isleoflinds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Racism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexism, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Outing, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Abandonment, Addiction, Biphobia, Child death, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Confinement, and Domestic abuse
carbs666's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I felt like the book spends several chapters setting Frida up as an unreliable narrator by introducing uncertainty around her intentions on her Very Bad Day, and then just drops that in favour of having her be our portal into the fucked up environment of the school. I also felt like the book was commenting on so many things at once that it became background noise until something happened in the plot to briefly draw one thing into the spotlight.
I will say that this book does a very good job of illustrating the violence the state perpetuates against mothers, especially women of colour and low income women, and showing how cycles of trauma get continued. The books fantastic premise clearly show how state interventions into the lives of struggling families almost always make things worse, and the brief description of the different conditions at the school for fathers really highlight the way the states is unwilling to give mothers the benefit of the doubt but will do very little (if anything) to correct the behaviour of fathers.
I know we're not really supposed to like Frida but the whole thing with Tucker absolutely pissed me off. I'm also very conflicted about the portrayal of her final (doomed) act of desperation.
The book really shines in these pockets of emotional intensity. There are moments scattered throughout the book where a few sentences will just absolutely rock you, the moments where the cruelty of the exercise is laid bare and where Frida becomes someone you genuinely want to root for. I also liked how the book leveraged some spooky Gothic tropes to add atmosphere, but I would have liked to see more of it!
I did keep reading because I did want to find out what happened, so overall it's a pretty good book.
Graphic: Abandonment and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse and Body horror
Minor: Suicide
eve_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
⁕ The sci-fi, dystopian bits don't really develop until about 25% into the book. It will feel like a contemporary piece at first, but give it time and things get wild.
⁕ Chan peels back all the layers of motherhood and explores how it is impacted by not only one's identities (including sexual orientation, culture, race, etc.), but also systemic sexism and white supremacy.
⁕ Moments that I thought were emotionally important to the story were completely skipped over and explained after the fact, such as Frida's final court ruling. It was frustrating to miss out on those key plot points that had been built up to throughout the story.
⁕ There are SO many characters of different ages and genders in this book. Catherine Ho's narration distinguishes each of them without detracting from the overall story
To read my full review, visit: https://evereads.online/
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Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Self harm, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Racism, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Body horror, Classism, Confinement, Abandonment, Grief, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content
leah_alexandra's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Self harm
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Infertility, Misogyny, Cursing, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
jet's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Suicide, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief, Gore, Gaslighting, Confinement, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Racism and Pedophilia
at806's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child death, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, and Misogyny
Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction, Blood, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
daybreakreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Xenophobia, Rape, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Abandonment, Blood, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
kelseyr713's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Absolutely relentless in examining the violence of the state against women, particularly women of color and those from immigrant families. I would not classify this as dystopian or sci-fi; probably speculative fiction. As angry and sad as this made me, it would only be worse for a parent/soon-to-be parent.
The New Yorker article “Where Is Your Mother?” by Rachel Aviv is among the cited works in the acknowledgments, and I was horrified to see how many of the small details were taken from real life incidents. Worth a read: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/02/where-is-your-mother
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, and Sexism
Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Bullying, Injury/injury detail, and Body horror
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, and Confinement
theskyboi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At the novel's outset, Frida Liu has had a lapse in judgment on a hectic day, and she has decided to leave her daughter, Harriet, at home alone. From this point forward, Frida is forced to prove her worth as a mother, as a woman, and as an American citizen at the eponymous School for Good Mothers.
In this stunning debut, Jessamine Chan interweaves the fabrics of literary and speculative fiction by telling a tale that some may call paranoid while others may feel is more aptly deemed prescient. Amid the tools of modern-day surveillance, these so-called bad mothers are given the chance to regain the lost custody of their children upon completing an experimental curriculum within the fenced-in confines of a dystopian learning center. Faced with the disappointment of watching her ex-husband and his new girlfriend raising her daughter, Frida is more determined than ever to put her whole heart into learning how to become the ideal caregiver.
Without spoiling too much, I'll say that the ways in which Chan dives into the genre of speculative fiction through The School for Good Mothers took me by surprise. Equal parts commentary on race, class, mental health, prejudice, and misogyny, this story is thoughtful in the way it draws and redraws lines between good parenting and unfair sentencing within the American justice system. Even given the dense and emotional themes, Chan still finds a way to capture a reader's imagination with a near-future feel to the mechanisms at play in Frida's life. By far, this was the perfect way to start my first read of 2022, and I can't recommend it enough!
Graphic: Abandonment, Body horror, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Torture, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Child abuse
Minor: Classism, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Gaslighting