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chaaatales's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
kristiexme's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
kerrykerryboberry's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.75
Wow. This was a challenging read, almost physically painful to get through, but really thought provoking. Makes me miss my bookclub - this would be a great book to discuss.
shimmery's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
The story of Frida, an exhausted single working mum who left her toddler alone for a couple of hours in a desperate attempt to meet a work deadline. She is reported to the police and the state takes away her parental rights; if she wants them back she must complete a year at the School for Good Mothers — a dystopian institution that teaches an almost parody of ‘good’ parenting.
I have mixed feelings about this book and I’m not really sure why. I did enjoy it overall; it was both darkly funny and moving in the important topics it covers — among them the double standard mothers face compared to fathers, the cycle of trauma and abuse, the way the care system sets parents up for failure and the institutional racism embedded in its judgement systems. The speculative fiction edge works really well, allowing for moments of humour while keeping the novel close enough to the real world that we fully empathise with the characters.
I think the mixed feelings come from the fact it was maybe a little long and at times I felt confused at what it was asking from the reader. There seemed a few moments where we were supposed to judge the step parents, for example, which felt at odds to the book’s overall question as to whether anybody has the right to judge other people’s parenting. Then again maybe that was intentional and an added complexity— by the end we do see the step mother as a fully formed character.
This would be a great book club choice — really lends itself to discussion.
The story of Frida, an exhausted single working mum who left her toddler alone for a couple of hours in a desperate attempt to meet a work deadline. She is reported to the police and the state takes away her parental rights; if she wants them back she must complete a year at the School for Good Mothers — a dystopian institution that teaches an almost parody of ‘good’ parenting.
I have mixed feelings about this book and I’m not really sure why. I did enjoy it overall; it was both darkly funny and moving in the important topics it covers — among them the double standard mothers face compared to fathers, the cycle of trauma and abuse, the way the care system sets parents up for failure and the institutional racism embedded in its judgement systems. The speculative fiction edge works really well, allowing for moments of humour while keeping the novel close enough to the real world that we fully empathise with the characters.
I think the mixed feelings come from the fact it was maybe a little long and at times I felt confused at what it was asking from the reader. There seemed a few moments where we were supposed to judge the step parents, for example, which felt at odds to the book’s overall question as to whether anybody has the right to judge other people’s parenting. Then again maybe that was intentional and an added complexity— by the end we do see the step mother as a fully formed character.
This would be a great book club choice — really lends itself to discussion.
kendragaylelee's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Oh my god, this book.
I didn't want to finish the book--because I couldn't bear to see what fresh horror would unfold at the end. It isn't a horror novel, by the way. It's dystopian. And futuristic. A bit sci-fi-ish. But all set as if it were unfolding down the street from you. Or maybe someone you know. Someone who had one very bad day.
It's about motherhood. And the way modern motherhood is policed--by the state (in particular for women of color), by other mothers, by societal expectations. It's about being a bad mother (being human) and learning to be good (relinquishing everything in service to motherhood). Jessamine Chan takes every subtle message women receive as mothers and blows them up into the fantastic and monstrous. I found myself laughing outloud (but often it was a mirthless laugh of knowing), being horrified, nodding, and insisting my partner listen to at least parts of the book. Because I want him to understand that modern motherhood is a set up, a game we cannot win.
None of this has anything to do with our children. Motherhood (the institution) and mothering (the practice of loving your kid in fallible, real ways) are different. Chan does an expert job in depicting "good intentions: by the state going wildly awry, holding mothers to standards that are often racist, always misogynistic (fathers get off easy in the book). There is an obliteration of privacy, a blurring of the line between reality and artificial-intelligence-driven-sanity-bending-teaching-methods. There is no support for mothers in this fictional world, only judgement, criticism, and the very real possibility of making a human mistake and losing their children for good.
I've not encountered a more painful, more accurate depiction of motherhood (especially of infants & toddlers) in a long time. Maybe ever. This book slayed me. It was almost emotionally impossible to manage. And it was the most important book I've read in a while.
I didn't want to finish the book--because I couldn't bear to see what fresh horror would unfold at the end. It isn't a horror novel, by the way. It's dystopian. And futuristic. A bit sci-fi-ish. But all set as if it were unfolding down the street from you. Or maybe someone you know. Someone who had one very bad day.
It's about motherhood. And the way modern motherhood is policed--by the state (in particular for women of color), by other mothers, by societal expectations. It's about being a bad mother (being human) and learning to be good (relinquishing everything in service to motherhood). Jessamine Chan takes every subtle message women receive as mothers and blows them up into the fantastic and monstrous. I found myself laughing outloud (but often it was a mirthless laugh of knowing), being horrified, nodding, and insisting my partner listen to at least parts of the book. Because I want him to understand that modern motherhood is a set up, a game we cannot win.
None of this has anything to do with our children. Motherhood (the institution) and mothering (the practice of loving your kid in fallible, real ways) are different. Chan does an expert job in depicting "good intentions: by the state going wildly awry, holding mothers to standards that are often racist, always misogynistic (fathers get off easy in the book). There is an obliteration of privacy, a blurring of the line between reality and artificial-intelligence-driven-sanity-bending-teaching-methods. There is no support for mothers in this fictional world, only judgement, criticism, and the very real possibility of making a human mistake and losing their children for good.
I've not encountered a more painful, more accurate depiction of motherhood (especially of infants & toddlers) in a long time. Maybe ever. This book slayed me. It was almost emotionally impossible to manage. And it was the most important book I've read in a while.
amylynn1031's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sammy_hen2's review against another edition
tense
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
2.0
Conceptually, this was so cool. But the execution was quite weak. It was such a slog to get through, not one exciting thing happened, and I cared about none of the characters. The world-building needed to be more effective in order to raise the stakes and ground the story as a haunting dystopian. There’s just much better feminine dystopians out there, which is a shame because there was a lot of potential to write a wicked critique of motherhood and modern surveillance.
joetatum24's review against another edition
5.0
I found this novel to be truly compelling, and I am admittedly somewhat biased toward anything based in Philadelphia. As someone who was adopted as an infant due to a biological mother who was deemed unfit to care for me, I found a lot to love about this novel- particularly in the nuances within the cycles of thinking in which we find ourselves. What makes a good mother? How does that shift when we add nuances of race and class and sexuality to the table. Some of the lessons taught at the school seemed appropriate and psychologically thoughtful while others seemed antiquated at best, harmful at worst. And how should these lessons be taught? Who is the arbiter of good parenting? Why do we often applaud fathers for just showing up yet require so much more for mothers?
Obviously this novel brought to mind many questions and discussions. I wish my friends would have read this along with me so we could discuss the nuances of our own upbringings through the context of this novel. Anything that frustrates and moves me this much and provokes this many questions gets 5 stars from me. I’m looking forward to discussing this with whoever will listen.
Obviously this novel brought to mind many questions and discussions. I wish my friends would have read this along with me so we could discuss the nuances of our own upbringings through the context of this novel. Anything that frustrates and moves me this much and provokes this many questions gets 5 stars from me. I’m looking forward to discussing this with whoever will listen.
rcasper's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75