Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Mothers

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

bites_of_books's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-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

4.5

What I enjoy the most about Bennett's novels is the writing style. The perspective of this book starts from that of a group of older women who attend church and are always keeping tabs on what's happening in their community. A bit of gossip yes, but also that introspective moment when they start to remember what it was like to be a young woman falling in love, making mistakes, and always reacting to what the church would think of those actions.

At its core, this book is about motherhood, all viewed from the perspective of two young women, Nadia and Audrey, who don't have their mothers in their lives anymore. There are also other mother figures, such as Audrey's sister and her partner, the women at the church who try to give guidance in their own way, and even people at clinics who hold hands and give advice when needed.

Nadia, Audrey, and Luke are three young people whose lives are intertwined throughout the book, they will fall in love, be protective of each other, hold resentments, and even hurt each other as they try to find ways to live their own lives. The influence of their parents, the church, and society weighs heavy on them and they really are only trying to find some kind of happiness in the best way they can.

If you like contemporary stories that take a hard look at the influence of a community on young people, this is a great book to read. It's a heavy book with a lot of sadness and loneliness throughout so do read carefully.

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stacylaughs's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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lindseyas's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.25

I really love Brit Bennett, but it's particularly her characterization methods that get me going. She has the power to create such incredibly diverse, flawed and deep characters that are perfect for one another and the plot. Each of the people in this novel, whether they play big or small parts, has their own personal history that contributes significant amounts of knowledge to the nature of the book. They each embody the stresses of motherhood or friendship or femininity or life itself — there is no perfect way to be a mother, no perfect way to be a friend, no perfect way to live or love or be yourself. The different ways in which motherhood is described in the novel is paramount to audience understanding — there are bad mothers, there are good mothers, there are absent mothers and there are mothers who just aren't up to the job just yet. It just depends on who you are. Also, Go Blue, baby.

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bbonaguro's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

really great book, definitely reflective and pulled at the heartstrings interesting way the story was told from the mothers perspectives and also by Aubrey, Nadia, and Luke. Challenging topic but great book

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yajairat's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

Brit Bennett's novels read like a movie to me, they would be great for the screen! This book had me hooked from beginning to end. I really liked seeing the effects that different types of mothering (or lack of) had on the characters throughout the book. It's a little easier to understand why Nadia and Aubrey are the way they are. With that being said, they (along with Luke) were pretty frustrating characters, I found myself scowling a lot at my kindle when they made decisions that I found... stupid? But I understand that it's in the name of showing us their complex personalities. I kind of felt sad for the characters, for their relationships and where we left them. I wish we had a little more closure, a look into what they were feeling, if they found peace within themselves.

I appreciated the way the author approached the topic of abortion, with all of its nuances, what ifs, and effects on both parents. Also really liked its commentary on motherhood and the Black church (shoutout to the mothers).

Loved loved loved Brit Bennett's writing, using terms like unpregnant and unloved in the context of this story were very powerful, and a reason why I was so engrossed.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

This was such a good read, I really liked the exact amount of plot we were given, we got a good slice of life. Somehow managed to include loads of heavy topics without being too triggering.

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meggielb's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-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

5.0

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sillyslicker's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

"She wanted this baby and that was the difference: magic you wanted was a miracle, magic you didn't want was a haunting."

4.3 stars

Grieving the loss of her mother, Nadia begins to spiral. Spending time with Luke is a great distraction, until she gets pregnant, and an abortion puts an end to the relationship. Nadia never really regrets the decision, but the ripples from it are still felt, even years later. We follow Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey, and watch how their lives unfold after this, and how that decision still seems to affect their lives.

I thought this was a great book. Abortion can be a touchy subject, but the author did a very good job of showing how you can be glad that you did something, and yet, still have issues that arise because of it. I really felt for the characters, and enjoyed getting to know them. I love character-driven novels, and as I had trouble putting it down, I'd say this was a well-crafted, intricate story. Nadia's abortion is at the center, but I think it's more so about the impact that those closest to us have on our lives. The complexities of navigating different relationships, along with our own baggage can be terribly difficult, and sometimes, we mess them up. If you also enjoy slow, character-driven stories about different types of relationships, I'd definitely recommend this one.

Trigger warnings: sex, abortion, self-hatred, infertility, death, suicide, vaginal exam, adultery, lying, unlikeable characters, injuries

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