A review by bennought
Every Day is Mother's Day by Hilary Mantel

3.0

If, like me, you picked this book up because you loved [b:Wolf Hall|6101138|Wolf Hall|Hilary Mantel|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1237697507s/6101138.jpg|6278354], you are in for a surprise. Though it is an interesting and, overall, enjoyable read, it has none of the poise, organization, or sheer amazingness of her most recent novel. This book tracks the crumbling lives of 5 working/middle class Britons in an unnamed, (probably) small city or large town. It takes a while to get into, both because of the style the fact that it is a very odd story. In fact, the biggest problem with the style I had was that it took her about a third of the book to nail it down and hit her groove (though I am aware that the ease with which the book became readable at that point was partly due to my acclimation to her writing). Without giving up anything, I will say that this is not a happy book, and that it is quite odd. And while neither of those is a bad thing in and of itself (or even in conjunction with each other), in combination with the literary stumblings early on the book ended up leaving me a bit disappointed. Mantel's genius for characters, weaving of plots, as well as creation of beautiful, poignant, and clear atmosphere are all evident in this book; just never all at the same time or in a coherent and satisfying fashion.