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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love this book!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Watched the Barbie movie yesterday then finished this today. It was quite the swing. It is rare that I’ve actively wept reading a book, but this one killed me.
Liked the story but hated it also. Was so mad the whole time I listened to the story of the treatment of mothers.
3.5 I feel really conflicted about this book. The premise - about an overly harsh CPS system that sends mothers to a re-education camp to earn back their parenting rights is almost believable- but the section at the camp felt like it went on for too long and was so over the top that it lost some of the bite it had as criticism. The mothers must learn to parent robot dolls and receive scores on their mothering skills.
I teared up near the end and found the overall idea compelling if not perfectly executed. Will be thinking about it for a while.
I teared up near the end and found the overall idea compelling if not perfectly executed. Will be thinking about it for a while.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is probably the most unsettling book I've ever read this year. It's a dystopian nightmare that doesn't stray too far from reality, shedding light on topics like sexism, racism and the impossible standards of motherhood.
The story follows follows Frida, a struggling mother who, after a single lapse in judgment, is sentenced to a government-run treatment clinic designed to "fix" bad mothers. What follows is a chilling exploration of surveillance, gender expectations, and the ridiculous standards set by society for mothers.
I rage-read most of this book simply because it forced me to question how unfairly society treats and polices motherhood, how there is immense pressure on women to be the perfect caregivers and the lack of compassion for those who struggle.
If you enjoy socially relevant fiction similar to The Handmaid's Tale, this is a must-read. But fair warning, you might end up rage-reading it yourselves so I suggest taking breaks to calm down before diving into the next page.
The story follows follows Frida, a struggling mother who, after a single lapse in judgment, is sentenced to a government-run treatment clinic designed to "fix" bad mothers. What follows is a chilling exploration of surveillance, gender expectations, and the ridiculous standards set by society for mothers.
I rage-read most of this book simply because it forced me to question how unfairly society treats and polices motherhood, how there is immense pressure on women to be the perfect caregivers and the lack of compassion for those who struggle.
If you enjoy socially relevant fiction similar to The Handmaid's Tale, this is a must-read. But fair warning, you might end up rage-reading it yourselves so I suggest taking breaks to calm down before diving into the next page.
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A strong premise with execution that missed the mark a bit. Appreciated the message: that mothers are expected to be perfect and anything less than 100% all of the time means that they're a failure. But at times the book dragged and yet I felt like it was missing something. I would have liked an ending where mother and daughter are reunited but the relationship is ruined due to the school. It can't be good for the children to train their mothers to say that they're bad mothers.
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-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