Motherland
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great book and a great gift for the New Yawker of the Park Slope pedigree...Ms Sohn knows her mum culture..
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.9 out of 5 stars
38 reviews
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as scandalous (or as plausible) as PPW, but still enjoyable
16 Aug 2012
By Avid Reader
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
If you liked the soap opera that is Amy Sohn's last book, Prospect Park West, you'll probably enjoy its sequel Motherland. I enjoyed the chance to catch up with some of the characters from her last book, and the book doesn't disappoint with salacious - if improbable - details of their lives.
Basically, the book centers around a group of friends/parents all of whom live (or in a few cases, lived) in Park Slope. The couples are struggling with the monotony of long term relationships (with kids) and the questioning/settling one deals with as they approach middle age. This leads a few of the partners to act out, either by cheating or abusing other vices. It even leads to the destruction of a few relationships. The stories are intertwined in a creative way, with all of the characters' lives intersecting - showing the incestuous/claustrophobic nature of Park Slope.
An interlude about some stroller thefts might play into an innate destructive desire many non-breeders have when faced with the monster strollers that are popular today, but it never really goes anywhere (even as it does tie back into the narrative).
Sohn's writing is witty and engaging, and occasionally she surprises with a deep insight or two. Ultimately the book skirts the surface, staying as superficial as her characters. I don't mean that as an insult - I enjoyed the light tone of the book.
If you didn't read/don't remember Prospect Park West, Motherland still stands on its own.
Basically, the book centers around a group of friends/parents all of whom live (or in a few cases, lived) in Park Slope. The couples are struggling with the monotony of long term relationships (with kids) and the questioning/settling one deals with as they approach middle age. This leads a few of the partners to act out, either by cheating or abusing other vices. It even leads to the destruction of a few relationships. The stories are intertwined in a creative way, with all of the characters' lives intersecting - showing the incestuous/claustrophobic nature of Park Slope.
An interlude about some stroller thefts might play into an innate destructive desire many non-breeders have when faced with the monster strollers that are popular today, but it never really goes anywhere (even as it does tie back into the narrative).
Sohn's writing is witty and engaging, and occasionally she surprises with a deep insight or two. Ultimately the book skirts the surface, staying as superficial as her characters. I don't mean that as an insult - I enjoyed the light tone of the book.
If you didn't read/don't remember Prospect Park West, Motherland still stands on its own.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
My mother didn't raise a quitter. [SPOILER]
8 Nov 2012
By Teacher S
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Amy Sohn's 'Motherland' sounds like the kind of novel I would get into - many characters, each sharing his or her perspective on similar themes and events. A fugue, of sorts. This book kept popping up on various "If you liked then you'll love " and "Other Customers Bought..." so I gave it a go.
I'm not certain which title in my browsing or purchasing history for which the algorithm is designed to calculate, but I can only guess that in this particular case, it miscalculated as much as wanting New York City and ending up in Hell.
The characters are navel-gazing, one-dimensional, and several other cliches attributed to dissatisfied, overly self-important individuals. I rolled my eyes at their musings, their genteel problems, and the general implausibility of the novel. [SPOILER] Really? One guy contributes his semen twice to his daughter, once for her conception and then again twenty years later when they meet as strangers? Really?
It is the stuff of great Friday night soft-core news shows or Jerry Springer; I have very little room for it on my bookshelf.
I'm not certain which title in my browsing or purchasing history for which the algorithm is designed to calculate, but I can only guess that in this particular case, it miscalculated as much as wanting New York City and ending up in Hell.
The characters are navel-gazing, one-dimensional, and several other cliches attributed to dissatisfied, overly self-important individuals. I rolled my eyes at their musings, their genteel problems, and the general implausibility of the novel. [SPOILER] Really? One guy contributes his semen twice to his daughter, once for her conception and then again twenty years later when they meet as strangers? Really?
It is the stuff of great Friday night soft-core news shows or Jerry Springer; I have very little room for it on my bookshelf.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Gross, superfluous deviant sex for unlikable characters-Wasted my time!
15 Oct 2012
By Dana R. Casella
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I strongly disliked this novel and forced myself to finish it, hoping Ms. Sohn would redeem herself and turn the novel into something other than a deviant sexual odyssey acted out by a group of Park Slope (Brooklyn) yuppies. Everyone was cheating on everyone else, lying, deceiving, lusting after someone (and acting on those feelings) despite a perfectly good spouse or partner at home. Some characters were based on shallow Hollywood types, and were, thus, involved in a great deal of partying (i.e. drugs and meaningless encounters).
Each short chapter was about a different character, which is a good gimmick (short chapters which left me wanting to know how the character would resolve his/her issue later on). That is about it for positive remarks. I was left feeling I wasted my time, and my money (have to pay a fine to the library because this book was so difficult to force myself to read, that I went over the time limit!)
I didn't respect a single character in the book. The highlight of the novel was when I closed it and knew I never had to read another book by Amy Sohn.
Each short chapter was about a different character, which is a good gimmick (short chapters which left me wanting to know how the character would resolve his/her issue later on). That is about it for positive remarks. I was left feeling I wasted my time, and my money (have to pay a fine to the library because this book was so difficult to force myself to read, that I went over the time limit!)
I didn't respect a single character in the book. The highlight of the novel was when I closed it and knew I never had to read another book by Amy Sohn.
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2.9 out of 5 stars
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