A review by wordssearched
The Secret Women by Sheila Williams

3.0

This was an impulse read that I wanted to love more than I ultimately did. I saw the description (three women meet and bond over the fact they are mourning their mothers) and ordered it from the library immediately, but the book didn't quite match my initial excitement over it. The story is exactly as the above description says, but in its shifting perspectives, the narrative never feels cohesive. The focus jumps around not just among the three women we meet first, but going into the lives of their mothers as well. The author dwells on some perspectives at length and in detail, and glosses over other so swiftly and neatly, I have to pause and remember what exactly the conflict was. Williams' style is approachable and compelling at times, but this book—although it is a sweet, quick read if you want a story about mothers and daughters—feels just a tiny bit under-baked.