Reviews

I read this after having read The Vanishing Half. Maybe I should have read this one first because that was a life changing book, while this was not. I was intrigued and moved throughout many parts of the book, but I didn’t feel the same level of emotional connection as I did in The Vanishing Half. The story was compelling, but the characters were annoying and underdeveloped. I wish more had gone into why they were the way they were and I wish we could have seen more of what happened in the future. I felt cheated by the ending, or rather lack there of, because there really is none. Things are not resolved and you are left to decide what happened and why. It’s a good book and a fast read, but compared to Brit Bennett’s follow up, this is rather lackluster.

goodin10tions'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? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

mailenefh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

miss_laura_smith's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.0

I thought the least effective element was the titular mothers but overall it was a compelling and complex read

rubyrosereads_'s review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-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

3.75

stephaniesteen73's review against another edition

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3.0

I really enjoyed this overview of motherhood in its many forms (good mothers, bad mothers, surrogate mothers, almost-mothers) and appreciated the strong sense of place (San Diego church community culture). I'm told this was Bennett's earlier book and I can see that the Vanishing Half was a lot stronger. While this was a very good book, it felt like the ending was too rushed/unsatisfying.

elizabethfisher's review against another edition

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4.0

Overall, I found this book to be a great read though it dragged a tiny bit toward the end for me, but I would still recommend it. The story was very real and deals with big issues in a way that I think a lot of people will be able to identify with. While the characters are Black and the ways that identity shapes their lives is a visible part of the narrative, this is not, in my opinion, a novel inherently about Blackness or being Black in America. You of course cannot divorce the characters' Blackness from the story and the choices they make, but that is not the central theme of the story. This is a novel about love and loss and friendship and the choices we make based on our own realities and lived experience. You will empathize with characters and perhaps you'll gain some new insights into others' lives.

TW: domestic and sexual abuse, abortion, suicide

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