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Mother Memoirs & Mysteries Within Mysteries
Nabokov's Lolita, Zoë Rankin, Arundhati Roy, October previews, and more ...
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BookBrowse Highlights
Hello Readers!
This week, we bring you our discussion of Vladimir Nabokov’s classic Lolita and its story of obsession, art, abuse, deception, and more.
You can also see what our First Impressions reviewers are saying about Zoë Rankin’s The Vanishing Place, a captivating thriller set in the New Zealand bush that one reader describes as having “mysteries within mysteries.”
Read about Arundhati Roy’s new memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me, which uncovers her difficult relationship with her mother, in our Editor’s Choice review. Explore other memoirs about mothers in a curated reading list we created for coverage of Erika J. Simpson’s This Is Your Mother earlier this year.
And don’t miss our handpicked previews of upcoming October books!
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
Book Club Discussions
Discussions are open to all! If you’d like to participate, you can do so by creating an account here. Please note that discussions can contain spoilers.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
From the Jacket The most famous and controversial novel from one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century tells the story of Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze. From the Discussion “We know that Humbert is lying and he isn’t a reliable narrator. He manipulates the reader to sympathize with him and romanticizes his obsession with Lolita. (This is the author’s skilled crafting technique that is done to perfection.)” —Jill |  |
“Humbert only imagines himself and his actions. Lolita is his perfect ‘nymphet,’ but only during her brief young age. There isn’t a single hint that he considers anyone but himself, and completely. Adults are the subject of his internal and brutal derision. His world only contains himself and his desires or pain.” —Donna_M
“Humbert yearns for immortality, or perhaps to live in an eternal present when he can possess Lolita.” —Robin_G
First Impressions
Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin
“Wow, what a book. The story begins with Effie watching as her mother dies from childbirth. As her father becomes more and more distant Effie is left trying to raise her baby brother along with her other siblings. Fast forward to Effie living a life as an adult far away from New Zealand and her difficult childhood. But another child wanders out of the bush in New Zealand and Effie is called back to try and discover how this child might tie into her past and to finally discover what became of her father and siblings. The ending is powerful and unexpected. I truly went through the gamut of emotions with this book.” —Rebecca G. (Havertown, PA) |  |
“Very captivating, unique story and setting! I highly recommend for book clubs. I think it would make a great movie!” —Carol R. (North Mankato, MN)
“The characters are richly developed and there are mysteries (note plural) within mysteries…A great read. I didn't want to put it down.” —Margaret S. (Lincoln, NE)
For Members
This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy, Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood, and Dominion by Addie E. Citchens. We also bring you an article on the dramatic rise of deluxe editions, the latest book news, recommendations for book clubs, and more. Not Yet a Member? Do you love to spend your reading hours immersed in captivating storytelling and intriguing ideas? |  |
Then a BookBrowse membership is for you! What you see on BookBrowse for free and in this newsletter is just a small part of what is available to members—for just $5.00/month! Join Today!
Editor’s Choice
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
In the memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me, Arundhati Roy doesn't sugarcoat the central experience of maternal toxicity. She acknowledges poetically and also plainly that her mother, Mary Roy, was a prominent presence in her life both as a role model and as a bully. The celebrated author of The God of Small Things and Booker Prize winner refers starkly to the woman who gave her life and then emotionally abused her. She is Mrs. Roy. Arundhati Roy writes, "When it came to me, Mrs. Roy taught me how to think, then raged against my thoughts. She taught me to be free and raged against my freedom. She taught me to write and resented the author I became." … continued Review by Valerie Morales |  |
Curated Reading Lists
BookBrowse offers hundreds of curated reading lists as a category of our “beyond the book” articles, which expand on an aspect of a featured book. Members have access to all articles, while non-members can read a limited number.
Below is a reading list of memoirs about mothers accompanying our coverage of Erika J. Simpson’s This Is Your Mother, which we’re now rerunning in conjunction with our review of Arundhati Roy’s Mother Mary Comes to Me (above).
Memoirs About Mothers
Erika J. Simpson's This Is Your Mother is an unconventional memoir about the author's mother Sallie Carol. Here we highlight some other recommended memoirs in which an author reflects on their relationship with their mother, often (but not always) after her death. … continued Reading list by Rebecca Foster |  |
October Previews
We know it can be tough to keep up with all the new books coming out every month, so we do the hard work for you. We've carefully selected 60+ of the most noteworthy books publishing in October and are continually updating our selections—check them out and get yourself on the library waitlist ahead of the crowd! BookBrowse members can see, sort, and download the full list of previews for all months. |  |
Non-subscribers can view books up to the current month and a limited selection of future months.
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