The Other Mothers' Club: A Novel [Paperback]

Samantha Baker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 22, 2010

Eve has had it—she's no "wicked stepmonster" in the making. She absolutely adores Ian, the new man in her life, and she's more than willing to open her heart to his kids. But nothing she does is right in their eyes, and she just can't take it anymore.

At her wit's end, she decides it's time for stepmothers to stick together, so, with a little prodding from her best friend, Clare, she decides to join a support system for other women in the same boat. There's stay-at-home mom Mandy, high-achiever Mel, and even young and in love Chloe. And as cups of coffee give way to wine, and their get-togethers become a regular fixture, the women share their love, lives, ambitions, and true feelings about their new families.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Soon after Eve, the heroine of this overbusy debut, plunges into stepmother territory, she realizes she's in over her head. She turns to best friend and single mother Clare for advice, and the help sessions soon mushroom into the Stepmothers' Support Group. Members include Clare's younger sister, Lily, who is dating an older man with a toddler; Melanie, who wants a family of her own and is recovering from a bad breakup with a man who didn't want kids; and Mandy, who is trying to juggle the blending of two families full of teenagers. Baker partially succeeds at polishing the image of the much-maligned stepmother, thanks to strong characters like Eve and Clare. But the glut of personalities at play between club members and their families and friends proves too much for Baker to handle, and as she loses the battle to develop even some of players central to the increasingly convoluted plot, contrived developments and uneven storytelling become ever more apparent.
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Review

“Sometimes, a book can be such a brilliant idea, you can’t believe no one has done it before: ‘The Stepmothers’ Support Group’ by Sam Baker is a page-turning case in point. Stepmothers, stepfathers, stepchildren: all, I think, will find amusement and comfort in its pages.” (Nigella Lawson on The Stepmothers' Support Group )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (June 22, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061840351
• ISBN-13: 978-0061840357
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,437,155 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique perspective on stepmothering, January 9, 2011

By 

Anna Morrison (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Other Mothers' Club: A Novel (Paperback)

I loved this book. I don't normally write reviews, but I thought it would be only fair for such a unique book. I am reviewing the book as a custodial stepmother. There aren't too many of us around, for a variety of reasons, but even less resources. I know this is a fiction book, but it spoke to me on so many levels. It clearly articulated the many difficulties I have felt in my own life adjusting to life as a custodial stepmom, as well as remembered the children, and even, through Clare, the difficulties of a bio-mom letting go of her child to a stranger. It covers all levels of the stepmother development, some more than others certainly, from the first introduction to the children, to what happens when you go from Dad's "friend" to the outsider in the home he's created. I highly recommend it as a good read, and just as a way for stepmothers to read something where someone else has obviously been in their shoes and can write what they themselves may not be able to say.

2.0 out of 5 stars cinfusing & boring, July 28, 2011

By 

LindseyEla (buckhead, ga) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Other Mothers' Club: A Novel (Paperback)

had interesting parts, other than that, super dull. the characters didnt always make sense & i couldn't tell who was who half the time. and it was kind of depressing. i'm not gonna lie, i bought the book cuz i saw it at target & the cover was cute. i will NEVER make that mistake again!!!! not woth the time

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, good fiction for stepmoms, June 8, 2011

By 

A. Allyson "Ashers" (Ventura County, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Other Mothers' Club: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

It was really nice to read a full stepmom-experience story. There were multiple simultaneous stories from other women in stepmom situations, and the comparison was pretty dead on. If you're a stepmom yourself, you'll disagree with and have your own take on everything, but that doesn't make the story any lesser. Every stepmom's experience is different, and the best thing about this book being fiction is it means that it's not telling you *how* to be a stepmom. It's more like a story-led discussion on what it's like. It was great to be involved in a story that I specifically related to, knowing that it wasn't real or an advice book. There should be a lot more like this book coming, as blended families make up half of families now. There's a huge increase in stepparent and stepmom non-fiction books, so hopefully this book will spur some more fiction.