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zoefruitcake's review against another edition
2.0
This book took me a stupidly long time to finish. I was expecting to love it but actually, every page was a struggle to get through. I can't even tell you why I struggled was it with the author's writing style, which initially apes the great DNA himself but then slides into their own? Or maybe it was just that away from the books of his that I loved Douglas Adams wasn't the person I had thought he was?
It is packed full of details that usually thrill fans of biographies but somehow this left me cold.
It is packed full of details that usually thrill fans of biographies but somehow this left me cold.
wendydagny's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bookish_withsky's review against another edition
3.0
Having your judgmental, passive aggressive mother move in with you could be just about everyone’s nightmare. Add in the fact that Jackie and Grace have a tumultuous relationship at best and neither are what could pass as good people, it’s gonna make for an interesting story. We follow two time lines : the current where Jackie and Grace have moved in together and the past where Grace is left to care for her sister, Hope.
There are genuinely creepy scenes. Not knowing what’s real and what’s a dream will always remind me of when I struggled with severe night terrors. I also love when author’s are able to take their grief and turn it into something else. I firmly believe that horror and thrillers are the best genres to get one’s grief out into the world and truly explore it. There were moments that I didn’t enjoy or didn’t care for, but there were others that kept me intrigued and left me wanting to grab the book again and again. Definitely recommend if you’re already a fan of the author, find the pandemic lockdown stories intriguing, or genuinely enjoy a ‘batshit’ story - as the author describes it herself. Probably not meant for you if you like all of the answers at any given time or if Covid Lockdowns are still a touchy subject.
There are genuinely creepy scenes. Not knowing what’s real and what’s a dream will always remind me of when I struggled with severe night terrors. I also love when author’s are able to take their grief and turn it into something else. I firmly believe that horror and thrillers are the best genres to get one’s grief out into the world and truly explore it. There were moments that I didn’t enjoy or didn’t care for, but there were others that kept me intrigued and left me wanting to grab the book again and again. Definitely recommend if you’re already a fan of the author, find the pandemic lockdown stories intriguing, or genuinely enjoy a ‘batshit’ story - as the author describes it herself. Probably not meant for you if you like all of the answers at any given time or if Covid Lockdowns are still a touchy subject.
paganbarbie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
babs_reviews's review against another edition
3.0
"It's so easy to make offers when there's nothing to give."
Honestly, even days later, I'm still unsure how I feel about this one.
One of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't think I ever really knew what was real or what was madness and wasn't something that I felt got resolved. There was a lot of blended information that had memories and dreams of memories, only it took a minute to realize Grace was spiraling.
I am still not sure reading about the pandemic is for me. However, I recognize how hard this must have been to write when the author lost her mother during the pandemic.
I just really have no idea how to explain what I read. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but I would recommend another work by this author, Baby Teeth, that book is wild!!
Honestly, even days later, I'm still unsure how I feel about this one.
One of the most unreliable narrators I've ever read, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't think I ever really knew what was real or what was madness and wasn't something that I felt got resolved. There was a lot of blended information that had memories and dreams of memories, only it took a minute to realize Grace was spiraling.
I am still not sure reading about the pandemic is for me. However, I recognize how hard this must have been to write when the author lost her mother during the pandemic.
I just really have no idea how to explain what I read. I'm not sure I'd recommend it, but I would recommend another work by this author, Baby Teeth, that book is wild!!
ericranke's review
I have no desire to read books which use Covid-19 as a major plot point
roooreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
secre's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Mothered is one of those novels that has a good premise, but falls apart somewhat in the execution. Despite being only around 300 pages, it felt much longer and dragged badly at points. Part of this is almost certainly deliberate and is meant to convey the lockdown syndrome of people going stir crazy at home with nothing to do and no-one to see. But it also makes the novel hard work to read.
I think part of the problem is that the author relies heavily on dream style sequences, so you aren't quite sure what's real and what's imagined. When combined with the claustrophobic nature of the novel and the fact that it feels like it's running in circles, the novel just doesn't go anywhere fast. Stage does build up the creepiness factor well, but it's at the expense of actual plot and substance.
There are some interesting backstories being explored here, particularly that of Grace and her disabled sister. But it felt like too little and too late to really save the book from mediocrity. All in all, a bit of a disappointment and one I finished for the sake of it rather than actively enjoying.
I think part of the problem is that the author relies heavily on dream style sequences, so you aren't quite sure what's real and what's imagined. When combined with the claustrophobic nature of the novel and the fact that it feels like it's running in circles, the novel just doesn't go anywhere fast. Stage does build up the creepiness factor well, but it's at the expense of actual plot and substance.
There are some interesting backstories being explored here, particularly that of Grace and her disabled sister. But it felt like too little and too late to really save the book from mediocrity. All in all, a bit of a disappointment and one I finished for the sake of it rather than actively enjoying.