Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

232 reviews

theemptybox's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Emotionally wrecked from this book. As a mixed Asian-American, a lot of these lines hit HARD and a lot of the scenarios were very familiar. As someone with little to no maternal instincts, a lot of this book was teeth grinding and wanting to yell at the background characters. 

There is no wrong or right way to raise a child but there are some universal ways that should be included for every child. This book is thought provoking in ways I never would have guessed. Along with the question of what makes a good mother, this book challenges racial, sexual, and gender questions. It's a psychological horror and I loved it. 

I loved how quickly it moves while also layering back sometimes to provide context. I was on the edge of my seat for a good chunk of it. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide, Physical abuse, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, and Abandonment

cartermon4's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was so frustrated throughout the book, but it definitely hints at real world inequalities and insane expectations for mothers.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Grief, Addiction, Sexism, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Death, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Misogyny, and Animal death

Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Stalking, Racism, Confinement, Racial slurs, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Xenophobia, and Vomit

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident

kezharri's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Really enjoyed the concept but feel the ending was confusing and a little anti climatic

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Abandonment

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Sexism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Self harm, Violence, Sexual content, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

_nem_'s review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Fire/Fire injury

apersonfromflorida's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm, Abandonment, and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

jesus fucking christ

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Confinement, Child abuse, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Misogyny, and Grief

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, Suicide, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, and Confinement

Minor: Sexual assault, Vomit, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, Rape, Police brutality, Fire/Fire injury, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, and Car accident

dc32's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book had a really good, interesting, incredibly prescient, and tragic idea to explore: how parents, especially parents of color, are criminalized by the state. The book delves into really interesting conceptions of how the state views motherhood v. fatherhood, how mothers are criminalized, how the state kinda wants moms to become a docile, selfless, unfeeling in the right ways, feeling the right ways robot. I thought that the school's ridiculous curriculum had a lot of depth to explore that didn't get explored. I almost wish we had a syllabus or written materials in the book. This book was very tell, not show. While the concepts were nuanced and dystopic in an important mirror-to-our-world way, the writing glossed over a lot of opportunities to delve into those concepts. In that sense, it read to me like a draft of an adapted short story. I wish that Chan spent more time exploring the world building and the eerie, surveillance-state society that we are placed into, and less time on the perseverations and internal monologue of our main character. For this reason, the middle of the book kinda dragged and felt repetitive. And, there was a lot of depth that was left on the table, unexplored. I think this is a good book for folks who don't know much about the US child welfare system and an important book out there, just wish that it had more narrative depth!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Self harm, Abandonment, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide

emmmillly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Frida's one very bad day results in her being sent to a one-year program to become a "better mother". 

The premise is a commentary on the very real control our patriarchal government has over our lives. The book was incredibly disturbing; I felt very uncomfortable and angry throughout the story. I had to take many breaks while listening. The author successfully illustrates the pressures put on mothers to be perfect and the unrealistic expectations society expects them to meet. It also sheds light on the racial prejudices towards mothers of colour as they endure even harsher punishments. 

Frida is a single mom struggling to find balance. She is overworked, stressed, and probably dealing with post-partum depression. On her worst day she makes the choice to leave her daughter home alone for two hours, which is reported by the neighbours. That day her daughter is taken from her and Frida ends up being sent to a Big Brother type institution. Here, the mothers endure harsh and strict rules and while being pushed to achieve unrealisticly high standards of perfection. 

My main issue with the book is our main character. She is not a sympathetic or likable character. She made a terrible choice that put her daughter in danger. If we really look at her, her concern is not for her child's welfare, it's for her own and her "need" to be with her baby. I was really waiting for that "ah-ha" moment when she realizes that her behaviour truly put her daughter at risk, but there wasn't. There was so much focus on her whining and lamenting her situation, which I get. Her daughter was taken from her, her husband left her for another woman, and the school is awful, BUT there is little to no growth in her character. Her pride stands in her way at every step.

Also, the plot is very, very slow. Since this was a dystop an society, I wanted more world building. Does society truly not know about these schools? How is this abuse allowed to occur? 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Abandonment, Grief, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Suicide, and Confinement

sistinem24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Abandonment, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Lesbophobia and Homophobia

Minor: Alcohol