All My Mothers: The heart-breaking new novel from the author of the Costa-shortlisted debut, THE OTHER HALF OF AUGUSTA HOPE

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From the author of the Costa shortlisted debut, The Other Half of Augusta Hope, comes the story of one girl’s journey to find her birth mother, and her realisation that mothers – and family – can be discovered in the most unexpected of places… At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood and all that was to come. But when the telephone rang, the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident. All My Mothers (Radio Play): A radio play adaptation of the novel was produced for BBC Radio 4 and released in 2007, starring Bill Nighy as John Marshall and Joanna Lumley as his mother. Wow 👏🏻 what an incredible book this is!! I just wish I hadn’t left it so long to read. It was a brilliant book. Everything about this book is beautiful, the words and ways the author finds to articulate so many of our abstract and at times challenging emotions from grief, loss, love and joy which speak from one heart to another; the sensitive illustrations punctuating each section; the carefully considered structure which I especially enjoyed as each segment opens with the old knowledge and folk beliefs associated with particular plants with themes that resonate within each section adding even more depth and layers to the stories unfolding within. This is a love story to life, sisterhood, motherhood and self.

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen - Fantastic Fiction

I just loved it. Eva (as in forever, not evil, she tells us early on) is searching for something. She knows that something is missing but isn’t entirely sure what. She just knows that she doesn’t belong in her family. This book chronicles her life and her desire to find love and happiness. Eva makes wonderful friends and I loved them all. Stone by stone, seed by seed, they discover that sometimes life grows, not in spite of what is broken, but because of it.

Although Eva’s life could be construed as lonely, she has a best friend, Bridget, who fills the empty gaps perfectly. Bridget’s home is everything Eva dreams of; siblings, noise, mess, chaos - and the most warm and loving mother that ever lived. This is where Eva starts her journey to find out who she is, where she comes from and to try and understand the many variations of motherhood.

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen | 9780008410599 | Booktopia All My Mothers by Joanna Glen | 9780008410599 | Booktopia

When her parents' relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents - and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever... About This Edition ISBN: When her parents’ relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents – and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever… Joanna Glen read Spanish at the University of London, with a stint at the Faculty of Arts at Cordoba University in the south of Spain. She went on to teach Spanish and English to all ages, and, latterly, was a school principal in London. Joanna's short fiction has appeared in the Bath Flash Fiction Anthology. She lives with her husband and children on the River Thames in Battersea, returning to Andalusia whenever it gets too grey. No hay cosas que me guste más que adentrarme en una historia completamente a ciegas, sin tener referencias de nadie. Simplemente dejarte llevar por esa vocecita que te dice "este libro es para ti". Y lo mejor de todo es así es: este libro llegó para quedarse. Déjenme empezar diciendo que AMÉ este libro. Aunque gran parte de la trama se centra en la maternidad, este libro también celebra la amistad entre mujeres. Sobre todo destaca cuánta historia se puede acumular entre dos personas, a tal punto que se convierten en la familia que elegimos para nosotros mismos.

One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn’t bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears’ STACEY HALLS

Home [victoriabennett.me]

Joanna Glen weaves a uniquely heartening and hopeful story. A story about pain, the solace of words and our search to belong, to a place, to a person. Welcome to the world of the wonderful Augusta Hope' Jess Kidd, author Himself and Things in Jars On the day that Eva Martínez-Green started school at St Hilda’s in London, two important things happened: first she met Bridget Blume; and secondly she was introduced to a book called ‘The Rainbow Rained Us’. Bridget becomes Eva’s friend, and the book has such a profound impact on Eva, that she asks her father to buy her a copy. Ms Feast, the class teacher, reads the book to the school. And from the story Eva realises that there are many different types of mothers. But somehow, Eva and her mother do not match. There are gaps in Eva’s life and questioning her parents does not help fill in these gaps. Eva wonders where she belongs.Por no mencionar, que hay representación de todo tipo (LGBT+, de cuerpos no normativos, religiosa) y se tratan temas de índole femenina como el cáncer de mama o la endiometrosis. Pero, sobre todo me ha llamado la atención la representación religiosa (judía, musulmana y católica) y que se haga tanto hincapié en ella. La mitad del libro está ambientado en Córdoba (la primera mitad en Chealsy, Inglaterra). La representación de todas esas religiones hace referencia al trasfondo histórico de esa provincia andaluza y la diversidad de la que se ha nutrido su cultura. At seven months pregnant, Victoria Bennett was looking forward to new motherhood after difficulties in previous pregnancies. Life felt hopeful at last. Then the telephone rang, and the news she received changed everything. Her eldest sister had died in a canoeing accident. At it's heart, it is a coming of age story. But it's so much more than that. It's about the circular nature of life, it's about how disappointments come but also wonderful things, but mostly it's about girls and women and mothers, and the wonderful relationships between them all. One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLS

All My Mothers by Joanna Glen | Waterstones All My Mothers by Joanna Glen | Waterstones

If you want a beautiful book about motherhood, all the dimensions of it from the POV of a daughter, this is delightful. The innocence of a child who doesn't understand why her mother's negligence and her father's abandonment. The loneliness and deseprate pursuit of validation and love of a teenager, and the understanding and resolution of adulthood. All of these eras painting a beautiufl and deep portrait of motherhood. Brexit and Trump in 2016 concentrated the thinking of American journalist Alec MacGillis about his country. It was the indicator that wealth was shifting in new, grossly unequal ways, leaving disaffected cities and communities in its wake, with dramatic political results. Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. It's like the author looses steam the second our protagonist lands in Cordoba, which is an absolute let down after almost half the book knowing this will be the beginning of the Actual Quest.

All My Wild Mothers is an intimate memoir of motherhood, a handbook on survival, and a testimony to radical hope. A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow’ DINAH JEFFERIES Overall, it is a story about a girl whose “mother” felt like a phantom and an intruder. All her life, Eva has never truly felt connected to her mother, neither emotionally nor physically. This is why she clings to a color schemes which sorts all kinds of mothers into distinct colors to describe their personality and qualities of how a true mother should act and behave. For her, it is a way to cope with the neglect and detachment of her parents. Throughout the story, she encounters various types of mothers who act as a role model and dramatically shape her one way or the other. Five years later, and that life feels very different to the future Victoria had imagined. Struggling with complex grief, the demands of being a parent-carer for her young chronically ill son, and the impact of deeper austerity, everything feels broken. La historia sigue la vida de Eva desde los cuatro años hasta los treinta años. Es una historia coming-of-age impresionante con una voz narradora que va cambiando conforme la prota va creciendo. La manera en la que está escrito este libro es ARTE. El estilo de la autora es precioso y delicado, y se va adaptando perfectamente a las diferentes etapas vitales que atraviesa Eva.