merricupofstars's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
thatjamiea's review
4.0
I’m not sure how I want to begin on describing the book.
Agnes is a new college student in the early 1990s. Her brother, Simon, is dead and her mother has disappeared. Literally. Agnes has no idea where she is. Agnes and her dad are locked into this awkward, familiar, place where they’re hiding their emotions and pain from each other. Stunned into silence whenever the other of them finally reacts to something.
Agnes is blowing in the wind. She works. Hangs out with her roomie and develops a crush on a guy she calls Tea Rose. The relationship between a Agnes and Tea Rose continues to develop and right at the pint when Agnes discovers she is pregnant, Tea Rose breaks up with her. He’s in love with someone else.
Agnes goes home, to her Dad, to have her baby which she is in serious denial about. She misses her mother and doesn’t understand her absence in her life. She continues to be totally unprepared for the baby, ends up with preeclampsia and ends up delivering the baby early.
She returns home from the hospital to find her mother waiting. Agnes feels betrayed as her father has known her mothers location for the entire year plus she was gone. He tries to explain why he kept the secret, but that coupled with her mothers overbearing, aggressive, narcissistic behavior is too much for Agnes and she leaves home with the baby to build what will be her life.
I think the only things that kept this from being a five star book is 1) the lack of likable characters 2) the lack of development around Agnes’ mother.
Agnes is a new college student in the early 1990s. Her brother, Simon, is dead and her mother has disappeared. Literally. Agnes has no idea where she is. Agnes and her dad are locked into this awkward, familiar, place where they’re hiding their emotions and pain from each other. Stunned into silence whenever the other of them finally reacts to something.
Agnes is blowing in the wind. She works. Hangs out with her roomie and develops a crush on a guy she calls Tea Rose. The relationship between a Agnes and Tea Rose continues to develop and right at the pint when Agnes discovers she is pregnant, Tea Rose breaks up with her. He’s in love with someone else.
Agnes goes home, to her Dad, to have her baby which she is in serious denial about. She misses her mother and doesn’t understand her absence in her life. She continues to be totally unprepared for the baby, ends up with preeclampsia and ends up delivering the baby early.
She returns home from the hospital to find her mother waiting. Agnes feels betrayed as her father has known her mothers location for the entire year plus she was gone. He tries to explain why he kept the secret, but that coupled with her mothers overbearing, aggressive, narcissistic behavior is too much for Agnes and she leaves home with the baby to build what will be her life.
I think the only things that kept this from being a five star book is 1) the lack of likable characters 2) the lack of development around Agnes’ mother.
sweetmadyson's review
5.0
I loved this book!
Agnes is a wonderful, moving protagonist who I could not stop rooting for.
Agnes is a wonderful, moving protagonist who I could not stop rooting for.
wendys_lit's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminds me so much of the 2007 film Juno in a lot of ways. We have an edgy teen who maybe falls in love a little too fast, gets a little too reckless, ends ups a little too pregnant. While Juno excels in funny one-liners and the true akwardness of our youth, Motherest is superb in it's visceral imagery and feel of a strained relationship between mother and her (soon-to-be-mother) daughter.
Agnes is just living life day by day really, uncertain of herself or the people around her. College is just another place to roam, filled with a number of various girls that will leave more of an impact on her than she knows. There she meets the infamous Tea Rose, a Nirvana obsessed heart-throb who no doubt rocks doc martens and heavy jackets all year, and down the rabbit hole she goes.
I really loved how emotionally driven this was. It was written so beautifully, like Agnes was really there re-counting her life with me, telling me her fears, the people she holds dear, as well as pieces of her she's still trying to understand herself. She's the definition of spunky, even if she's anxious, and a lot of times she's at odds with herself because those two traits constantly overlap. The characters were all so great, each a unique part of her story, but with their own as well, and not just ornaments to Agnes' life.
So many killer passages about familial relationships and growing up, but my favorite had to be:
"How peculiar, how intimacy has nothing to do with time. How you can feel bonded to someone in a matter of moments, if that person allows it. How you can spend years with someone--I look at Dad's profile--and only ever remain adjacent."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was the fact that there was so many loose ends. I wanted to know about Agnes' gal friends, the whole lot of them! Also felt there was a vaguness with the mother's issues. However, that small stuff aside, this was an incredible read. Agnes is a character I won't forget.
Agnes is just living life day by day really, uncertain of herself or the people around her. College is just another place to roam, filled with a number of various girls that will leave more of an impact on her than she knows. There she meets the infamous Tea Rose, a Nirvana obsessed heart-throb who no doubt rocks doc martens and heavy jackets all year, and down the rabbit hole she goes.
I really loved how emotionally driven this was. It was written so beautifully, like Agnes was really there re-counting her life with me, telling me her fears, the people she holds dear, as well as pieces of her she's still trying to understand herself. She's the definition of spunky, even if she's anxious, and a lot of times she's at odds with herself because those two traits constantly overlap. The characters were all so great, each a unique part of her story, but with their own as well, and not just ornaments to Agnes' life.
So many killer passages about familial relationships and growing up, but my favorite had to be:
"How peculiar, how intimacy has nothing to do with time. How you can feel bonded to someone in a matter of moments, if that person allows it. How you can spend years with someone--I look at Dad's profile--and only ever remain adjacent."
The only thing that stopped this from being 5 stars was the fact that there was so many loose ends. I wanted to know about Agnes' gal friends, the whole lot of them! Also felt there was a vaguness with the mother's issues. However, that small stuff aside, this was an incredible read. Agnes is a character I won't forget.
butwewillstay's review against another edition
4.0
I almost quit this book, not because it was bad, but because it felt heavy in the middle. I’m not sure it ever stopped feeling heavy but I stuck with it and found that overall, even with the heaviness, I enjoyed it. Will I ever read it again? No. But I will remember it.
rosiekorzie's review against another edition
5.0
I definitely read this book at just the right moment in my life. I saw myself and so many people I know in this book. It is crushing. It is so heavy and relatable. I absolutely loved it
prettymessreading's review
3.0
***3 STARS***
I didn't see that one coming.
The title, the cover, the blurb and everything thing else I saw about this book didn't prepare for what I read. It was so much more than I ever imagined.
This book opens up your eyes to how a teenage girl sees herself and how her mother's presence and absence defines her in her everyday life.
Angus is a beautiful and talented eighteen year old girl who is set off on a journey into a new life as a freshman in college. Angus is also broken and is trying her best to put herself back together enough to function in day to day life.
The author captivates the reader in a series of present time experiences, journal entries and letters to tell the story of Angus. Angus broke my heart. Her shear lack of self-worth was so difficult to read without crying. She reminded me of so many girls today who come from broken homes and can't seem to figure out how they are to go about and conquer life.
This is a beautiful coming of age story that I recommend for any person who may question their place in the world. I recommend this story for those who just need an example of how to grew and heal after being knocked down for so long.
I didn't see that one coming.
The title, the cover, the blurb and everything thing else I saw about this book didn't prepare for what I read. It was so much more than I ever imagined.
This book opens up your eyes to how a teenage girl sees herself and how her mother's presence and absence defines her in her everyday life.
Angus is a beautiful and talented eighteen year old girl who is set off on a journey into a new life as a freshman in college. Angus is also broken and is trying her best to put herself back together enough to function in day to day life.
The author captivates the reader in a series of present time experiences, journal entries and letters to tell the story of Angus. Angus broke my heart. Her shear lack of self-worth was so difficult to read without crying. She reminded me of so many girls today who come from broken homes and can't seem to figure out how they are to go about and conquer life.
This is a beautiful coming of age story that I recommend for any person who may question their place in the world. I recommend this story for those who just need an example of how to grew and heal after being knocked down for so long.
mdotace0's review against another edition
3.0
I wasn't sure about this halfway through when I realized that the book was about a 19 year old girl carrying out a pregnancy because her mother has abandoned her-- but then there are some really nice moments and it becomes more and more probable that this character would do just that.
Also there's one moment in which the main character is at the pool with her new also pregnant teen friend and she's like having a nice time and then she thinks about how her brother killed himself. I thought that shift felt true to life. Her dread is always with her.
Also there's one moment in which the main character is at the pool with her new also pregnant teen friend and she's like having a nice time and then she thinks about how her brother killed himself. I thought that shift felt true to life. Her dread is always with her.