Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - The Mothers

At points, I related to different characters. Elements of themselves I see in who I am. The Mothers are like an ever-present force and are so articulately displayed exactly like the church Mothers (and Grandmothers) I have known. I both hope one day to be one, know myself to already be one, and hope never to be like them. It's an odd sense of familiarity and love, whilst with that honest disdain at how churches can be self-destructive and fail to protect those they love the most.

Content Warnings

editoryalizing's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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

5.0

Content Warnings

merin_aran's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

I was really not a fan of this book and felt very disappointed having read it after loving The Vanishing Half. There's no doubt that Brit Bennett can write well, however I didn't find the characters compelling and the plot lacked adequate depth.

Initially I thought the discussion of abortion was going to be progressive and nuanced, with both sides of the debate explored. However, this book is plain and simply anti-abortion and pro-life propaganda. Additionally I didn't like the way Bennett dealt with Nadia's mother's story; I felt like mental illness and suicide were vilified throughout. I will not be recommending this book to anyone.

Content Warnings

spinesinaline's review

Go to review page

challenging 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

4.25

This was stressful and sad but very, very good.

The hype was right! Everyone and anyone was sharing this book when it first came out and in the years since. Still, I knew very little about it besides what the title suggests, that it’s a story about mothers, so I was happy to discover it fully through reading rather than reviews.

Bennett has such beautiful writing and I was just so immediately taken in by these characters, even as I was silently screaming at them for their decisions. It was a stressful read and sad but so very, very good. I can’t wait to read the next of Bennett’s works.

Content Warnings

bookedupbabe's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

aappel2491's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad 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

badmom's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

Uniquely beautiful in its descriptions of characters and their relationships to each other, as well as exploring situations from multiple perspectives. Seamless, thoughtful, moving.

Content Warnings

More...