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gabrielle_erin's review against another edition
1.0
This is single-handedly the most disjointed book I have ever read in my life. I genuinely could not tell you the plot of it. The premise revolves around an Australian eco-dystopia and the quest to find a missing father. Is that what the story delivers? Absolutely not. It's 50% Moby Dick, 45% 1984 and 5% irrelevant content. The clear disparity between the really promising concepts presented by Mildenhall and the execution left much to be desired. The ending suggests there is more installments in this series but if this is all the world building we got in book one, I'd hate to see how long it takes to unravel the plot of book two. Possibly the biggest disappointment of the year.
readily_reads's review against another edition
3.75
Page-turner but agree with other reviews the main character makes some bizarre judgment calls. Not a satisfying ending either.
gin19's review against another edition
3.0
Peaked my interest but did not deliver.
Enjoyed it at the start but less so as it went along. The more time spent with the main character the more she annoyed me.
Enjoyed it at the start but less so as it went along. The more time spent with the main character the more she annoyed me.
netflix_and_lil's review against another edition
4.0
Kate Mildenhall knows how to make the heart sink, and then soar. Her expertly crafted world is believable enough to be classed as 'speculative fiction', in the same way Gilead was for America. However I do think this is where comparisons should end; The Mother Fault is it's own being. I felt, up until the final few chapters, that the Department and the threat they posed felt realer that anything I'd read recently.
It's exploration of motherhood may not have struck me as it would a current mother; I am interested to know how they found it.
It's exploration of motherhood may not have struck me as it would a current mother; I am interested to know how they found it.
the_empty_bookself's review against another edition
4.0
This book has me torn.
I couldn’t put it down, BUT, the concept got lost and in my opinion was wrapped up in the last 5% of the book.
Life in Australia is rather futuristic in this novel, chips in hands, location always known, controlling organisations removing non-concordent residents from the streets.
All is good in Mim’s life until her husband goes missing. He works for ‘the department’ and now the department are coming for her and the kids, she has to run and find her husband to find answers and keep her kids safe.
A great concept but I felt this was lost 50-80% through the book. There is definite adventure of Mim and her kids travelling and remaining hidden and the struggle of managing hers and her children’s emotions. She sources help from friends along the way but I didn’t feel there was any explanation why she and the children were not safe.
She also seeks help from a random journalist and I have no idea where her trust for this character came from.
Overall I enjoyed it but as I said above I think the original premise could have been explored further to add increased thrill and tension to the story
I couldn’t put it down, BUT, the concept got lost and in my opinion was wrapped up in the last 5% of the book.
Life in Australia is rather futuristic in this novel, chips in hands, location always known, controlling organisations removing non-concordent residents from the streets.
All is good in Mim’s life until her husband goes missing. He works for ‘the department’ and now the department are coming for her and the kids, she has to run and find her husband to find answers and keep her kids safe.
A great concept but I felt this was lost 50-80% through the book. There is definite adventure of Mim and her kids travelling and remaining hidden and the struggle of managing hers and her children’s emotions. She sources help from friends along the way but I didn’t feel there was any explanation why she and the children were not safe.
She also seeks help from a random journalist and I have no idea where her trust for this character came from.
Overall I enjoyed it but as I said above I think the original premise could have been explored further to add increased thrill and tension to the story
linasabboula's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
| Interesting dystopian premise that had no follow up whatsoever.
This is a dreadfully boring uneventful book, it follows the story of a mother of two fighting to keep her children safe from the government after her husband disappeared under suspicious circumstances.
Great, now what? The book is just one long journey across Australia and the ocean to Indonesia to find her husband and nothing much happens that's "thrilling"
Mim is not likeable nor relatable, her decisions and motivations are questionable, her children are insufferable.. and more so the writing itself isn't good and can get down right awful at times.
honestly I don't have much to say about this book besides: poor writing and wasted potential
This is a dreadfully boring uneventful book, it follows the story of a mother of two fighting to keep her children safe from the government after her husband disappeared under suspicious circumstances.
Great, now what? The book is just one long journey across Australia and the ocean to Indonesia to find her husband and nothing much happens that's "thrilling"
Mim is not likeable nor relatable, her decisions and motivations are questionable, her children are insufferable.. and more so the writing itself isn't good and can get down right awful at times.
honestly I don't have much to say about this book besides: poor writing and wasted potential
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Infidelity, Blood, and Medical content
Moderate: Drug use and Violence
Minor: Forced institutionalization and Addiction
belindad's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
cathrynlucy_reads's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw that J.P. Pomare likened the world that Mildenhall wrote to Margaret Atwood’s Gilead, I knew I had to get in on this dystopian Aussie goodness. I started reading at the very end of October, and have had very little time to actually sit still and read since. A dystopian novel requires world-building, and I highly suggest you do the opposite of what I did and start this book when you have time to read a substantial chunk at once. I had to keep putting the book down just because ✨ life ✨, and that meant I needed to re-read a fair bit, as the world building was interrupted for me and I needed to re-establish it. I recommend this because the story itself is such a page turner, and you already need to force yourself to slow down to truly savour and understand the details. Adding in re-reading was frustrating for me because I just wanted to keep going forward, not back
bejf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jacki_f's review against another edition
4.0
This is set in a near future Australia when most of the population have been "chipped" and are strictly controlled by the Government. Mim's husband Ben works on a mine in Indonesia and when he goes missing she receives a visit from two Government officials ordering her to surrender her passport, to stay home and "offering" to take her children away from her if the stress is too much. Mim is spooked and (extremely improbable plot point) goes on the run with her children and try to find her husband. If you can suspend your disbelief, it turns into a breathless page turner with Mim on the run against unseen forces.
In truth this was probably somewhere between a three and four star read. The plot is improbable, Mim makes ridiculous decisions and the pace is uneven with occasional flashbacks that don't add a lot. However my imagination was captured by the details of the dystopian regime and the second half in particular is truly gripping. Mildenhall also does a great job of balancing Mim the action hero vs Mim the parent and the interactions with the children feel very realistic. The eventual explanation of what happened to Ben was clever, although the ending came together so quickly that I couldn't quite get my head round the details.
So not perfect but still a compulsive page turner set in a relatable near future that I suspect I'll remember and think about for a while.
In truth this was probably somewhere between a three and four star read. The plot is improbable, Mim makes ridiculous decisions and the pace is uneven with occasional flashbacks that don't add a lot. However my imagination was captured by the details of the dystopian regime and the second half in particular is truly gripping. Mildenhall also does a great job of balancing Mim the action hero vs Mim the parent and the interactions with the children feel very realistic. The eventual explanation of what happened to Ben was clever, although the ending came together so quickly that I couldn't quite get my head round the details.
So not perfect but still a compulsive page turner set in a relatable near future that I suspect I'll remember and think about for a while.