Customer Reviews

What Mother Never Told Me

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What Mother Never Told Me by Donna Hill is one of the most engaging novels I have read on the subject of mothers and daughters. From page one the reader is drawn into the life of Parris McKay as she goes in search of the mother she had been told was dead for 30 years. The story slowly and surely allows the reader to see and feel how and why the deception took place. The story is so well-told that at times I felt as though the mother had betrayed me. However, once I saw the story unfold, my perspective changed, as did my understanding.

Even more compelling is the love story component of Parris and Nick, the man she is in love with. Also the story of the love of her mother's life is very compelling. The back stories about Celeste, a blue-blood, socialite and her mother, as well as Leslie, an overweight, interior designer and her mother are just as fascinating. The unexpected bond between the three women also speaks of sisterhood and the support that women can only give other women. There are also many other romantic layers and flavors that make this book a literary delight.

I recommend What Mother Never Told Me to all readers who love a wonderfully told story.

The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

Imagine learning that everything you've been told about yourself was lie. Imagine believing that your mother died giving birth to you only to learn that she's alive and well on the other side of the world. That's exactly what Parris McKay discovers in Donna Hill's latest novel "What Mother Never Told Me". The story is a sequel to Hill's novel "Rhythms" which is the story about 3 generations of women that were scared by the actions of one man. In "What Mother Never Told Me" Parris McKay daughter of Emma Travanti learns of her mother's existence in her grandmother's final moments before dying. It was Parris' grandmother's final request that she find her mother and seek the answers she needs to make herself whole. On this journey to find her mother Parris meets an unlikely source that completes the final piece to the puzzle. It is said the sequel is never better than the first however Hill puts that notion to rest with this story. She continues to deliver stories that are thought provoking, heart wrenching and triumphant. Hill skillfully gives readers the plot followed by wonderful subplots then brings it all together in the end. She cleverly reminds readers that life is about the choices you make and does a wonderful job of weaving fate into her stories. If you enjoy stories of family secrets, deception, forgiveness and new beginnings, I strongly recommend you read "What Mother Never Told Me".

Every mother and daughter relationship is different...well in What Mother Never Told Me Donna Hill shows the reader exactly not only how different, but also how difficult they can be on both ends of the equation. When the story begins the reader will embark on a very emotional, mental, and finical rollercoaster all the way to the end of the story. Hill will show all women out there that no matter how horrible one's relationship maybe with their mother or daughter... as long as their is some love in the mix there is light at the end of the tunnel. For all those that have read Rhythms...What Mother Never Told Me was worth the wait!

Wanting to become a professional singer, Cora leaves her hometown Rudell, Mississippi for Chicago. There she obtains work for an affluent Caucasian family. However, their son rapes her so Cora fled for Rudell unaware she is pregnant.

In Rudell, she marries her childhood sweetheart David, but hell breaks out when their offspring is white. That girl Emma learned to pass as white to gain acceptance. In New York, she marries a Caucasian soldier, Michael who soon afterward is deployed overseas. Emma gives birth to a baby with black features. She sends her daughter Parris to Mississippi to be raised by her mom while fleeing for Europe. However, as an adult, her dying grandma informs Parris that her mom lives so she travels with her Nick to France in search of her biological mother.

Though the saga of an African-American passing as white has been done many times, What Mother Never Told Me is a fascinating tale that focuses mostly on the third generation's search once she knows her "white" mom is alive. The cast is three dimensional as the three generations seem genuine especially their motives even if a reader disagrees with choices. Well written, the character driven story line grips the audience as Emma seeks her mom and she hopes her dad too.

Harriet Klausner

This stand-alone sequel to RHYTHMS begins with a slow, literary dance of lyrical drama and ends with a crescendo of love for friends and family. With vivid characters and poetic words, Donna Hill has made WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME worth the wait!

When she returns to Ruddell, Mississippi in the wake of her grandmother Cora's transition, Parris is shaken by a resurrection of sorts... her 'dead mother is alive'. As Parris mourns the loss of her grandmother, she is sorrowed even more by the realization that she was 'unworthy of her mother's love'. The earth-shattering news pains her more than the passing of her grandmother. Fortunately, Nick is there to comfort and help Parris heal.

WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME is a passionate and beautifully-written story of true love, friendship and forgiveness. Each character is touched by another's life, and the dominoes fall into loving and forgiving arms.

I highly recommend this heartwarming novel.

This book was well written and the writing style had a nice flow. I really enjoyed the story and felt that the author paid particular attention to the development of each character. The only disappointment that I had was that I didn't want the book to end. I really wanted to read more about Paris' life and her reaction to meeting and developing a relationship with her father.

Reading this book filled my heart, I first fell in love with the character Parris, and then My heart went out to Emma, how she had to go through her life living with not knowing where she belonged and then have to know that her daughter would go through it not knowing her mother. Emma was also selfish to not have shared with her husband what went on with her when he went away, This for was a wonderful book.

"What Mother Never Told Me". The story is a sequel to Hill's novel "Rhythms", I've waited 10 years to read this excellent follow up. Parris McKay thought her mother was dead for 30 years. On her grandmothers death bed a confession is made that sends Parris on a journey to find truth and reason.

Parris's friends Leslie and Celeste also have demons to deal with. Leslie is dealing with a disabled mother which she feels responsible for, and Celeste's privilaged upbringing is one long line of lies secrets and control, that she despies.

Nick, Parris's rock and heart supports her as she goes to Paris to find out why she'd been lied to for 30 years.

All 3 of these women's lives come together and full circle. Parris and Celeste find out that their connection is more than they could have ever imagined.

From Mississippi to France, to Harlem, this story weaves a fantasic story of what you won't do for love. I loved the surprise twist the pulled everything together at the end. The whole 6 degrees of separation was mind blowing.

Donna has once again out done herself, and this sequel was truly worth the 10 year wait.
5 Stars

Parris McKay left Rudell, Missississippi to fulfill her dream as an aspiring singer in New York. She returns home to her grandmother's dying bed and learns the mother she believes to have died thirty years ago is very much alive and living in France. Parris travels to France in search of her mother to get answers to the 30-year-old deception, but once they meet, Parris is again left with a broken heart.

Celeste and Leslie come from different worlds and when they meet during a theatre class, they become friends instantly. They both are struggling from strained relationships with their mothers, unaware their mothers are harboring deep, dark secrets too.

WHAT MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME is a poignant, emotional novel of love, truth, and forgiveness. The reader will embark on a heartwarming journey with Parris, Celeste, and Leslie as they search for a sense of belonging and love from their mothers. Donna Hill breathes life into the main characters and the secondary characters adds a pleasant touch. The plot and subplots are intense and the revealing of the secrets will shock the reader. A splash of romance is added as a tender touch.

Reviewed by Sharon Lewis
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

OMG - I finished this novel days ago and still can't get the characters out of my mind.

An excellent story about the complex relationship between mothers and daughters. We open with Parris having learned that her grandmother Cora has lied to her for her entire life. Parris' mother is not dead, but is very much alive and living in France.

Parris, a singer, has been working with Nick, a saxophonist, for awhile and despite their efforts; the two are starting to fall hard for one another. Unfortunately, Nick is already involved with someone and Parris wants to be "the only one" NOT "the other one". Nick truly loves her, but Parris can't love anyone until she can answer why her own mother couldn't love her enough to raise her.

Parris' grandfather and Nick encourage her to visit her mother in France to get the answers she so desperately needs in order to feel whole again.

Emma is Parris' mother and she is a tragic character who has only felt love from her husband of 30+ years, Michael Travanti. Michael fills the emptiness in Emma's soul and she has done EVERYTHING to keep him.

The meeting between mother and daughter in France is a colossal failure. Parris returns to Nick in NY and tries to piece her broken heart and broken life together again. Emma is destroyed and soon learns that sometimes you get a second chance and sometimes your actions are unforgivable.

While helping Nick open his own night club, Parris meets Celeste and Leslie who also have difficult relationships with their mothers. These three young women form a bond where each is comforted by the other as they navigate the complex mother/daughter waters.

No one said keeping the commandment, "Honor thy mother", would be easy. My relationship with my own mother was often difficult to navigate, but we always found our way back to reconciliation. With two daughters myself now, I pray that no matter what happens over the years, we'll stay connected by love, laughter, and forgiveness.