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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Mother Daughter Widow Wife in Books
Jul 2, 2020
Wendy Doe is found in Philadelphia without an ID and no memory of who she is. She becomes a patient at Dr. Benjamin Strauss' Meadowlark Institute--basically her only alternative for being cast out on the streets. Dr. Strauss and his young student, Lizzie, study Wendy, fascinated by her fugue diagnosis. Meanwhile, years later, Wendy's daughter Alice is looking for her mother, who has disappeared again. Wondering if her mother's past disappearance--which she never knew about--could be tied to the current one--Alice searches out Benjamin Strauss and Lizzie. She discovers Lizzie is now a young widow and begins a journey into both her mother's past, and Lizzie's.
"Every daughter became a mother, every mistress a wife--every wife a widow."
This is a hard book for me to rate, even several weeks after finishing it. Is it a brilliant work examining womanhood and love or a frustrating tale that leaves you feeling unresolved? This is certainly a complex book that features complex science, emotions, and feelings. Wasserman has done her research, and there are pages and pages devoted to the science of dissociative fugue, amnesia, and more. I won't lie: it's a lot. There were times I found myself just skimming those sections, because it was a bit much for me.
I didn't care much for the character of Alice, and I'm not entirely sure why, because her mother is missing (presumed dead by suicide by everyone except Alice), and she's worried. But there's something about Alice that just didn't make her particularly sympathetic to me. As for Lizzie, even though she didn't make the best of choices, I liked her more. Maybe I identified better with her. We get to see Lizzie in the past and present, and Wasserman does a good job of capturing the yearning of loving someone who doesn't deserve you and the idea of becoming someone else for love. Even Wendy is hard to care about sometimes, because she just doesn't seem care herself. To her, her memory is a thing she's lost, but because she can't remember, she doesn't seem too concerned.
"'You don't get it: I don't not want it back, and I don't want it back. There is no it. You can't miss what never happened.'"
What was so hard with this book is that there were just so many words. Oh the words. Words about science, words about feelings, words, words, words. It just felt long. I wasn't entirely invested in the story, but I did want to find Alice's mother, but then everything just felt sort of eh and unresolved, and yeah. I don't know. So much thinking, not much happening. I think this novel probably presents some brilliant ideas and representations, but they went over my head. 2.75 stars, rounded to 3 here.
"Every daughter became a mother, every mistress a wife--every wife a widow."
This is a hard book for me to rate, even several weeks after finishing it. Is it a brilliant work examining womanhood and love or a frustrating tale that leaves you feeling unresolved? This is certainly a complex book that features complex science, emotions, and feelings. Wasserman has done her research, and there are pages and pages devoted to the science of dissociative fugue, amnesia, and more. I won't lie: it's a lot. There were times I found myself just skimming those sections, because it was a bit much for me.
I didn't care much for the character of Alice, and I'm not entirely sure why, because her mother is missing (presumed dead by suicide by everyone except Alice), and she's worried. But there's something about Alice that just didn't make her particularly sympathetic to me. As for Lizzie, even though she didn't make the best of choices, I liked her more. Maybe I identified better with her. We get to see Lizzie in the past and present, and Wasserman does a good job of capturing the yearning of loving someone who doesn't deserve you and the idea of becoming someone else for love. Even Wendy is hard to care about sometimes, because she just doesn't seem care herself. To her, her memory is a thing she's lost, but because she can't remember, she doesn't seem too concerned.
"'You don't get it: I don't not want it back, and I don't want it back. There is no it. You can't miss what never happened.'"
What was so hard with this book is that there were just so many words. Oh the words. Words about science, words about feelings, words, words, words. It just felt long. I wasn't entirely invested in the story, but I did want to find Alice's mother, but then everything just felt sort of eh and unresolved, and yeah. I don't know. So much thinking, not much happening. I think this novel probably presents some brilliant ideas and representations, but they went over my head. 2.75 stars, rounded to 3 here.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Mother May I in Books
Apr 15, 2021
A riveting and addictive thriller about the power of motherhood
Bree Cabbat wakes up in the middle night, convinced a witch was peering into her bedroom window. Surely it was just a dream, she thinks, trying to get over the bad feeling the dream leaves behind. But the next day she sees the witch again--a haggard old woman--at the private school her daughters attend. Minutes later, Bree's infant son, Robert, vanishes, stolen from his car seat while she watches her oldest daughter rehearse. There's a note left behind, and Bree is told she cannot go to the police or fail to the follow instructions whatsoever. A woman contacts Bree, and Bree learns the old woman is a mother herself. She has a task for Bree; Bree agrees to do it, for she would do anything to get her son back. But completing that request sets off a series of events that Bree could have never foreseen, unleashing buried secrets and disastrous consequences. And in the end, it comes down to this: how far will two mothers go to protect their children?
"I felt more than I thought, Something bad is coming for us."
Wow, MOTHER MAY I was an excellent thriller! I was sucked in from the beginning, and this riveting page-turner never let me go. It was surprisingly captivating and so suspenseful--Bree's son Robert is taken nearly immediately, and the rest of the book revolves around her frantically trying to get him back. As she does, she learns more about the woman who stole him. The relationship the two form over the phone is fascinating. Bree is one tough cookie, as is her friend from college, Marshall, a PI at her husband's law firm.
"If you ever want to see your baby again, GO HOME"
Bree was once a poor kid, raised by a fearful mother in rural Georgia, but she's now a wealthy wife and mother, having married an attorney with family money and connections. She's worked hard to push off her mom's fears and wariness and feels like that her picture perfect life has proved her right. But with Robert's kidnapping, she starts to wonder if her mom was justified all along. The novel deftly explores the theme of class. It offers some wonderful messages on the power of motherhood--no matter how wealthy you may be. It certainly makes you think: what would you do in Bree's situation? And the old woman's?
Perhaps not everything in this tale is plausible, but I could have cared less. I was here for all of it! It was incredibly suspenseful and twisty, with information oozing out and surprising you at every turn. I truly couldn't put it down. This is definitely a winning thriller in my book! 4.5 stars.
"I felt more than I thought, Something bad is coming for us."
Wow, MOTHER MAY I was an excellent thriller! I was sucked in from the beginning, and this riveting page-turner never let me go. It was surprisingly captivating and so suspenseful--Bree's son Robert is taken nearly immediately, and the rest of the book revolves around her frantically trying to get him back. As she does, she learns more about the woman who stole him. The relationship the two form over the phone is fascinating. Bree is one tough cookie, as is her friend from college, Marshall, a PI at her husband's law firm.
"If you ever want to see your baby again, GO HOME"
Bree was once a poor kid, raised by a fearful mother in rural Georgia, but she's now a wealthy wife and mother, having married an attorney with family money and connections. She's worked hard to push off her mom's fears and wariness and feels like that her picture perfect life has proved her right. But with Robert's kidnapping, she starts to wonder if her mom was justified all along. The novel deftly explores the theme of class. It offers some wonderful messages on the power of motherhood--no matter how wealthy you may be. It certainly makes you think: what would you do in Bree's situation? And the old woman's?
Perhaps not everything in this tale is plausible, but I could have cared less. I was here for all of it! It was incredibly suspenseful and twisty, with information oozing out and surprising you at every turn. I truly couldn't put it down. This is definitely a winning thriller in my book! 4.5 stars.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Goldfinch (2019) in Movies
Sep 13, 2019
The life of Theodore Decker (Ansel Elgort and Oakes Fegley) is for every changed when his mother is killed in an explosion at an art museum. In the same tragic moments when his mother is killed he also makes a decision that will help shape the rest of his life, he takes a rare and valuable painting in the chaos of surrounding. This painting, The Goldfinch, wasn’t something he planned on taking, but having it will be the only thing that brings him comfort in the days ahead. After the tragedy he is temporarily placed with a family he really enjoys. He has a best friend, Andy Barbour (Ryan Foust), and a mother figure in Mrs. Barbour (Nicole Kidman). Theodore also makes a connection to a girl Pippa (Aimee Laurence and later by Ashleigh Cummings) and her caretaker Hobie (Jeffrey Wright). Pippa and her uncle Welty (Robert Joy) were standing right next to Theodore when the explosion that killed his mother happened. Welty also passes away during the explosion but not before he would influence Theodore to take the painting. Thus changing the trajectory of the rest of his life.
This film is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Donna Tartt of the same name. I have not read the book so I cannot make a comparison between the two. The director, John Crowley (Brooklyn and Closed Circuit) makes a visually beautiful film. You can tell that care was taken to make the film have a certain feel and texture. The cast is very good, including those mentioned above and Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Aneurin Barnard and more. I particularly thought the casting of Oakes Fegley as the Young Theodore and Ansel Elgort as the adult Theodore was particularly good. The story skipped in sequence and you could see the similarity in the two actors as on character. The overall story is original and fascinating. But the film jumped around and made it feel choppy. Also the run time of two hours and twenty nine minutes somehow felt longer than that. The story moved at a snail’s pace and really seemed like it had no direction. Then in the final 10 minutes it wrapped up in a flash.
I thought overall the performances were good and the story was interesting but how it was presented really lacked. It was slow and developed in a non-compelling way. I could definitely see potential but it fell a little short for me. It did make me want to read the book and see how the author meant for the story to be told. I would recommend seeing this in a theater for the cinematography because it was beautifully shot.
This film is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Donna Tartt of the same name. I have not read the book so I cannot make a comparison between the two. The director, John Crowley (Brooklyn and Closed Circuit) makes a visually beautiful film. You can tell that care was taken to make the film have a certain feel and texture. The cast is very good, including those mentioned above and Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Aneurin Barnard and more. I particularly thought the casting of Oakes Fegley as the Young Theodore and Ansel Elgort as the adult Theodore was particularly good. The story skipped in sequence and you could see the similarity in the two actors as on character. The overall story is original and fascinating. But the film jumped around and made it feel choppy. Also the run time of two hours and twenty nine minutes somehow felt longer than that. The story moved at a snail’s pace and really seemed like it had no direction. Then in the final 10 minutes it wrapped up in a flash.
I thought overall the performances were good and the story was interesting but how it was presented really lacked. It was slow and developed in a non-compelling way. I could definitely see potential but it fell a little short for me. It did make me want to read the book and see how the author meant for the story to be told. I would recommend seeing this in a theater for the cinematography because it was beautifully shot.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Last Time I Saw You in Books
Aug 23, 2019
Dr. Kate English's glamorous life comes to a screeching halt when her mother, Lily, dies--brutally murdered in her own home. At the funeral, Kate reunites with her close college friend, Blaire Barrington, whom she hasn't seen in fifteen years, since the two had a falling out. But Kate's grief and shock get even worse when she receives a text, "You think you're sad now, just wait. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll wish you had been buried today." Soon she finds herself threatened, wondering if she's being watched and targeted in her own home. She asks Blaire to help look into her mother's death. But Blaire's aggressive questions alienate Kate's friends, and all the while, Kate feels increasingly afraid for her own life. Who killed Lily, and are they coming for Kate next?
"Only days ago, Kate had been mulling over what to get her mother for Christmas. She couldn't have known that instead of choosing a gift, she'd be picking out a casket."
This was a creepy enough thriller, but boy, it was chock full of a cast of unlikable characters. It was impossible to find much sympathy for Kate, despite her grief over her mother. She was an irrational, annoying, wealthy woman and a terrible mother to her young daughter, whom she foisted on the nanny every chance she got. Blaire had few redeeming qualities; same with Kate's philandering husband, Simon. It seemed like poor Lily was probably the best in the bunch, but she was dead.
The writing in this one was tough for me. A lot of simplistic words and style, which was filled with much telling, but little showing. Stop telling me how everyone feels and let it all unfold naturally. This was coupled with a ton of very short, fake red herrings that kept getting thrown in every few chapters. I'm all for a red herring, but let it fully play out. Instead, it would be tossed in and then almost immediately ruled out, leaving you with the equivalent of literary whiplash.
There were also a lot of pretty major "coincidences" that left me feeling a bit dubious. Seriously, this is really happening? Many of the plot points were rather predictable, though there were a couple of good twists. It was a creepy read, though seemed oddly simple (I can't think of another way to describe it), and it did keep me reading.
Overall, not my favorite read, and doesn't motivate me to read the previous Liv Constantine book that much. My notes say "good enough," which is probably the best description I can come up with. I kept reading, but I didn't love it. 2.5 stars.
"Only days ago, Kate had been mulling over what to get her mother for Christmas. She couldn't have known that instead of choosing a gift, she'd be picking out a casket."
This was a creepy enough thriller, but boy, it was chock full of a cast of unlikable characters. It was impossible to find much sympathy for Kate, despite her grief over her mother. She was an irrational, annoying, wealthy woman and a terrible mother to her young daughter, whom she foisted on the nanny every chance she got. Blaire had few redeeming qualities; same with Kate's philandering husband, Simon. It seemed like poor Lily was probably the best in the bunch, but she was dead.
The writing in this one was tough for me. A lot of simplistic words and style, which was filled with much telling, but little showing. Stop telling me how everyone feels and let it all unfold naturally. This was coupled with a ton of very short, fake red herrings that kept getting thrown in every few chapters. I'm all for a red herring, but let it fully play out. Instead, it would be tossed in and then almost immediately ruled out, leaving you with the equivalent of literary whiplash.
There were also a lot of pretty major "coincidences" that left me feeling a bit dubious. Seriously, this is really happening? Many of the plot points were rather predictable, though there were a couple of good twists. It was a creepy read, though seemed oddly simple (I can't think of another way to describe it), and it did keep me reading.
Overall, not my favorite read, and doesn't motivate me to read the previous Liv Constantine book that much. My notes say "good enough," which is probably the best description I can come up with. I kept reading, but I didn't love it. 2.5 stars.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Delirium in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I have to admit that I'd heard so many good things about this book that I was thrilled to finally get started on it. I have to say though, that I was not hooked right from page one like I thought I'd be. It took me several chapters to really get into the story & the characters. BUT once I did, I was hooked! I can't wait to see what happens to Lena & Alex!!!!!
Delirium tells the story of love being a sickness, a disease, something that the US government has found a cure for. Society cures people at the age of 18 after they've gone through an interview process & then been matched with their mate & told what they will do & how many children they can have.
Lena's mother was infected & the cure was adminstered to her with no effect. Lena lives terrfied that she will be like her mother & therefore counts down the days until she can be cured. And then,quite by accident, she meets Alex. And as they say the rest is history!
There isn't much more I can say without giving too much away. The story sucks you in & sweeps you away. I was laughing & crying & hoping against hope that Lena would somehow avoid the cure. Did she? I don't know & that's the part that SUCKS! Gotta wait til the next book is released. ARGH!!!
Delirium tells the story of love being a sickness, a disease, something that the US government has found a cure for. Society cures people at the age of 18 after they've gone through an interview process & then been matched with their mate & told what they will do & how many children they can have.
Lena's mother was infected & the cure was adminstered to her with no effect. Lena lives terrfied that she will be like her mother & therefore counts down the days until she can be cured. And then,quite by accident, she meets Alex. And as they say the rest is history!
There isn't much more I can say without giving too much away. The story sucks you in & sweeps you away. I was laughing & crying & hoping against hope that Lena would somehow avoid the cure. Did she? I don't know & that's the part that SUCKS! Gotta wait til the next book is released. ARGH!!!
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Save Me in Books
May 10, 2018
Rose McKenna is a mom of two. One day while she is volunteering as Lunch Mom, there is a loud explosion and the entire cafeteria is engulfed in fire. Her daughter, Melly, has gone to the bathroom, but she also has two students in front of her, who are going to need her help as well. What is she to do, and does she sacrifice the life of one to save another.
In Save Me, Rose has a lot of tough decisions to make. She has encountered a lot in her life and this cafeteria explosion, just adds to the mountains of secrets she has bottled inside of her. In a quest to find out how this explosion happened and be an advocate for her daughter, she is taking on a journey, no mother could ever expect.
I really enjoyed this book, mainly because as a mother I can relate. I felt a bit for Rose, being scolded by other parents because of the actions she took, and having to deal with a daughter who is being bullied in a town they just moved to. I felt that Rose could have shared a lot more with her husband during the course of her actions.
This is a thrilling novel, that had me near tears at a few different points. I would recommend this book to all mothers.
In Save Me, Rose has a lot of tough decisions to make. She has encountered a lot in her life and this cafeteria explosion, just adds to the mountains of secrets she has bottled inside of her. In a quest to find out how this explosion happened and be an advocate for her daughter, she is taking on a journey, no mother could ever expect.
I really enjoyed this book, mainly because as a mother I can relate. I felt a bit for Rose, being scolded by other parents because of the actions she took, and having to deal with a daughter who is being bullied in a town they just moved to. I felt that Rose could have shared a lot more with her husband during the course of her actions.
This is a thrilling novel, that had me near tears at a few different points. I would recommend this book to all mothers.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Goodnight Nobody in Books
May 25, 2018
Sometimes flashbacks are useful, helpful even, and contribute to the story. I find myself having a lot of "Ah-ha!" moments when presented with a flashback scenario in a book. Not the case here. They bored me. I came thisclose to skipping ahead to the present-day chapters. But I didn't.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story, it dragged a bit in those parts, they could have been shorter and more condensed. The story was in most parts about the balance between being a woman and being a mother. Which, maybe since I'm not a mother, I didn't connect as much, and at times felt like screaming "Get it together lady!" Obviously we all know that these "supermoms" are never whom they appear to be on the outside. Everyone has their issues.
There are some good twists and turns of this story of a woman named Kate, former writer/investigator turned stay at home "surburban supermom wannabe" who uses her past to help "find" her future when a mystery presents itself. Who better than Kate to solve the crime?! There is wit and charm in the writing as we all know and love from Jennifer Weiner, and the plot is well-developed, but the story didn't grab me all the way throughout, with an ending that just wasn't very convincing.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the story, it dragged a bit in those parts, they could have been shorter and more condensed. The story was in most parts about the balance between being a woman and being a mother. Which, maybe since I'm not a mother, I didn't connect as much, and at times felt like screaming "Get it together lady!" Obviously we all know that these "supermoms" are never whom they appear to be on the outside. Everyone has their issues.
There are some good twists and turns of this story of a woman named Kate, former writer/investigator turned stay at home "surburban supermom wannabe" who uses her past to help "find" her future when a mystery presents itself. Who better than Kate to solve the crime?! There is wit and charm in the writing as we all know and love from Jennifer Weiner, and the plot is well-developed, but the story didn't grab me all the way throughout, with an ending that just wasn't very convincing.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Trelayne Inheritance in Books
Feb 15, 2019
At first I wasn't too impressed with this book, it seemed simple and the scenes at the ball and immediately after almost turned me off it. I don't know if it was how I was feeling at the time (I was a little out of it :P), but it just seemed surreal to me. Luckily, that passed and I really enjoyed the rest of the book. It was fast-paced and had some original ideas in it. There was enjoyable banter between Angel and Max, who suited each other (imho), and I absolutely loved Shelly! Although what color are her eyes, green or grey? I don't know if the did that author purposely or not, although I think not since nothing is explained about it. I did wish Ms. Shannon had gone more into Angel's background, like who is her father? A human, I would presume, but who knows? How exactly did she become a vampire? How (or why) was her mother able to give birth to her? I'm a little iffy about Max having loved Angel's mother, too, since apparently Angel's a spitting image of her. Though that's just my personal preference not to have something like that in a book dealing with vampires. I did suspect who turned out to be the "Beefsteak Killer," but I enjoyed the story nonetheless and would definitely get more from this author.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) created a post
May 26, 2019
RavenclawPrincess913 (253 KP) rated Teardrop (Teardrop Trilogy, #1) in Books
May 26, 2019
Forgot to post this last month
I chose to read this book because it's by my favorite author. I ended up loving it and it's now one of my favorite series. If you loved her book Fallen you will love this one as well. The book begins slowly as Fallen does but if you keep reading you will not regret it.
Spoilers below
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Growing up Eureka's mother told her to never cry and she ended up dying in a freak accident at the start of the book. This left Eureka puzzled and alone in the world until the boy who saved her in the accident came along who is named Ander. Her mother left her three inheritance a locket, thunderstone and book which end up making better sense later in the story. When Eureka, her best friend Brooks, her sister and brother go to the beach one day something weird happens to Brooks after the strange wave which leads to him acting weird which later on in the book Eureka discovers her best friend has been processed by someone from the sunken island of Atlantis. The person who processed him Eureka will end up having to go head to head with in the next book. She also discovered there's something special in her bloodline about tears. If you'd like to know more read the book.
Spoilers below
.
.
.
Growing up Eureka's mother told her to never cry and she ended up dying in a freak accident at the start of the book. This left Eureka puzzled and alone in the world until the boy who saved her in the accident came along who is named Ander. Her mother left her three inheritance a locket, thunderstone and book which end up making better sense later in the story. When Eureka, her best friend Brooks, her sister and brother go to the beach one day something weird happens to Brooks after the strange wave which leads to him acting weird which later on in the book Eureka discovers her best friend has been processed by someone from the sunken island of Atlantis. The person who processed him Eureka will end up having to go head to head with in the next book. She also discovered there's something special in her bloodline about tears. If you'd like to know more read the book.