The Mothers - Brit Bennett

The Mothers

By Brit Bennett

  • Release Date: 2016-10-11
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
4 Score: 4 (From 1,083 Ratings)

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

“Bittersweet, sexy, morally fraught.” –The New York Times Book Review

"Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page." –The Washington Post

From the New York-Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half, the beloved novel about young love and a big secret in a small community. 

Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett's mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret.

"All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we'd taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season."

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother's recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor's son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it's not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

Reviews

  • The book was just...

    5
    By DessyVo
    OKAY! For one, I looked forward to the next day just to get further along in the book. It was just... amazing. Beautiful. Truly truly amazing. I loved every minute.
  • Excellent

    5
    By Ttm621
    I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book! I loved every page could hardly put it down.
  • Shaken

    5
    By @tangiblespirit
    This book is so powerful. As someone who has lost their mother at a young age I felt so touched by Nadia, so much like her.
  • Mothers Galore!

    5
    By Tonsha1
    This book has been on my list to read for months. Brit did a splendid job with putting this together. It is a page turner! I couldn’t put this down. Goes into narrative about “Mothers”. I love the way the characters mingled together and how their stories painted a clear picture of who they were and why they were. True story of forgiveness, friendship, and love on more levels than one. Mothers, shape the world!
  • Awesomeness!

    5
    By lolo1069
    It's moving, it's funny, it's heartbreaking and it's heartwarming--all at the same time! I love reading books that so vividly describe characters and places that you can almost see yourself there talking to the author as they're describing the story. It's a great read that you won't want to put down.
  • Only a sample!

    4
    By Joyjoy hippy
    I've only read The sample, half of it, actually! And, based on that I'm giving it four stars. I'll save the fifth until I complete the book but this seems like a great read. Was hoping for it and audio- but, I guess I'll have to do the work! Thus far, it's been funny and packed with drama, never dull. I'll be back at book's end to conclude. Read it w/ me!! Joyjoy hippy
  • Deeply moving novel!

    4
    By Word Lover 70
    Superb story telling. Deeply moving novel of growing, loving and the impact and effects personal choices have on the lives of ones who love us and those whom we love. The "mothers" voices are strong and richly drawn. Intense read.

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