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    Motherland
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    Motherland
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    Motherland
    Audiobook9 hours

    Motherland

    Written by Jo McMillan

    Narrated by Charlie Sanderson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    It is 1978, Jess and her mother Eleanor struggle to sell socialism to Tamworth - a sleepy Midlands town that just doesn't want to know. So when Eleanor is invited to spend a summer teaching in East Germany, she and Jess jump at the chance. But friends can become enemies, and Jess soon discovers how easy it is to switch sides, and how sides can be switched for you, sometimes without you even knowing.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateJul 2, 2015
    ISBN9781510006355
    Unavailable
    Motherland

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    Reviews for Motherland

    3.5/5

    22 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I pulled this book off the library shelf after my mother recommended a book by the name "Motherland" not knowing the author of suggested book, I grabbed all the available titles at my local library. I am glad I read this random (not the book my mother meant) copy. The story starts out slowly, we get to know the background characters and feel unfamiliar with who they are, suddenly going into a whole 'nother story; this- a true love story mixed with all the disappointment felt disappointing at times.

      Nell, makes the book more lighthearted than Kitty and that is huge. Kitty, the beautiful one, the happy one, becomes drained and not so happy. Life is like this, we fall in love with the wrong man and yet, give our hearts fully to them.

      The characters became more fleshed out over time but it took a very long time, all the while you are frustrated with Larry's choice for a wife. How in the world can she be that hollow, that resigned to do as she thinks he wants? She never could be his because she never was alive enough!!!

      Over all this book was good, I loved the way it ended.
    • 3/5
      Mixed feelings about this one. Enjoyment, annoyance, historical interest, boredom - the characters are dreadful middle class stereotypes, and male authors can never seem to write women for women, but the factual bones of the story (Dieppe, India, Fyffes) are well written. The heavy-handed 'themes' of religion and morality really bog the whole book down, though - yeah, yeah, Catholic men expect their wives to be angels but want sex without commitment from 'independent' women, whatever. I don't think there was one female - or male, come to think - character that I really cared about. Larry the banana heir is described as having a pug nose at one point, so that strikes him out, and Kitty and Ed are equally pathetic. She is the type of beautiful, nurturing 'angel' that only men would fantasise about (a more succinct title would have been Everybody Loves Kitty), he the dashing yet depressed war hero she ends up stuck with after a wartime roll in the hay. The whole thing reminded me of Brideshead but without the style.
    • 4/5
      Motherland is a novel about love, loyalty and the challenges we face both internally and externally. The setting of the novel is primarily in England both during and immediately after WWII. Nicholson has researched his setting well, seamlessly weaving his fictional characters with real life people and situations.

      Larry and Ed are best friends who have joined the fight in two very different capacities. Within hours of each other, they both meet and fall in love with the same woman. Instinctually, Kitty is drawn to one man over the other and must make a life changing choice as the men are deployed for battle.

      As we intimately follow these three characters in the immediately following the end of the war, we see how much of our lives are affected not only by our own inner demons but also of the unknown inner demons of those closest to us. Nicholson’s story also reminds us that not all battle wounds are visible and that even heroes don’t leave the battlefield unscathed.

      At the start, I did not necessarily like Nicholson’s writing, there seemed to be more initial dialogue then I usually prefer. It didn’t take long though, for me to fall in love with the book. I loved the blend of historical fiction with a touch of romance and mystery. I’ve read up a bit on William Nicholson, and it seems that he writes in a way to connect each of his novels with each other. They are not necessarily sequels but characters or locations often make “cameo” appearances in his different novels. With that being said, my one disappointment in Motherland was that the section set in India during the partition act was so short. I found myself completely drawn in during these few chapters and craved more. I am hoping that Nicholson’s style of pulling characters and settings from past books in order to write additional novels means that he will revisit this exciting part of British and Indian history.

      I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical and/or literary fiction. There are one or two “adult” scenes in the book but they are short and could be skipped without truly affecting the story by someone uncomfortable with this aspect of writing.

      I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to review Motherland. I truly did enjoy this novel.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. The story begins in 1942, England. Kitty and her friend Louisa are army drivers. Kitty meets Ed and Larry, two soldiers stationed in the area. Kitty instantly falls in love with Ed. Both men go off to fight. Ed wins high honors for his bravery in battle, but does not make a very good husband.After reading the description of the book, I thought a story that takes place in WWII along with a love story would be a good read. However, only part of the story takes place during the war. This story is a sweeping love affair that spans years and decades. I wanted to pick this book up and read at every chance I got. We got to see the changes in the characters from the beginning of their role in war to years later. Larry has continued to love Kitty from afar and also struggles to chose painting or following in his father's role as head of the company. Ed is scarred by battle and unable to be happy, Louisa is still a part of the story and a close friend of Kitty. Kitty is also struggling with her love of Ed and is unable to understand why she is not enough.This was an epic love affair. I started reading very slowly towards the end of the book because I did not want it to end!
    • 3/5
      I won this book from Goodreads First Reads giveaway contests.First let me say that I wish we had the ability to give 1/2 stars in our ratings. I will give this book a 3 star rating and not because it is 'okay' but it isn't quite a 4 star book for me.The story centers around 3 protagonist, Kitty, Ed and Larry, who become friends in WWII. Kitty falls instantly in love with Ed and marries him. Larry falls in love with Kitty. The novel takes us through their lives as told by Ed and Kitty's daughter, Pamela, to her granddaughter.So, why 3 stars? Well the story line itself was rather dull, centering mostly around Larry. It is Larry who appears to suffer a wide array of emotional issues and battles in his life. You read about his involvement in the battle in Dieppe and in the independence of India along with his failed attempts at relationships with other women. Kitty as a character is flat. I never got a sense of why Larry loved her. All I could get out of the story was that she was very pretty. She is not at all remarkable except for her determined resolve to be a good wife for Ed.Ed is a mess. From the beginning of the novel you sensed the darkness in him. Again, why did Kitty fall in love with him? He was very handsome and suave.A recurring theme throughout the novel that all characters experience is the battle of good vs bad. God and morality play an important role in the telling of this story. There is a constant inward search amongst all of them for what is good or bad in their lives, their world and more importantly in themselves.Other characters used to round out the novel vacillated between well rounded and flat. Larry's first girlfriend, Nell, was a bit over the top and I found her character quite annoying. Geraldine, Larry's wife, was almost a carbon copy of Kitty (maybe that's why he married her).Now, my reasons why I would have given the novel 4 stars: delivery. Mr. Nicholson use of language for both his male and female characters was exemplary. I was impressed in his ability to write using a female or male tone. The switch was flawless. There were also excellent and vivid descriptions of historical content relating to the action at Dieppes and the handover of independence to India.A decent novel. Maybe a bit too long with some surprises in it. 3 1/2 stars.
    • 3/5
      Begun reading this novel yesterday. Although I am enjoying it I do wonder if it is written as a pitch for a film script?