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Title details for Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger - Wait list

Like Mother, Like Mother

A Novel

by Susan Rieger
ebook
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An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family’s past.
“What a delight! Like Mother, Like Mother is sharp, fun, and witty.”—Ann Napolitano, bestselling author of Hello Beautiful
“A sprawling family saga, briskly told with the lightest of touches and an often-surprising sense of humor.”—Rumaan Alam, bestselling author of Leave the World Behind

A VOGUE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Detroit, 1960. Lila Pereira is two years old when her angry, abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Lila never sees her mother again. Three decades later, having mustered everything she has—brains, charm, talent, blond hair—Lila rises to the pinnacle of American media as the powerful, brilliant executive editor of The Washington Globe. Lila unapologetically prioritizes her career, leaving the rearing of her daughters to her generous husband, Joe. He doesn’t mind—until he does.
But Grace, their youngest daughter, feels abandoned. She wishes her mother would attend PTA meetings, not White House correspondents’ dinners. As she grows up, she cannot shake her resentment. She wants out from under Lila’s shadow, yet the more she resists, the more Lila seems to shape her life. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her mother. In the process of writing it, she realizes how little she knows about her own family. Did Lila’s mother, Grace’s grandmother, die in that asylum? Is refusal to look back the only way to create a future? How can you ever be yourself, Grace wonders, if you don’t know where you came from?
Spanning generations, and populated by complex, unforgettable characters, Like Mother, Like Mother is an exhilarating, portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we’re meant to be.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 29, 2024

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780525512509

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780525512509
      • File size: 1670 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      May 1, 2024

      Rieger (The Heirs, an NPR best book) returns with a multigenerational family saga that examines mother-daughter relationships. Lila overcomes her abusive childhood and becomes a powerful newspaper editor. Her daughter Grace, though, resents Lila's career, even as she herself becomes a successful reporter. As ambition, family, and the past collide, Grace will have to determine her own future. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      October 15, 2024
      A vibrant portrait of a modern family shaped by a significant missing piece. Rieger starts her latest with the untimely death of her powerhouse central character: Lila Pereira, the recently retired executive editor of a major Washington newspaper. Among those left with regrets is her youngest daughter, Grace, who recently published a novel that was a fictionalized version of Lila's life, including more than one troublesome variation from the official story. Whereas Lila's violently abusive father, Aldo, told his children that their mother, Zelda, died in the mental institution he packed her off to when Lila was 2, in Grace's version, "Zelina" didn't die, but escaped to start another life. Grace has also managed to wound her father, Joe, by giving the fictional mother a long-running affair with a colleague. There's one thing they all agree on, though: The IRL Lila was a washout as a mother, completely and explicitly leaving the parenting to Joe while she pursued her career. She had grown up fine without a mother; why shouldn't they? The story ping-pongs between past and present to develop these themes, with brisk storytelling and sharp dialogue making the pages fly. Rieger manages a very large cast without undue confusion: In addition to three generations of Lila and Joe's family, Grace's best friend, Ruth, is at the center of another group of characters. As in her previous book, The Heirs (2017), DNA testing eventually plays a key role. Fans of Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney'sThe Nest, Jenny Jackson'sPineapple Street, and Taffy Brodesser-Akner'sLong Island Compromise will enjoy the complex interaction of sibling relationships, inherited money, and inherited trauma, and like the authors of those books, Rieger doesn't let the darker parts of her story get in the way of her vivacious storytelling. Both snappy and sprawling, this psychologically sharp novel gets the details right on culture and politics, too. A fun read.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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