Scan barcode
wearethedepinets's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t realize how short these short stories would be when I picked up this book. I think there were many stories that had great potential in this book but they never really took me anywhere. The reviews were really good on this book and I was sadly disappointed in what I found.
zellm's review against another edition
5.0
I was worried that I wasn't going to like These stories, as I am a young woman with no desire to be a mother, but I was pleasantly surprised within the first few pages. I will say that these stories can be dark, but the commentary on what it is to be a woman was beautiful, heartbreaking, and so well captured even in the stories that were less than a full page long. I loved these, and couldn't get enough of them. I also loved the layout, which moves through the lifespan in a way that just makes sense, and draws you from one story to the next.
mariakowal's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
katiereitzel's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
julshakespeare's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars, full review to come! I’m terrible at reviewing short story collections
alaskanlisa's review against another edition
1.0
This book does not belong on a list of books about rural Alaska.
sambria's review against another edition
5.0
really quick, really great flash fictions surrounding the many ideas of the mother. i'm in love with this book.
hgernenz's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal. This book reminded me why I love short stories. This is flash fiction at its finest.
brauhan1's review against another edition
5.0
Know the Mother was assigned to me at the beginning of the semester by my creative writing professor, who thought its style would spark ideas for my own collection of flash fiction. Though it’s a quick read, Cooper’s work helped me immensely; it’s insightful, meaningful, and touching through its depiction of maternal relationships. I was captivated by Cooper’s ability to describe entire scenes and flashbacks in so few pages — only a few of the 31 stories exceeded 1,000 words, with many staying below 500. After writing my own collection, I now understand how difficult it is to make flash fiction concise yet complete, and I admire how eloquently Cooper is able to do so.
To give some context, my own collection explores relationships between females and their societal expectations, so it was beneficial to study how Cooper was able to weave her extended theme through the collection without making the stories too similar. Each piece depicts a maternal relationship of some sort, whether it’s negative, positive, characterized in a flashback, or from the point of view of a current mother or child. Though Cooper’s central theme of motherhood is stagnant in each piece, it is approached from several different angles; not every story is simply told from the perspective of a mother.
A first-grade teacher tells a joke to her class and receives a response that triggers a childhood memory of her mother’s abusive partner. A mother with breast cancer is reduced to an infant-like state of helplessness, forcing her husband to bear the weight of her and their children. After a father is found to be sterile, his wife’s desire for a large family drives her to use their only son as a way to draw other children into her life. This variance in tone, setting, and the mother’s role in each piece not only makes the stories unpredictable, but also allows them to stand alone from one another.
To counter those who disliked this collection because it doesn’t allow for enough character development, I think that Cooper does an excellent job of creating her characters. Though we don’t get to see everything about a character’s past and present, they are all fully developed in the context of the piece. They’re simply pawns that fit into her overall theme, which is why I don’t mind only knowing a single side of them.
I give Know the Mother five stars not only because it’s an outstanding work of poetry-prose, but also because it gave me immense assistance in my own writing. Thank you for the inspiration, Desiree Cooper, I will surely be reading more of your work!
To give some context, my own collection explores relationships between females and their societal expectations, so it was beneficial to study how Cooper was able to weave her extended theme through the collection without making the stories too similar. Each piece depicts a maternal relationship of some sort, whether it’s negative, positive, characterized in a flashback, or from the point of view of a current mother or child. Though Cooper’s central theme of motherhood is stagnant in each piece, it is approached from several different angles; not every story is simply told from the perspective of a mother.
A first-grade teacher tells a joke to her class and receives a response that triggers a childhood memory of her mother’s abusive partner. A mother with breast cancer is reduced to an infant-like state of helplessness, forcing her husband to bear the weight of her and their children. After a father is found to be sterile, his wife’s desire for a large family drives her to use their only son as a way to draw other children into her life. This variance in tone, setting, and the mother’s role in each piece not only makes the stories unpredictable, but also allows them to stand alone from one another.
To counter those who disliked this collection because it doesn’t allow for enough character development, I think that Cooper does an excellent job of creating her characters. Though we don’t get to see everything about a character’s past and present, they are all fully developed in the context of the piece. They’re simply pawns that fit into her overall theme, which is why I don’t mind only knowing a single side of them.
I give Know the Mother five stars not only because it’s an outstanding work of poetry-prose, but also because it gave me immense assistance in my own writing. Thank you for the inspiration, Desiree Cooper, I will surely be reading more of your work!