Women | Book Chatter

Same As It Ever Was
By Claire Lombardo
Doubleday Books, 9780385549554, June 2024, 512pp.

The Short of It:

One of the most frustratingly, endearing reads I’ve ever read.

The Rest of It:

Let me explain that sentence above. Julia Ames walks us through her life as a married mother of two. She includes it all, the doubts, the flaws, the insecurities. We meet her as a young woman, and then a married woman and then a mom. We are taken back and forth in time to when it was good, and when it wasn’t great. And how a brief slip of common sense sends her down a disastrous path. But does it?

It took me a really long time to read Same as it Ever Was. The back and forth nature of the storytelling is necessary but also a bit exhausting. Julia is a frustrating character. She second-guesses too much. There is a lot of internal dialogue as she navigates life and basically, everyday interactions. Sometimes I wanted to shake her and tell her to be more confident but then other times, you just want to give her a hug because she is the definition of a hot mess.

Julia is deeply flawed but also relatable. Her flashbacks of raising her children reminded me of my own experiences raising tiny humans. The overall not-knowing if what you are doing is right, or if you could be doing it better. Her relationship with her husband Mark, is tenuous at best. So there’s not a lot of encouragement going on there.

What is the story about? LIFE. It’s about leaving your single self to become part of something larger. It’s about all the missteps you take as you figure out the kind of life you want to live. It’s about mistakes, forgiveness, and the people who come into your life to help you navigate the ups and downs.

Lombardo’s writing is clear and authentic. Genuine, you could say. As I was reading, there were a million moments where I caught myself saying, “I get it.” Especially the sections about Julia’s adult children and their evolution from sweet toddlerhood to moody teens. It all made me a little sad though, that empty nest thing and the “what’s next?” aspect of life. Life is a series of next steps and this story is entirely that.

As you get towards the end of the story, there is a lot going on, so many feelings as Julia figures out how to interact with her very difficult mother, I mean, who can’t relate to that? But the awkwardness and sarcasm hits you before the sense of loneliness and loss does. This section felt a little long. Perhaps, because it was uncomfortable.

This is not a story you will love. It’s not that kind of story but it’s a story you will appreciate, no matter what stage of life you are currently in.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

The Mothers
By Brit Bennett
Riverhead, 9780399184529, 2017, 304pp.

The Short of It:

Rich and full bodied. Like a fine wine but better.

The Rest of It:

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother’s recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor’s son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it’s not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance–and the subsequent cover-up–will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. ~ From the publisher

I have had this book on my TBR list since reading The Vanishing Half. But it wasn’t until I listened to a podcast by From the Front Porch, that I really took note of The Mothers. This book has everything. Nadia is beautiful and flawed and caught in a world of hurt over her own mother’s suicide. Although she comes from a very religious family, and attends church on a regular basis, she doesn’t make the best choices when it comes to love and friendship.

Nadia navigates life in a precarious way. She is her father’s daughter, loyal to a point but when he chooses to remove the memory of her mother from her childhood home, she strikes out in ways that can only come from pain. Her deep need for belonging leads her to Luke but her relationship with Luke is complicated by life. Life, in the form of an unwanted pregnancy.

What does it mean to love and be loved? How does that look for you or me? Nadia’s definition of love swings from one extreme to another and yet she is wise beyond her young years, intelligent and driven. I won’t lie, there were times when I wanted to slap some sense into that girl but at the same time I wanted to just hold her.

The BEST part of this novel is the group of church ladies who function as a Greek chorus of sorts. Always chiming in, providing additional information and once or twice providing nothing but fodder to chew on. I did not grow up with a lot of women around me, I would have loved to have this group of women looking out for me. Nadia sees the value to knowing them, but also knows when to pull away.

This was an incredibly satisfying read. Anyone would be hard-pressed to not relate to Nadia in some way. Highly recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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