Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Motherest
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
21 posts | 11 read | 33 to read
Marrying the sharp insights of Jenny Offill with the dark humor of Maria Semple, MOTHEREST is an inventive and moving coming-of-age novel that captures the pain of fractured family life, the heat of new love, and the particular magic of the female friendship-all through the jagged lens of a fraying daughter-mother bond.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Victoriahoperose
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image
Pickpick

This book was truly beautifully written and well thought out. The author really touched on so much in such a short amount of space and this book had so much depth about being a mother and the emotion of all of it. I loved the different relationships and how real this book felt. The ending was a little bit rushed for me, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 9mo
33 likes2 stack adds1 comment
blurb
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

My personal #NewYearWhoDis list (aka the best books I read in 2018), sent to my match @ladyneverwhere 💖🎉

I added a couple of romance novels (by Christina Lauren) when I read on her sign-up sheet that she was interested in reading outside of her comfort zone — but this is the list in its purest form. Hope she loves it!

Have you read any of the above titles? What did you think?

All books tagged in the comments below.👇🏻

See All 29 Comments
merelybookish I enjoyed How to behave in a Crowd last year. Deserved more attention and love than it got! 6y
monalyisha @merelybookish YES! I don‘t know how it flew so far under the radar! 😭 6y
dariazeoli Difficult Women was good. I had to pace myself, though! 6y
monalyisha @dariazeoli That *is* true. Lots of hard stuff to process. But my favorite Roxane Gay so far. 6y
ReadingsByTheC I have only read Difficult Women but Red Sister and A Curious Beginning are on my TBR. 6y
inthegreensandblues I love the Veronica Speedwell series, just recommended those to a friend today! I also read (on audio) Priestdaddy and really enjoyed it. 6y
monalyisha @ReadingsByTheC Ha! Those are two interesting choices... such different books! I love that you clearly read eclectically. 6y
monalyisha @inthegreensandblues I just wrapped a copy to give to my Secret Santa (which I do with my book club; also included: local coffee & an RBG mug 😉). It‘s such a fun series (& smart & steamy)! 6y
LazyDays How did you like The Golem and the Jinni? I've been trying to read it for a long time now. But I keep giving up. 6y
inthegreensandblues @monalyisha aww what a great gift package! 6y
monalyisha @LazyDays Oh man, I absolutely adored it. It‘s the most captivated I‘ve been by a fiction book in a long time (& fiction is my JAM). I was sneaking in pages on my tiny, 15 minute breaks at work, even. I‘m sorry it‘s not grabbing you. Good luck! 6y
LazyDays I am going to give it another go. Sometimes the timing is wrong😊 I am happy you enjoyed so much!🙌 6y
BarbaraJean Ohhhhhh, I LOVED the Golem and the Jinni!! There‘s supposed to be a sequel coming (next year? The year after?) and I‘m so excited! (edited) 6y
mutlee I loved The Golem and the Jinni, and Gentleman‘s Guide was a lot of fun to read. Red Sister and Once Upon a River are both on my TBR. 6y
monalyisha @mutlee Both of the books on your TBR need so much more adoration than they‘ve received! 💖🙌🏻📚 “Once Upon a River” is probably tied (with “Priestdaddy”, which I know has gotten mixed reviews but I felt like it was written to my exact interests & specifications) for my No. 1 Best Book of my Reading Year. And I never would have known about it without @MeganAnn‘s #FreakyFriday recommendation! 6y
79 likes29 comments
review
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image
Pickpick

As soon as I began reading, I knew I‘d love this book. I wasn‘t wrong. Agnes‘ voice - earnest, questioning, blunt, yearning - struck something in me. I connected so much with the shallow details of her life - her New England education, her Doc Martens, her need to connect - & so little with the deeper particulars - her absent mother, the older brother she lost to suicide, her ever-present but painfully uncertain father.

*Cont‘d below👇🏻

monalyisha 1/3: The epistolary format makes for quick & easy reading. The text outside of the letters is clever; it alternates between being frank & poetic. (edited) 7y
monalyisha 2/3: I thought that my interest in the story might decline once she left school but it didn‘t. It was interesting that Agnes chose not to learn the sex of her baby; I wonder if the author did this to give herself time to decide if it‘d feel more narratively true for Agnes to have a daughter or a son. I approved of the way that Iskandrian dealt with the return of Agnes‘ mother, & the emotional reaction & real actions that Agnes takes as a result. 7y
monalyisha 3/3: My one complaint is with the baby daddy‘s “name.” The conceit itself is fine — not giving him a true name emphasizes how unimportant he is to the story, & it gives him a slightly “unreal” quality, which is how Agnes feels about him. But “Tea Rose”? Ugh. It sounded *extremely* awkward & unnatural in my head. Since we‘ve already established that Agnes & I are kindred, I don‘t think she would have called him that either. 😉😅 (edited) 7y
52 likes3 comments
quote
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

“There is so much of the day left, so many ways to feel strange.”

2BR02B Gorgeous photo. 7y
Ligaya The clouds look ready to come to life and steal somebody! 7y
monalyisha @Ligaya Haha. I feel like this is a sort of Rorschach Test. “What do *YOU* see in the clouds?” 7y
51 likes3 comments
quote
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

“I concentrate on my shoes, the six-eye Doc Martens I bought with the money I saved babysitting the horrible Nolans, and remember my mother‘s arched eyebrows when she saw them (“Those?”).”

#same

KCorter 7y
LibrarianToujours Yes! I spent $120 on my first pair and my mom couldn‘t believe I was spending that much on “such ugly” shoes. I still wear them 22 years later 🤓 7y
monalyisha @NHLibrarian I went to a Catholic High School. They were practically part of the uniform (along with a Rancid t-shirt under the school-issued polo or button up) - if you wanted to embrace that particular brand of “outcast cool.” 😅 (edited) 7y
52 likes3 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

I LOVE everything I‘m reading right now. I‘m so happy. The only thing that even comes close to representing how fulfilled I feel is this picture of a hippie Yellow Lab just chillin‘ in the mountains.

Looking for something good to read?
“Priestdaddy” (audio) - Patricia Lockwood
“Motherest” - Kristen Iskandrian

Ommmmm... ✌🏻🌼📖

ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled I love book booms like that!! 7y
59 likes2 comments
quote
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

“[She] asked me, “Is it okay if we don‘t talk in the morning? Like not even “hey” or “have a good day?”

YES. I crave silence in the morning (my husband craves punk rock music. It‘s a problem). I‘ve been like this ever since I was little. In grade school, I could never understand why the kids on the bus were SO LOUD. 😅 My friends would try to talk to me & I can *remember* the feeling of my forehead just banging against that cold bus window.

Ddzmini Garfield 😍 7y
monalyisha @vivastory I‘ve never felt so at home on a team before. 💞 7y
See All 10 Comments
JamieArc Me too! If there‘s too much talking after I wake up, I get grumpy. Luckily, my partner is learning this quickly 😊 7y
CouronneDhiver Right?! Omg, so true 7y
emilyhaldi I‘ve always been that way! My mom used to yell at my dad and sisters if they tried to talk to me before school 😂 7y
GrilledCheeseSamurai I swear I wake up singing out loud to the world. It's very hard to control. I'm a pretty hyper dude and have to constantly remind myself to reign it in. 😄 7y
TK421 Some good punk music first thing in the morning really starts the day off right! 7y
Bookzombie My husband often says that I‘m too chipper in the mornings and he worries if I‘m quiet. 😆 7y
batsy Definitely silence in the morning... And now in my late 30s, if there needs to be noise, it can only be birdsong and classical music 😁 7y
57 likes10 comments
blurb
monalyisha
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

1. I‘ve posted my own shelfies often enough, so here‘s a work shelfie - the holds shelf. I work mostly with kids (hence ALL of the Dork Diaries) - but check out the copy of “Himself” on the bottom! 🙌🏻)
2. Historical fiction (but it‘s a close race).
3. Lately, wine. Cabernet. But I love beer, too!
4. Green. Unless you ask my husband (who insists they‘re blue).
5. I‘m between books. Next up: “Motherest”. Or “Little Fires Everywhere.”

#humpdaypost

Christine11 Little Fires Everywhere is really good 😊 7y
54 likes1 comment
review
auntie_jenn
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image
Pickpick

bought this based on @Liberty ‘s recommendation, and am so glad i did. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

23 likes4 stack adds
blurb
anniehartnett
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

another ugly airport carpet, another good book. Enjoying this.

19 likes1 stack add
review
BooksForEmpathy
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image
Pickpick

The pink cover made me pick this up. The story of a reflective, sad, lost 19-year-old college student made me stay. And the ending made me glad I read it.

Agnes writes letters to her missing mother as she grapples with life + friendships + relationships. She longs to feel cared for and to be seen. Readers of Where‘d You Go Bernadette or Dear Fang, With Love would like this one.

We all have to be our own mothers sometimes ❤️.

batsy This sounds really good. And 💔 7y
Lacythebookworm Great review, Gianna! I‘m sold. 7y
80 likes7 stack adds2 comments
blurb
BooksForEmpathy
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

Lamb stew tonight with Aleppo pepper and fried bread and fennel and preserved lemon. Man oh man.

I am almost finished with this one. Review up tomorrow! I really love it in a quiet, earnest sort of way. It reminds me of Rufi Thorpe‘s Dear Fang.

Tamra Lucky you!! 7y
Leftcoastzen That looks so delicious! 7y
102 likes2 comments
blurb
BooksForEmpathy
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

Sunday funday with the family at dim sum ✨!

Home now and ready to read 😊.

emilyhaldi Yummmmmm love some dim sum 🍲 7y
DiruVamp Looks absolutely delicious! 7y
Dragon I love dim sum dumplings! Yummy 😋 7y
LeahBergen I love going for Sunday dim sum. 👏🏻 7y
115 likes4 comments
blurb
BooksForEmpathy
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

Morning avocado toast from 6:30 am today 🥑🍞. Trader Joe‘s is selling an “everything” seasoning mix and it‘s just exceptional and makes me pretty giddy.

Saw this in the bookstore the other day and based on the cover alone I have high hopes 💕.

Happy Friday!!!

Natasha.C.Barnes Oh shit I need that spice mix. 7y
Reviewsbylola I love your shelves and table! 7y
Leftcoastzen Toast looks yummy .😋 7y
josie281 Everything But The Bagel seasoning is amazing!! 7y
Lacythebookworm Looking forward to your thoughts on this one! 7y
95 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
Allietaylor16
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

Book #4! I started this a few weeks ago and then got distracted! #readathon

Booksblanketsandahotbeverage Who's your bookmark? 😊 7y
Allietaylor16 @BookHoarder32 😀 He arrived as part of a Harlequin promotional package at work one day! I couldn't resist. 7y
40 likes2 comments
blurb
Allietaylor16
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

I'm off work today and tomorrow, and this is my priority stack!!

kiminreverse Gorilla and the Bird sounds interesting! 7y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
MagdaRosol
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image
Pickpick

I'm in weeping love with Motherest by Kirsten Iskandrian. Girlhood, motherhood, grief, loneliness, love. Readable and resonant. #books

monalyisha This looks RIGHT up my alley. Thanks for the heads-up! 7y
monalyisha Update: it totally was up my alley! Thanks again! 7y
MagdaRosol I am so glad! 😀 7y
10 likes3 comments
blurb
MrBook
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

#TBRtemptation post 2! Recently released. A coming-of-age story amidst a fractured family and a fraying mother-daughter bond. It's the early '90s and Agnes enters college. For support, she wants her mom who's seemingly disappeared and her brother who did leave a few years prior. She finds romance, female friendships, a footing, and pregnancy. She's confronted with the question of what it means to be a mother. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

63 likes6 stack adds
blurb
kellympickerill
Motherest: A Novel | Kristen Iskandrian
post image

Oooooh I'm going to like this one. Webs does too.