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All My Mother's Lovers
All My Mother's Lovers: A Novel | Ilana Masad
19 posts | 9 read | 17 to read
Intimacy has always eluded twenty-seven-year-old Maggie Krausedespite being brought up by married parents, models of domestic blissuntil, that is, Lucia came into her life. But when Maggies mom, Iris, dies in a car crash, Maggie returns home only to discover a withdrawn dad, an angry brother, and, along with Iris's will, five sealed envelopes, each addressed to a mysterious man shes never heard of. In an effort to run from her own grief and discover the truth about Iriswho made no secret of her discomfort with her daughter's sexualityMaggie embarks on a road trip, determined to hand-deliver the letters and find out what these men meant to her mother. Maggie quickly discovers Iriss second, hidden life, which shatters everything Maggie thought she knew about her parents perfect relationship. What is she supposed to tell her father and brother? And how can she deal with her own relationship when her whole world is in freefall? Told over the course of a funeral and shiva, and written with enormous wit and warmth, All My Mother's Lovers is the exciting debut novel from fiction writer and book critic Ilana Masad. A unique meditation on the universality and particularity of family ties and grief, and a tender and biting portrait of sex, gender, and identity, All My Mother's Lovers challenges us to question the nature of fulfilling relationships.
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review
Megabooks
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Pickpick

I loved the many types of queer representation in this #audiobook, but something about it still didn‘t 💯 click with me though. Rebecca Lowman‘s narration was 🤩

Maggie‘s mother died suddenly. They never quite got along, especially after Maggie came out. In her mom‘s will, Maggie finds letters addressed to several people. She decides to deliver them in person and finds out unexpected things about her mother‘s sex life and marriage.

Cinfhen I thought I read this but apparently I haven‘t - I‘m gonna wait a bit longer before I look for it 2y
Megabooks @Cinfhen I picked it up at an audible sale, and I don‘t regret that, but it didn‘t blow me away either. 2y
65 likes2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
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WanderingBookaneer
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This chapter broke me a bit. I‘ll post a spoiler in the comments.

WanderingBookaneer I have so many trans friends that have been hurt in love because people are just with them “in spite” of them being trans. Their hearts have been broken time and time again by people who don‘t want to date or have a serious relationship with a trans person. Iris should‘ve swallowed her pride. If she‘d really loved him, she would‘ve said the words even if he wasn‘t ready to hear them. 3y
WanderingBookaneer Then again, he would‘ve just been devastated in a different way. 3y
38 likes2 comments
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MicheleinPhilly
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Pickpick

I finished this last week but I still can‘t stop thinking about it. The very epitome of a marmite book. Maggie is messy and complicated but her journey to understand her mother and by extension herself, really resonated with me emotionally. Contradictions and hypocrisies abound but that is life, no? One quibble with the names: Maggie‘s GF‘s name is Lucia. Lucia was one of my grandmother‘s names but Maggie was her nickname 👇🏼

MicheleinPhilly So reading graphic sex scenes between Lucia and Maggie was W-E-I-R-D. Please do signal boost any books featuring sex with a character named Gertrude so I can avoid them like COVID. Thank you. 4y
eanderson I laughed at this comment! It‘s awkward and I certainly would feel the same if I read a graphic scene with one of my parents or grandparents‘ names. 😳 4y
MicheleinPhilly @eanderson It was like the first sentence on the first page and I immediately said, “Oh no.” It‘s just, what are the odds? It has been a lifelong mystery to me how you derive the nickname Maggie from Lucia. 4y
See All 20 Comments
TrishB 😂😂 I can‘t wait to find the Gertrude one.... 4y
MicheleinPhilly @TrishB There is a dog in our neighborhood named Gertrude and anytime they‘re at the park, my head snaps up when her owner calls her. My grandparents have all been dead for 20+ years so it‘s a weird/random reminder of her. 4y
Megabooks Lololol!! 4y
TrishB Tbh I‘m just giggling at a dog called Gertrude 🐶❤️ 4y
MicheleinPhilly @TrishB Someone on here has a dog named Gertrude. Is it you @Reviewsbylola? 4y
TrishB Awww 🐶❤️ 4y
Reviewsbylola Ahahahaha, totally me. I almost always call her Gertie. My mom has a cat Gertrude/Gertie as well. 😂😂 @MicheleinPhilly @TrishB 4y
TrishB @Reviewsbylola well I‘ve heard of passing on children‘s names 😁 I would totally be looking for the grandmother if you‘re shouting Gertrude down the road ♥️🐶 4y
Reviewsbylola Same as when I yell for my children, Genevieve and Florence. 😂😂 There are so many old school names at their school too, Vera, Nancy, Marilyn, Eva, etc etc @TrishB 4y
MicheleinPhilly @Reviewsbylola You were ahead of the curve! I‘ve heard that “old fashioned” names are now really in vogue again after decades of the same “new school” names being used over and over and over. 4y
TrishB My SIL is Florence and I love Genevieve, beautiful names ❤️ @Reviewsbylola (edited) 4y
Reviewsbylola That‘s definitely the case here! We‘ve even met a couple of other children named Genevieve. Florence not so much—the only other time I‘ve personally heard of a child named Florence in the US was the child of a nurse on the L&D floor when I gave birth to Flo. 😂 4y
ValerieAndBooks What was Lucia‘s middle name? My cousin‘s son and his wife named their two little ones Hazel (my grandmother‘s name) and Edith 😊. I think the old school names that are popular now are the really old ones — not, say, names from the fifties such as Susan (yet!). 4y
MicheleinPhilly @ValerieAndBooks Her middle name was Anna. Basically every Italian lady‘s middle name if it wasn‘t Marie. 😂 4y
ValerieAndBooks @MicheleinPhilly then getting to “Maggie” is definitely a mystery 🤔 ! Middle name is nothing like it either. 4y
MicheleinPhilly @ValerieAndBooks Nope! It makes NO sense at all. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4y
61 likes3 stack adds20 comments
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MicheleinPhilly
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Randomly plucked from my shelf based on my #CoverCrush.

Megabooks So pretty! 4y
Kalalalatja It is a great cover! 4y
Reviewsbylola Beautiful! 4y
55 likes3 comments
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TiminCalifornia
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Mehso-so

So-So

So good:
-diverse set of characters
-texting/social media/actual news events (non fictional) naturally integrated
-good eye for life and level of maturity in one‘s 20s

So bad:
-diverse set of characters felt forced, even offensive as if the author assumes readers harbor stereotypes
-the book opens with a sex scene that felt sorta like receiving an unsolicited dick pic
-parts of the book were tedious

#lgbtqbooks #queerbooks

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MMFinck

Just got! Can‘t wait!!!

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Allietaylor16
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Today‘s #bookhaul (plus Hank). I think this is his “did you really just buy more books?” stare.

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ReadingEnvy
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Mehso-so

When Maggie's mother dies in a car accident, she leaves a pile of letters addressed to men Maggie has never heard of. She decides to deliver them in person. This is a nice structure to a sometimes flawed novel. It allows the author to tell the mother's story too, while the daughter examines her own relationships - her girlfriend, her brother, her old friends - all while she gets to know more about her mother than she ever knew while she was alive.

Reggie I gave it a pick but I felt like it was a secret advertisement for open relationships. Like I kinda felt, all this so we can say people have different married sexual agreements? 4y
ReadingEnvy @Reggie yeah I know what you mean, like "Maggie learns a lesson about asexuality and open relationships." I think that would be under my flaw category. On the one hand I appreciate the desire mainstream these things, on the other hand it removes literally all the drama from the situatkon 4y
mommyincolortv As someone with mom issues, I appreciate a novel where although the parent may no physically ve present, they leave behind something that their child can connect to them and learn something about themselves. I might check this out. 4y
49 likes3 comments
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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Pickpick

For me, this novel fell between a Pick and a So-So. I liked the main character, Maggie, even when she sometimes came across as dense. I wish there had been a tiny bit more of the narrative from Iris's point of view, but overall I enjoyed the novel and will seek out more by Ilana Masad! And also how beautiful is the cover?!

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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Today has been a really hard day for my mental health. I'm in bed early and will be getting lost in the tagged book for a while. Enjoy this picture of my bestest furry friend, Seasons. She loves you.

For those of you struggling too, hold on just a little while longer. You're valued and needed here.

Chrissyreadit Hope you feel better. 4y
rubyslippersreads 😻😻😻 4y
books_and_tea Such a cutie! And I am so sorry😔. And what you said is really wonderful. I needed that too, so thank you for the adorable photo and kind words too!🤗 4y
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Branwen I'm sorry you're feeling low today, my friend. 💖 Sending lots of love your way! 4y
Trashcanman I hope tomorrow is kinder 4y
KristenDuck Tomorrow is a new day. You are very fortunate to have such an adorable kitty! 4y
TheDaysGoBy Hope you feel better! Your kitty is adorable! 4y
LiteraryinPA I totally relate to what you said. I‘m sorry that you‘re struggling, and it‘s wonderful that you‘re practicing some self care. We are here for you! 💗 4y
ravenlee These times are so hard on so many of us. I‘m glad you have a fur friend to help bear the load. I‘m finding myself plugging along because I have to rather than because I want to a lot right now, so I‘m looking for joy in small things. Sending love your way! 💓💓💓 4y
Texreader Remember all of us are here for you! I had such a bad day yesterday, just ready to throw in the towel. Fortunately I was in a better state of mind today. I sincerely hope the same will be true for you. 😻❤️ 4y
MemoirsForMe Hope you‘re feeling better! Fur babies always help get you through. 😻❤️🙏🏻 4y
57 likes11 comments
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TheNerdyProfessor
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😂 Definitely felt this way about Maggie the narrator in the tagged book!

j9brown 😂😂😂 4y
TheNerdyProfessor @FelinesAndFelonies ... This is how I feel about this book. I'd probably give it 3 stars. I felt like the writing was a bit clunky despite the heavy content. 4y
FelinesAndFelonies @TheNerdyProfessor funny I just showed Dave that post on your account. 🤣 That's kind of a bummer. 4y
65 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheNerdyProfessor
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Having a newborn at home has really decreased my reading time. But tonight she's sleeping tight and I'm cracking open this new book from #MoonPalace books in Minneapolis. As a bonus, I get to snuggle Riley Dog while reading (she's sad because all the neighbors are setting off fireworks ☹️)

FelinesAndFelonies @TheNerdyProfessor What did you think of this one? It's on my Christmas list. 4y
70 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Reggie
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Pickpick

Maggie who is in her first “this might be something” relationship with Lucia gets a call saying her mother has just died. She goes back home and while dealing with her mother‘s wishes finds letters addressed to people she‘s never heard about. She decides to hand deliver them. There was a great lesson in telling people to not save the things they need to tell their loved ones. However, halfway through I felt like I was an audience member at a 👇🏼

Reggie Jerry Springer show feeling super judgmental and yet, there for the carnage. 4y
MicheleinPhilly Um, yes please! 4y
Tanisha_A Ooh! This sounds good 👌🏽! 4y
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NikkiM5 Lol sounds good 4y
Reggie @MicheleinPhilly @Tanisha_A @NikkiM5 I‘ve been shaking my head about this book all morning. I hope ya‘ll enjoy it if you get to it. 4y
BarbaraBB You always know how to sell a book! #stacked 💕 4y
Reggie @BarbaraBB there is a messiness in here that I‘m conflicted about. But I read it all in one day sooo there‘s that. Lol I just need to stop being judgmental. 4y
Cinfhen This is a kindle deal @MicheleinPhilly if you‘re still interested XX and any reference to Jerry Springer makes the book an auto buy for me!!! 4y
MicheleinPhilly @Cinfhen Of course it‘s a Kindle deal. I just bought it from my indie. 😂😂😂 #EveryDamnTime 4y
56 likes3 stack adds10 comments
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nitalibrarian
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These are the books I will be cataloging today at work when I'm not doing curbside duties.😁📚 #librarylife

35 likes1 comment
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BookNAround
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Will this be he book that inspires me to keep reading until the end? I‘ve set aside a lot recently so I‘m looking for the magic book that sucks me in and doesn‘t let me go until I turn that last page. Fingers crossed. Oh, and as a bonus, it‘s a #MayARC due out the 26th.

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Schlinkles
Pickpick

At it's heart, All My Mother's Lovers is about learning that the people we think we know the best can still surprise us. It's about that moment you realize that your parents exist as something other than your parent, that they have and have had a whole life that has nothing to do with being a parent. It's also about saying the important things when you have the chance and the unintended consequences of never saying those things.

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Schlinkles
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1. The tagged book and Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (hoping to get through my reread of the series before the new book finally comes out this summer)
2. None at the moment, I actually need to renew my library card 😕
3. These two goofballs, Sophie and Maxwell. They make my life infinitely better, funnier, and more fur-covered.

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Tamra Cuties! 5y
rachelsbrittain Look at those good doggos 😍😍 5y
ladym30 Your fur babies are adorable!❤️ 5y
57 likes3 comments
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Schlinkles
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Have a few weeks of breathing room from book club reading commitments and this is the first ARC I‘m diving into.

everlocalwest This is high up on my list. I'm excited to hear what you think. 5y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment