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A review by celjla212
Leaving Haven by Kathleen McCleary
4.0
I am a mother, first and foremost, so I was definitely intrigued by a book that had a mother leaving her baby the day after giving birth. When I read how much the woman, Georgia, wanted the baby, it made even less sense to me that she would abandon him. But as the book delved deeper into the reasons for Georgia's actions, it became clear to me that she was a very broken woman indeed.
Georgia and Alice have been best friends for 13 years--until something happens that shatters both of their families. Both women's lives are thrown into upheaval, but they way they handle things is totally different. Georgia is creative, impulsive, but a fiercely loving mother; so it's completely unlike her to just up and leave the son she's been trying to have for over 10 years. Alice is meticulous, a planner. She clings to her child and husband with all she's got. But it's not enough.
Obviously, there is a huge reveal in this book that I do not want to spoil for you, so I'm kind of dancing around it. The story is told from both Alice and Georgia's points of view, so we get each woman's thoughts on what happened and how they are dealing with it. Both are mothers to now teenage girls who are friends. That's one of the only things they have in common, yet their friendship has endured to this point. I liked both Georgia and Alice; I just thought each had their flaws. As a mother, it's easy for me to say, "How could you leave your baby?" But there are so many extenuating circumstances, I am not sure what I would have done if I were in Georgia's place.
I liked that the writing was rather straightforward. There was some exposition, but no long flowery paragraphs that made me want to skim over them. The writing was at times as raw as the women's feelings--you felt what each of them were feeling, even though they were on opposite sides, you could relate to their thoughts.
I also thought the title was very clever. Each woman is leaving a haven of their own. Georgia, literally, as the baby was named Haven. Alice begins to resent the safe haven she has in her husband and her predictable life.
This was a great read with plenty of heartfelt moments. The ending leaves things open and messy, but that's real life in these kinds of situations.
Georgia and Alice have been best friends for 13 years--until something happens that shatters both of their families. Both women's lives are thrown into upheaval, but they way they handle things is totally different. Georgia is creative, impulsive, but a fiercely loving mother; so it's completely unlike her to just up and leave the son she's been trying to have for over 10 years. Alice is meticulous, a planner. She clings to her child and husband with all she's got. But it's not enough.
Obviously, there is a huge reveal in this book that I do not want to spoil for you, so I'm kind of dancing around it. The story is told from both Alice and Georgia's points of view, so we get each woman's thoughts on what happened and how they are dealing with it. Both are mothers to now teenage girls who are friends. That's one of the only things they have in common, yet their friendship has endured to this point. I liked both Georgia and Alice; I just thought each had their flaws. As a mother, it's easy for me to say, "How could you leave your baby?" But there are so many extenuating circumstances, I am not sure what I would have done if I were in Georgia's place.
I liked that the writing was rather straightforward. There was some exposition, but no long flowery paragraphs that made me want to skim over them. The writing was at times as raw as the women's feelings--you felt what each of them were feeling, even though they were on opposite sides, you could relate to their thoughts.
I also thought the title was very clever. Each woman is leaving a haven of their own. Georgia, literally, as the baby was named Haven. Alice begins to resent the safe haven she has in her husband and her predictable life.
This was a great read with plenty of heartfelt moments. The ending leaves things open and messy, but that's real life in these kinds of situations.