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The Other Mother begins with Jenry, a gifted musician starting college. His desire to go to his chosen school is not just to study music, but also to learn about the legacy of his father, an acclaimed dancer. Jenry also finds his grandfather, Winston, a long-tenured history professor, at the same institution. Upon talking to Winston, Jenry learns that his father is not the person he should be looking for— rather, there is a second mother who helped raise him. This premise unfolds into a deep, heart-aching and surprising story that questions how we create and understand family. The novel takes on seven different perspectives, moving to different points of view as each key part of the story affects each main character differently. I think the writing was very good and the flow was a bit off here and there. I had to re-read a few paragraphs and sentences a few times to just make sure I understood where things were going. This book is so heartbreaking at times. You get to see how Michael's relationship with his mother has changed. You also get to see what was going on with his relationship with his father before he passed too. There's a lot of missing puzzle pieces that don't make sense until you get to the end of the book. An atmospheric and harrowing tale, richly literary in complexity but ripe with all the crazed undertones, confusions, and forebodings inherent in the gothic genre. Recommend this riveting, du Maurier–like novel to fans of Jennifer McMahon.” — Booklist (starred review) 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.
The Other Mother by Matthew Dicks | Goodreads
His mother is married to a lazy louse, his stepfather, Glen. And Michael has behavioral issues. And a terrible secret. The ending after everything that had gone on was a bit of a letdown... it felt unfinished and abrupt. It did fix one final question but it felt like we were left dangling in a way too.
Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, The Colin McEnroe Show, The Story Collider, The Liar Show, Literary Death Match, The Mouth, and many others. He has performed in such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wilbur Theater, The Academy of Music in North Hampton, CT, The Bynam Theater of Pittsburgh, The Bell House in NYC, The Lebanon Opera House, Boston University, and Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT. I won't give too much away but life throws Chloe and Jen a bit of an extra surprise and - as a child-free person - I was amused by her 'no shit' approach to, well, shit. Their friendship was odd, though, because Laurel would tell stories about things that happened to Daphne and make them her own. 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? There was just something about this character that drew me in right away. To say I was emotionally invested in Michael is spot on. The story takes place over a short period of time and it's not an action filled plot. But there is so much substance and heart that it isn't some simple story, it truly was a worthwhile read.
The Other Mother by Carol Goodman | Goodreads
God, the fact that Micheal and his mom both cared so much about each other that they hid vital information about his father's death. If you need me I'll be sobbing face down on the floor Both women seem to feed off of each other's fears. Laurel and Daphne have histories of depression and mental illness. They both worry incessantly about the safety and welfare of their newborns, and about their fitness as mothers. Daphne thinks Laurel seems to have it together, or, at least, more so than herself. She changes her appearance to look like Laurel, as well as starts to buy the same types of baby products (such as an expensive baby bag). She goes outside and heads over to Miss Spink and Miss Forcible's place, which is dark and abandoned. The dogs now look like bats and are all hanging from the ceiling. The other mother tries to play nice (she even fixes her a delicious breakfast), but Coraline still isn't buying it. It’s filled with secrets, betrayals, fears, greed, and manipulation—with twists that I never saw coming.Neil responded: “I’m waiting for a Coraline story that’s as good as or better than Coraline. There’s no point in making something less than the first book or movie.” He is a regular guest on several Slate podcasts, including The Gist, where he teaches storytelling. Each of the major characters have their own (Book) within the novel. Each with their own history and perspectives on the present.
Coraline Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver Coraline Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver
This didn't grab me like another thriller I won off Goodreads last year but it intrigued me enough that I was curious how it would turn out. The suspense gets amped up sometime after Daphne gets admitted to the mental hospital but nothing that had me scrambling to finish it as soon as possible. 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. Speaking of Neil Gaiman’s source material, did Coraline escape in the book and what about the movie?The Other Father is created by the beldam to look exactly like Coraline’s own father (with a few differences here and there). He is controlled entirely by the beldam and does everything she asks him to do. He tries to entice Coraline into staying in the parallel universe. He cooks delicious meals and engages Coraline in interesting conversations in an attempt to get her to stay. However, he lets slip some valuable information about the Other Mother for which he is punished and pushed through a trapdoor. Worried her husband, Peter, would take her baby away — she flees with baby Chloe —after answering an add to work as a live-in employee -as an archivist having once worked as a child librarian—for an author named Schuyler Bennett (Sky), moving to Catskills (from Westchester)....
The Other Mother by Jen Brister | Waterstones
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Librarything in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).I liked the scenery, a big old creepy house with a tower and a beautiful library. My head was full of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” meets “Phantom of the Opera” meets “The Sixth Sense”. I wish this was more eerie and suspenseful, it just seems like a lot of: “Am I crazy? Wait, I can’t be crazy! I know this to be true and that to be true. Wait. Are you sure I’m the person I think I am? I hope I don’t hurt my baby!” I think this would be a fantastic play, but in book form, it seemed too drawn out and confusing.
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