To sum up this story of mother daughter estrangement: bleak. 😕
To sum up this story of mother daughter estrangement: bleak. 😕
Glad I listened to the recommendations, because I really enjoyed this one. The writing felt both contemporary and timeless, somehow. The themes are evergreen, I suppose - mother/daughter relationships and the difficulty of truly knowing another person, even someone as central to one's own life as a parent. Riley has a keen eye for detail, and her style is lean and biting in the best possible way.
#WONDROUSWEDNESDAY @eggs
1.No,my name was picked because my parents wanted an unusual name!Which means it's constantly mispronounced,I don't mind that though.
2.No siblings
3.These 2 amazing books by very underrated writers and tagged book, who should be as famous as John Updike and Philip ROth but aren't.
A severely dysfunctional family, with focus on mother and one of the daughters. Simultaneously sad and funny and extremely awkward. If I have one complaint it is that I would have liked to know why the sisters stopped speaking to each other. It seems a bit like it was just so the author could focus on just the two characters, without the other sister's input.
Thank you to @sarahbarnes for putting this on my radar.
I seem to be on a kick of reading books about mothers (am I working through something? 😂) and this was another great read. The MC‘s mother is one of the most bizarre characters I‘ve encountered in awhile. The awkwardness and discomfort in their relationship was so palpable that I often felt like I wished I could intervene in these scenes.
I liked this book, but felt it was very similar to her other novel. Same idea with dysfunctional relationships and communication breakdown, masking deep hurts and deep love
Thank you dear Jessie for this lovely #jolabokaflodswap present! My fave chocolate and an author I've been dying to read 😘 Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a lovely holiday season, my friend ❤️ @erzascarletbookgasm
Thank you @MaleficentBookDragon for organising this lovely swap! Wishing you and all Littens who celebrate a Merry Christmas, and happy holidays to all 🎄✨
Mother, daughter ?? Family communication? No matter how much we try to understand or reach out or confront the truth. Sadly it just doesn't happen, some people are too unreliable , unbelievable, not just for a moment but for your entire life. This book does resonate with me and the games families play.
Great writing .
Just back from reading group and an interesting discussion abt this remarkable bk abt the mother/dtr relationship. The prose and dialogue is haunting while also exposing fragile characters with a few words as well as what is unsaid. Bridget has to manage her lonely and unfulfilled mother as she grows older but as a reader we wonder why Bridget is so cold to 'Hen', + who is the more troubled. Loved it, raced through it and plan to read again soon.
Gwendoline Riley is so good on ordinary people's lives and relationships and I am loving this book about a woman's relationship with her mother but I thought this extract embodies the feelings anyone on litsy might feel on seeing a favourite author as opposed to any other celebrity although the scene is dripping with the 'what if's' of her mothers life.
Another book that I am savouring but just want to devour over my Saturday morning cup of tea.
#MyPhantoms #NetGalley
I had to set the book aside after reading this bit. This is so real.