The Mothers

A Novel

By: Brit Bennett

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2016 Brit Bennett (P)2016 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Brit Bennett is the real thing. The Mothers is a stellar novel—moving, thoughtful. Stunning. I couldn’t put it down. I’m so excited to have this brilliant new voice in the world."–Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming  and Another Brooklyn

"Brit Bennett's masterful debut is brimming with unforgettable scenes and the sort of keenly-observed, precise language that makes you look at your own relationships anew. Told with the wisdom of a seasoned, compassionate storyteller, The Mothers is a novel about community, friendship, grief and growth. The two women at the center of this novel are characters you will find yourself thinking about long after you've turned the last page—they pull you in close and never let you go. Bennett is a brilliant and much-needed new voice in literature."–Angela Flournoy, author of National Book Award-finalist The Turner House

"Brit Bennett’s The Mothers is a brilliant exploration of friendship, desire, inheritance, the love we seek, and the love we settle for. It is the kind of book that from its first page seduces you into knowing that the heartbreak coming will be worth it."–Danielle Evans, author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

anti abortion message dampens the enjoyment

First of all, the prose is lyrical and beautiful, and the narration is solemn and coy. These are interlocking charactef storylines whivh are realistic and at times overbearingly spiritual. it speaks to a subculture that is dying as previous earlier generations leave this plane of existence. That said, the anti-abortion sentiment leaks throughout. Consistently, it is associated with shame, regret, and wondering of what could have been . . . it is referred to as a sin over and over, and the character who chooses reproductive freedom is ostracized from her community and family. Because of this, I am not sure I can recommend this book in good faith because I feel that too much of popular culture ferishizes and celebrates what is a alreqdy a heavy private decision. It is too easy to portray this aspect of abortion and many many many times the author felt it necessary to repeat these sentinents in an unnecessary way. The book is beautiful and ugly simultaneously, but in attempting to portray the nuances, the author relies too much on the negative aspects.

anti-choice propaganda

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

it should come it a warning. it is for the anti-choice public only...and one that heavily leans misogynistic at that

Has The Mothers turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

How could the performance have been better?

by not implying the the life of a successful, well traveled female lawyer life would have been better if she stayed behind with her looser drunk boyfriend

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

no, no redeeming qualities. how can one prescribe the idea of dismissing academic and career success that elevates one above their conditions. horrible message for girls. that hard work ans success will not give you happiness... only babies can do that. ouch!!!!

Any additional comments?

I kept listening the book thinking, that the story would turn around, surely... it did not.

Disappointed

This book is nothing but pro life propaganda. If I had known this I would not have wasted my time and listened to this book. It is a good thing that I read The Vanishing Half first because that book was excellent. This book is a total waste of time. However the narration was very good.

Preachy Cautionary Tale about Abortion

While the story was engaging enough, ultimately it was too preachy for me. The chapters start with church mothers talking but honestly those sections detracted rather than added to the story. The characters weren't really believable to me. I didn't care for the way the reader over enunciated words. In sum, I just didn't like this book

Great story!

Great story about innonence, regrets and life coming full circle. Great addition to my audible collection!

Like Looking in a Mirror

The book is beautiful in a tragic, train-wreck-you-can’t-look-away-from sort of way. Listening to this book felt like exactly what it feels like to grow up as a Christian-adjacent woman. I’m not a black woman, but I strongly suspect Ojo got that feeling exactly right too. I was saddened by my own life while listening to the character’s lives play out before me. It makes me want to assign this book to men in Feminist Studies classes in college.

Lacks understanding, depth and compassion

Would you try another book from Brit Bennett and/or Adenrele Ojo?

I would absolutely not try another book by the author.

Has The Mothers turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reading was fine.

Any additional comments?

This book failed to capture any real nuance, understanding or compassion for the main character. There are already enough voices projecting onto women how they feel or ought to feel about abortion, especially by people who have never faced the decision themselves. Unfortunately now there is one more. The writing wasn't anything special. Lots of attempts at illuminating analogies that fell flat.

An amazing story that takes you on a ride

I loved this story and this audio book! The author took me on an emotional roller coaster of a girl growing into a woman, the mistakes she makes, the relationships she develops, and the acceptance of the life and choices she has lived.

Great book

I was able to relate to so much in this book. great voice and writing.

Terrible

This is one of the worst books I've read in a very long time. Reading it is like watching an episode of a very bad teen tv series. And to make things worse, the narrator reads like a robot. A total disappointment!

Abortion thread felt pro-life and 1-dimensional

This story turns out to be about how an abortion unravels an entire community and I wasn’t expecting that as a contemporary arch. Having LOVED The Vanishing Half, this felt very different

Amazing Book

Such an amazing book, looking forward to Brit Bennett's next release this summer. I have both listened and read this book and would highly recommend to all.

Biased anti-abortion story

I was conflicted throughout this book as I couldn’t believe this story could be so biased and was constantly waiting for a more balanced view on Nadias decision to have an abortion but after finishing the whole thing it seems obvious of the authors anti abortion bias. The narrative and language was significantly weighted towards the negative side constantly using the term “baby” and rarely stating any of the positives from pro choice. Really disappointing especially by a young female author.

Emotional and well written

Great story about 2 young girls and their relationships with their mothers and how it affects their lives. The narration is really good and the book is excellent with emotional prose. Easy to listen to.

Brilliant

I can’t believe this book sat in my wishlist for so long. It was so good!

Beautifully written and very moving.

I loved this book. The characters and their relationships are really believable. I look forward to reading some more from Brit Bennett.

This is not a fairy tale

This was an easy listen, I happen to like the narration of the story. The story felt very unfinished but it fits the messiness of all the characters lives. Not everything is tied up in a bow at the end. No one feels complete. The story for me was a look at a community, a community where the church is at the centre of it. The whole pro life aspect of the story rings true to that community. It also deals with the hypocrisy within those communities. It does deal with the feelings lots of women have after an abortion. She gets to live her life and yes it is was the right choice for her. But those feelings are still there and always will be. This was a very true to life story.

Ending was underwhelming

Interesting to start off with, I was hooked, but the ending was underwhelming and annoying. I was waiting for Nadia to be vindicated of being solely responsible and facing repercussions on her own. I thought there would be more at the end. I thought Nadia’s mother’s suicide would be explored to reveal a reason.

Narrator is just.......No

I just can't. I've tried, for 2 chapters, but the narrator is like a very slow robot. Speeding it up didn't help either. Such a shame because I recently listened to the author's other book and it was truly brilliant. I was looking forward to this one but it just shows, the right narrator is everything.

Interesting journey into motherhood

The story of ’unpregnant’ mothers and their daughters is how I’d describe this book. Are mothers who abandon their children trying to make themselves ‘unpregnant’? The way young girls and women make themselves ‘unpregnant’ through abortion? What’s the cost of cutting that cord between a mother and her child? These are the questions this tender book asks. This is a story so delicately woven. The church mothers as the chorus the final arbiter of this story is so poignant. They live on and on in every generation each dying and then rebirthing.