The Other Mother: A wickedly honest parenting tale for every kind of family

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The Other Mother is about family and coping with death, learning to speak about the subjects we're afraid to speak about but should discuss, and that living is never easy, especially when you lose someone you love. I think I like this game. But what kind of game shall it be? A riddle game? A test of knowledge or of skill?” I really enjoyed this book. From the first few lines, everything about it is drenched in the love that Brister so obviously has for her family, which is beautiful. The way she writes highlights her love for them even when, at times, things are (quite literally) shitty, and you just can't underestimate how heartwarming and reassuring that is. Completely disagree with other reviewers who thought it needed more content on the experience of being a non biological mother. I really feel that a large part of being a non biological mother is just being a mother. Because at the end of the day, motherhood is motherhood.

The Other Mother: A wickedly honest parenting tale for every

Overall, even though I was sometimes frustrated as I tried to work through this one, I wound up enjoying it. I was impressed at how things came together and enjoyed the wild ride I was on. I've loved Goodman since The Lake of Dead Languages and find myself looking forward to each new novel she releases. This one was different, but I was quite caught up in its characters and dark themes. Definitely worth a read. As you would expect from a comedian, Brister writes with wit and peppers her narrative with funny episodes. Her tone is honest and open, inviting the reader to empathise and engage with her and her situations. I particularly enjoyed the times when she wrote about being a non-biological parent - the careless assumptions of others, her feelings as she bonded with her sons, the way she viewed her partner as a mother - as these made the book original and heartwarming. Their friendship was odd, though, because Laurel would tell stories about things that happened to Daphne and make them her own. The only parts I liked were the characterization of the teachers and the way the politics of being a school going child is played out.

This was incredibly twisty, therefore difficult to review, especially in terms of the plot, but it was meticulously plotted and extremely well written. This read like a psychological thriller with an edge, it was sophisticated and refined and just so well done. Highly recommended by me! This is brilliantly written coming of age story from a young boy’s perspective. There are some things a little bothered me: I wanted to know more about Michael’s father to understand his grief process and how his loss changed his family’s life completely. It could be a little longer so I can spend more time in Michael’s head for deeply connecting with him. From the perspective of someone who doesn't have children, I can't comment on the love between a parent (biological or not) and their offspring, but what I can say is that Brister talks about relationships and forming bonds with people, in general, in a very candid and accessible way that leaves you feeling less alone, whether you are dealing with nappies and NCT groups in your day to day life or not. It’s filled with secrets, betrayals, fears, greed, and manipulation—with twists that I never saw coming.

The Other Mother by Rachel M. Harper | Goodreads

I really appreciated the uneasy questions this narrative raises in terms of doing right by others and yourself. If you do something terrible (whether it is taking them away from a parent, pressuring them academically, or forcing them to deny who they are) but you have convinced yourself it is the best thing for your child, can you and should you be forgiven? This was a heavy read, especially for YA. The themes (suicide, bullying, depression and mental health issues) are not for the faint of heart, and I'm not 14 years old anymore and I still found certain chapters and scenes hard to read, mostly because the author writes with such compassion, emotion and sentiment. The author did a good job with Michael; I could hear his voice clearly in my head, imagine the way he interacted with his siblings, mother and classmates. I don't know what else to say but yeah. Emotional, very good book. All other thoughts I have are spoilers. I found this hard work. Jen seemed to spend the whole book moaning. I know it was about mothering and the things that it involved but until towards the end she didn't mention much positive things about parenting and it was depressing. I kept reading because I was curious how it would end up.In danger? thought Coraline to herself. It sounded exciting. It didn't sound like a bad thing. Not really." She wishes to trap Coraline in the parallel universe (the Other Mother’s world) and capture her soul (as she has captured other children’s souls). She controls everything in the universe and is used to things going her way. This is why she is unable to stand it when Coraline defies her. The Other Mother progressively becomes more deceptive and cunning throughout the novella. She does not hold up her side of the bargain with Coraline and attempts to cheat her way to Coraline’s soul. Ultimately, she is defeated by Coraline, and peace is restored to the universe. The Other Mother is played by Teri Hatcher in the movie Coraline. Carol Goodman hooked me years ago with her debut, THE LAKE OF DEAD LANGUAGES, about a girls' boarding school and the unsavory things going on there. And then I was mesmerized by THE GHOST ORCHID and still have images from that book lodged in my mind. So when THE OTHER MOTHER (William Morrow, March 27 2018) came to my attention, I knew I had to read it. This book brings up the lengths that people go to for the people they love, and how while actions may be rooted in good intentions, they don't always end up well. Each of the characters in the story have love in their heart, even if it doesn't necessarily show. And I have to admit, that this was one of the best portrayals of addiction recovery that I've ever seen. It touches on some heavy issues, such as homophobia, estrangement, death, and grief, but it's done in an extraordinarily sensitive way.