Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Like Mother, Like Mother
Like Mother, Like Mother | Susan Rieger
2 posts | 1 read | 5 to read
An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family's past. "A novel in the spirit of Meg Wolitzer, Jean Hanff Korelitz, and the great Nora Ephron. Who says comedy is dead? It's all here--the joyful craziness, the wisecracking newswoman, the family secrets with a twist of lime."--Allegra Goodman, bestselling author of SamDetroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has--brains, charm, talent, blond hair--Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn't mind--until he does. But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents' dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila's shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila's mother, Grace's grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don't know where you came from? Spanning generations, and populated by complex, unforgettable characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we're meant to be.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
DGRachel
post image
Pickpick

Ordinarily I avoid multigenerational/family secret novels like the plague, but this is one of my favorite books so far this year. Rieger‘s prose is engaging, the characters are complex, and it is surprisingly low angst. The structure is perfect, starting in the middle with Lila, then shifting focus to her daughter, Grace, and ending with her mother, Zelda‘s story. The characters aren‘t always like-able, but they are understandable and relatable.

DGRachel Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy from Dial Press/Penguin Random House in exchange for my unbiased, honest review and participation in their online live conversation/book club. I‘m honestly surprised by how much I loved this. 2mo
47 likes4 stack adds1 comment
blurb
Rhondareads
post image

An absolutely wonderful read aa inter generational family.From the opening scene at Lila‘s the mother‘s funeral I knew I was in for a special read.Thanks randomhouse for this fabulous read.

11 likes1 stack add