Three Mothers [Mass Market Paperback]

Sonia Lambert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2008

A lyrical debut that explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships and long-buried secrets from post-war Europe to modern-day London.

At twenty-five, Susie is all grown up, working a job that pays the bills and living with her long-term boyfriend in their own apartment-better yet, she's hours away from her childhood home. But her mother's sudden cancer diagnosis forces Susie to reconcile a daughter's memories of her mother with the reality of a woman approaching death. Determined to understand the unexplained silences between her mother and grandmother before it's too late, Susie confronts the secrets that have become embedded in her family's past. Between stories of betrayals and births emerges an engaging narrative that explores women's disparate roles of mother, lover, and independent spirit; and what happens to the generations of women who are all three.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lambert's debut is an elegant three-generation weeper about mothers and daughters and the links that bind and repel them. The narrative unfolds as diarylike entries from each generation: in 1945, new mom Helene leaves her baby daughter in England to be with her husband stationed in India, and falls in love with another man; rebellious Vera, Helene's youngest daughter, embraces the revolutionary zeal of the '60s; and modern Londoner Susie, Vera's oldest daughter, nurses her dying mom and acts as the narrative lynchpin. Each story has its own particular passion and power: Helene's illicit love of a rakish RAF flyer and his betrayal and tragic end and Vera's agonizing pregnancy and her estrangement from her philandering hubby. But it's a grownup Susie taking care of her dying mother that provides the book's most potent wallop. In the end, these separate stories are far greater than their sum: a predictable and throwaway reunion of the generations is both sullen and vacant. Better to savor the individual stories of love, life and choices of three very different women who share a surprisingly similar soul. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

** 'accomplished debut... Choice magazine ** 'a wonderfully evocative talent' Financial Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425219127
• ISBN-13: 978-0425219126
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,824,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An emotionally gripping novel, January 10, 2008

By 

Babaghanoush - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Mothers (Mass Market Paperback)

This turned out to be a real page-turner. Sonia Lambert has a wonderful ability to express the crazy intensity of emotion felt by a new mother. This book juxtaposes the emotional life of young women in three generations of a family, each chapter darting between the 1940s, the '70s and the present day, and showing how the strong bond of motherhood can survive tragedy and upheaval. The narrative technique is very effective and pushes the story forward. Great writing gives you a close feeling of identification with the characters, whether in WW2 India or modern-day Britain. Lambert says in the acknowledgements that this moving story is substantially based on reality, and this probably helped the book achieve its emotional impact.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating character study, January 4, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Mothers (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1945 Helene gives birth to a daughter, but her spouse stationed in India, writes to tell her to leave the baby with her mom as the climate is not good for a newborn. Susie travels by herself leaving Vera with her mother and her sister Lottie. On her trek overseas, Helene falls in love with a RAF pilot.

Helene's youngest daughter, Vera loves the fervor of the late 1960s as London swings, but Paris lives the passion of the era. She becomes pregnant and debates within herself what to do with the fetus she carries especially since she does the unheard of: leaving her cheating husband and return to her mom for help.

In 1996 although Vera's second husband Steve, her sister Lottie, and her other adult child Gus are alive and well, her oldest child mid twenties Susie cares for her as she is dying from cancer. Three months after her mom Vera died, Susie is cleaning out the house and is still learning much about her mom and her maternal grandma.

THREE MOTHERS is a fascinating character study that focuses deeply into the interrelated yet separate lives of three generations of English women. The three moms are fully developed protagonists so their love and loathing of one another seems genuine. Keep plenty of tissues handy as this novel hits home as Sonia Lambert provides a powerful look at the changing roles of motherhood in the latter half of the twenty century through the lives of these three women as the cycle of death and rebirth continues with the next generation a decade later.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting ... but a little depressing., January 27, 2009

By 

ShellyLynn - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Mothers (Mass Market Paperback)

It's a very interesting book with a unique perspective and very well written character development. I just found the book depressing and at the end felt there was something missing. Maybe I'm just an idealistic person that likes happy endings. :)