It is intense in parts, lighter in others and even serendipitous in some. It is, on the whole, a well-written work about women of varying personalities who harmoniously (or not) form a complete picture. All My Mothers offers an insightful look into how one's sense of home can be shaped by multiple experiences. We follow Eva as she makes a life long friend in Bridget Blume and her lovely family – particularly Bridget’s mother who feels like a really lifeline to Eva. Their relationship grows and changes and there are some really heartbreaking moments throughout this novel. I was so wrong. I listened to this on audiobook (narrated by Polly Edsell) (I relieved an eARC but am behind) and it was so beautifully told. I will 100% go and buy myself a physical copy like I did with Augusta Hope but I’m thrilled I listened to it first. Had me absolutely sobbing – a beautiful, beautiful book’ JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESS

It felt rushed, and it lost it's punch in the most critical moment. Again, using my spainard card here, the whole bought baby moment could have been So Much More Magnanimous. There was an epidemic of doctors and nurses (nuns) that flat out stole babies from their mothers (single mothers, republicans, poor women, romani women, you get the gist) and gave said babies to rich families under the fascist wing. So yeah, by romanticising nuns who literally took away a baby from a muslim woman (with the very same practice used by fascist, stealing nuns) it doesn't really leave a good taste in my mouth. Reading this book was a little slow and I was a somewhat irritated that it was so much of an effort. However, slowly I became more and more intrigued by Eva and the surrounding characters. I marvelled at her resistance and fortitude and how bravely she confronted the future. I must admit I cried for her. After reading ‘The Other Half of Augusta Hope’, I was so excited to read ‘All My Mothers’. And I was not disappointed. Joanna Glen is rapidly becoming an auto-buy author for me - and this book is full of the same heart as Augusta Hope. From there, we follow her story of Eva's family. Of families that are created, those that you find, and those that walk into your world unexpectedly. How some people shape you irrevocably, leaving their mark long after they're no longer in your life. Had me absolutely sobbing - a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESS

I think I liked it most for the narrative style as it was different from some of the other books that may hold a similar plotline. Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read - an extraordinary masterpiece' Anstey Harris, author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn’t bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears’ STACEY HALLS Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan is one of those books that follows you around long after you have read it. It is short and uncomplicated. You may find yourself putting the book down after finishing it, and wondering what to do next. The atmosphere and characters keep popping up in my head with such vivid clarity that it is quite unnerving. A beautiful book. I would recommend it to anyone who liked either my review or the synopsis and think it might appeal to them!

This book, this book is immense. We are following the story of Eva, from her first memories as a four year old starting school and making a best friend, all the way through to adulthood. We see her at her best and her worst, at her highs and lows. This book doesn't pull it's punches. The narrative structure of All My Mothers provides an interesting exploration into the past and present lives of its protagonists. London, 1980s. Though she has a comfortable, privileged life, Eva Martínez-Green is deeply unhappy. The only child of an emotionally absent mother and a physically absent father, Eva has grown up in a cold, unloving house. But Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? This book was recommended to me by a very good friend of mine and I have to admit I had my prejudices. A novel about various types of mothers? A coming-of-age story about an ordinary Spanish woman? Normally, not my cup of tea. However, this book is painfully beautiful and incomprehensibly undervalued. Let me tell you why⬇️

The book has plenty of emotional moments where you really feel for Eva, whose mother is quite detached from her and her father leaves them both when Eva is young. Eva has always felt like her mother isn’t actually her birth mother but doesn’t have the proof. This wonder and uncertainty out to be something that affects a lot of her life. From a young age, Eva Martinez-Green feels distanced from her mother, not helped by the fact when she is asked to bring in a baby photo to school, she is told by the woman she suspects is not actually her mother her baby photos were stolen. In fact, the earliest photos they have are when she was three and a half years old. Guided by a book they’re reading at school and her newfound friendship with Bridget Blume, Eva begins her quest to understand her beginnings and where she came from. The plotline of this story is like any dual timeline historical fiction, which focuses on the secrets of the past and how it moulds the future. Two things differentiate this book from fitting that mould more appropriately. The first is that it is not a dual timeline story (I used that description because it gives off that ambience for some reason). The second is how the characters are described and how they fill out their roles and advance the story. Je suis quelqu’un qui aime les personnages. S’il y a pas une intrigue de ouf mais des bons personnages développés, I’m all in (ici il y a les deux). J’ai rarement lu des personnages si bien écrit. J’ai presque cru que c’était autobiographique tellement ils m’ont semblés *réels*

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: 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 Eva’s life in London helps the reader to learn about the characters, and when she starts to study in Cordoba, the real task of finding her birth mother begins.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. Mothers are artists - a beautiful sentiment from a beautiful book that challenges the notion of what a mother should look like. Eva is lost. She's sure her mother doesn't belong to her and, with her father absent, no one seems to have any answers - so she goes looking for them, on an epic journey that takes us to Cordoba in Spain. In a coming-of-age story, we feel the desire Eva has just to belong. Though it's not always an easy read, it is worth every tear” - Woman & Home The unique style of writing in All My Mothers creates a compelling story that explores difficult topics with sensitivity and nuance. Anyway, I could rant more: about Barney and the romanticism, about how that was dealt with, about Carrie being forgotten although she also is a mother, about many thinhgs. But let me stop here.