All My Mothers: The heart-breaking new novel from the author of the Costa-shortlisted debut, THE OTHER HALF OF AUGUSTA HOPE

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I missed the author's debut novel when it was originally published, but I'm going to remedy that very soon. If it's half as good as this one, it will be wonderful. Right away I'm going to say that this book totally overwhelmed me to the point that I don't really know how to talk about it. I've spent the last couple of days immersed in it and have come away a slightly different person. This was stunning from start to finish. It tells us the story of Eva, a young girl who longs to have the perfect family. Sadly for Eva, ger mother isn't able to be present for her and her father isn't really around. Through this, she's left with the lingering question some young children come up with: maybe these aren't my parents at all. 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 follows our narrator Eva from childhood when she begins suspecting that her mother isn’t hers. There are no baby photos, no answers to her questions and suddenly, no father to turn to either. Eva’s mother suffers from depression, making her distant and absent emotionally and physically. Eva takes it upon herself to find out what’s missing and document her search in her Quest Book. The characters throughout are wonderfully written. Even the women who are difficult and unpleasant are written in a way which allows us to understand them. Eva finds women to love and appreciate; mothers of different types who all teach her and encourage her to love.

Do you have those books that you love just SO MUCH, hit you so hard and mean so much to you, but you worry that it was more about the circumstance in which you read it than the book itself? The Other Half of Augusta Hope, Joanna Glen’s debut was my favourite book I read last year, and I was worried All My Mothers wouldn’t live up to the hype that I had created for it.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. On the day that Eva Martínez-Green started school at St Hilda’s in London, two important things happened: first she met Bridget Blume; and secondly she was introduced to a book called ‘The Rainbow Rained Us’. Bridget becomes Eva’s friend, and the book has such a profound impact on Eva, that she asks her father to buy her a copy. Ms Feast, the class teacher, reads the book to the school. And from the story Eva realises that there are many different types of mothers. But somehow, Eva and her mother do not match. There are gaps in Eva’s life and questioning her parents does not help fill in these gaps. Eva wonders where she belongs. 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 -

Over the years Eva has many important women in her life. Many are positive influences, such as Bridget's mother, M, and Sister Ana in Córdoba, but others are less positive. Eva realises that all of them can teach her something. Christine Orson, mother of Eva's teenage boyfriend Michael, is such an example. This is a woman who gave up her high-powered career to steer her 3 boys to their best lives, and who actually makes notes about questions to guide mealtime discussions. At Eva's first meal with the family, Christine asks them all what they consider to be their guiding principle for life. Eva's response is something she's instinctively known her whole life, but perhaps only crystallises at that point - longing. Convinced she was abducted from her home in Spain as a toddler, Eva has always longed for a loving mother, her real mother. And here we have the disappointment of the year everyone. This one hurts because this was going to be the second best book I read in 2022 after A Certain Hunger. But no. 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. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow' DINAH JEFFERIES

One of the most transporting novels I have read recently” - Patricia Nicol, Daily Mail’s Best Books for Winter Breaks The Price of Salt was in some ways revolutionary – it differed from other gay romances of its time in its hint of a happy ending. And as ever when it comes to the author of The Talented Mr Ripley, the novel is beautifully, thrillingly told – even on second reading I could barely tear myself away from its sensitive, confused, desperate characters. To quote the book itself, “A classic is something with a basic human situation.” I agree with Val McDermid, who wrote the foreword to my edition, that The Price of Salt fits this description. Read it, then watch the stunning 2015 film adaptation, in which Cate Blanchett performs the somewhat miraculous feat of rising from the living room floor hands-free, all the while looking impossibly elegant. Wow 👏🏻 what an incredible book this is!! I just wish I hadn’t left it so long to read. It was a brilliant book.

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… Had me absolutely sobbing - a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESSI think the character development is done so well and Eva becomes such a strong woman and has such a strong voice. She’s definitely a character that will stay with me for a long time. The characters in All My Mothers are beautifully written, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in the novel. 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

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. 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. All My Mothers is a powerful story of resilience and identity that highlights the strength of familial bonds.One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn’t bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears’ STACEY HALLS 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.