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

love the narrator's voice

the narrator's voice makes the book. I listen to every book she narrates. I hope she does more.

Critique of the Mothers

Not what I expected, although I'm not sure what that was. Invoked emotions that I didn't know I had; visceral reactions to some of the character's actions. Felt cheated that we never really get to understand Nadia's mother from the inside of her brain. Wanted more of the story weaving from the mothers. Character driven book, which I tend to prefer. The author is able to capture mood, tone and setting with small details, often giving us a glimpse of what the future might hold as well. I learned new perspectives on the subject of abortion , especially from a man's point of view, that I hadn't considered, although my own opinion remains the same. The reader is good, pleasant to listen to, and pretty good at accents and voice, but her intonation drops off at the end of sentences where I thought it should have varied. Overall, definitely worth the audio or read.

Coming of age

Very impressive storyline that ties generational gaps together. Major societal issues covered across the generations that bridge the gap of our sandwich generations. Highly recommend for all ages!

Not what I was looking for

The book is well written and definitely well read, but I disliked the story. It has such sad or hurtful moments, which can still be ok in certain books, but the characters also aren't endearing enough to make me like them. I found myself annoyed with them and their actions through most of the book.

A must read

Loved it!! This is a book that I would recommend to every young person struggling to fit in, or dealing with life's issues.

Beautiful writing

The author is a poet, a philosopher, and a true talent. I wish I could give it more stars.

The story was boring and church folks hateful as usual.

The story had three themes: teen pregnancy, bad mothers, and hateful church folks.The book was written like it was the 1950s yet the characters were mentioning cell phones and social media. The characters were one dimensional and uninteresting

Phenomenal

Brit Bennett is a master at character development. She navigates the complexity of humanity between flaws in a way that allows her readers to understand and root for her characters.

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.

The struggle

The story was a good one. It was relatable on so many levels. Coming of age as somewhat of aloner, first love, unshared secrets, gossipers at church. These are all things that many of us have lived through and
come out on the other end. For some reason I struggled to complete the book. But yet when it was completed it was story that I kept coming back to. Maybe the story evolved slower than I would have preferred, but I still wanted to see how it would end. Good job Brit on your debut work. I would read another of her books. Looking forward to it.