasoning are presented at a pace and with sufficient depth to keep the reader engaged. It offers a salutory lesson for those who look back at life in the 1950s as cosy, safe and innocent. The author states:
“Lace-curtain respectability and pre-war propriety relegated women, who’d gained a foothold in the male-dominated society during the war, who’d worked and played and propped uo their country, back to home, hearth and family, subjecting them to the hypocrisy and double standards of a Victorian morality that tolerated little errant behaviour.”
The denoument was reached thanks to the type of coincidence that has to be accepted in a story such as this. I suffered irritations such as the diaries remaining hidden given where they were placed. However, my interest had been piqued and retained, the plot developed with a few clever twists.
A tale of the personal costs of the underlying cruelties inflicted on young women who dared to have sex before marriage, regarded by many as reasonable punishment for moral deviance. The epilogue was rather too twee for my tastes but this was a congenial if unchallenging read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
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