A House for Happy Mothers

A Novel

By: Amulya Malladi

Narrated by: Deepa Samuel

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning new novel - full of wit and warmth - from the bestselling author of The Mango Season.

In trendy Silicon Valley, Priya has everything she needs - a loving husband, a career, and a home - but the one thing she wants most is the child she's unable to have. In a Southern Indian village, Asha doesn't have much - raising two children in a tiny hut, she and her husband can barely keep a tin roof over their heads - but she wants a better education for her gifted son. Pressured by her family, Asha reluctantly checks into the Happy Mothers House: a baby farm where she can rent her only asset - her womb - to a childless couple overseas. To the dismay of friends and family, Priya places her faith in a woman she's never met to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

Together, the two women discover the best and the worst that India's rising surrogacy industry has to offer, bridging continents and cultures to bring a new life into the world - and renewed hope to each other.

©2016 Amulya Malladi (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

wanted more

I knew it was the logical endong, but I wanted to know what became of Ausha' little boy as he grew up and I wanted an across the miles friendship to develop. The narration was superior to most audio books I have listened to... I could immediately tell by each character's voice who was speaking. The a uthor shows deep empathy for all involved in surrogacy.

Excellent story

What made the experience of listening to A House for Happy Mothers the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed the author's narration, accents, vocal prosidy and personalities of each character brought forth by her voice acting. She is an outstanding narrator. She made the story come alive. The voice actor brought out the complexities and nuances within the story, including the complicated relationship that grew between the two lead women characters--Priya and Asha.

What other book might you compare A House for Happy Mothers to and why?

I have not read a book about surrogacy before, so I do not have a book to compare it to based upon the subject matter.

Which scene was your favorite?

There are too many favorite scenes to narrow it down to one. I think listening to Asha's thoughts as she gave birth to the baby she had grown to love but had to give away was particularly poignant.

If you could take any character from A House for Happy Mothers out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Asha.

Any additional comments?

wonderful book and fantastic narration.

Good, But Not Great

Was hoping for a deeper story, but did show how these women at the House For Happy Mothers were exploited. Very sad that they all chose to be surrogates solely for the money, and wanted to do it numerous times to better their families' lives. Difficult for me to understand how the doctor at the clinic could be so self serving, as to profit from them, and even encourage them to become surrogates over and over again. Excellent narration.

Happy Reader In My House

Unbelievable, but another first-rate Amazon unlimited freebie. “they weren’t going to win the lottery, surrogacy WAS their lottery ticket”
This novel grabbed me from the start with its subtle but well-developed characters. About halfway through the novel, I honestly thought I was listening to a surrogacy memoir or personal journey. If this is a work of complete fiction, then I’m a donkey’s ass.
It was morally realistic, tender and emotionally sensitive. And I googled like crazy to find out if there were such surrogacy places in India or Russia or here in South Korea….and there are so many insane stories out there which I never imagined. Wow!
This is one of the books that I believe people/readers spring into learning and becoming aware of other social and/or historical issues.
Great book-definitely recommend reading this novel (audio was 5-star narration) and I will pick up the author’s other books for sure.

captivating

I enjoyed this book. it was a very interesting story line, which I knew little about. I thought the characters were well developed.

Entertaining Story with Excellent Narration

I enjoyed this book -- easy reading, interesting theme, especially for non-Indians who may take for granted that surrogacy is just another way to carry and birth a baby.

The House of Happy Mothers not only addresses what surrogacy means to women in the West and in the East, but to the poor and to the rich. It also interweaves the issue of ethical responsibility of those who promote these services (the clinics and doctors who make bank in the industry), social justice and women's rights.

The author did a good job describing the surrogate and the biological mom -- we had a good sense of the complexities involved in their individual processes. in fact, the surrogate moms' complaints and inner turmoil were a strong vehicle for a social critique that I enjoyed very much.

At times, however, the book seemed a bit redundant, and I would've liked it to be more spare. At the very end, the author seems to have felt compelled to spoon-feed us the conclusion so to speak, that seemed unnecessary.


I can't say enough about the narrator: She carried the book at moments when I simply would've had a hard time concentrating. the accents were awesome and entertaining.

Overall, good Summer read that opens doors to future research for those interested in the topic.

More sad than Happy to me

I like the Narrator. The story can make you cry if you have a bleeding hearty like me.

Brilliant!

This was a touching story that gave you insight on the struggles and joys of two women's lives with motherhood from different corners of the world.

Loved it!

I really loved the narrator, her voice was so perfect for the story, and so soothing. She really brought the story to life, from the images in India to California and the inner turmoil within Pria and Asha. I may listen again!

Sister love

I recommend you read this book with a sister friend. It changed my views about surrogates.