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27th out of 43 books
—
213 voters
Motherland
by
Amy Sohn (Goodreads Author)
With her trademark blend of “social satire, interpersonal drama, and urban glamour” (The New York Times), Amy Sohn delivers a candid, unsentimental look at modern marriage. In her acclaimed novels, Amy Sohn has beguiled us with her pinpoint observations of how we live and love, giving voice to our innermost thoughts and everyday anxieties. Now, in Motherland, her most dive...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
August 14th 2012
by Simon & Schuster
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I started reading Motherland but when I saw that Prospect Park West was the "prequel" to Motherland, I dropped Motherland to read PPW.
Sohn's books are amusing and strikes a chord with 40ish mothers, like me. I can't say I appreciate all the name or place dropping that she does, but it, at least makes for an interesting and funny read.
UPDATE: This book finished with a sequel in mind which i guess is okay. The characters were a little more likable in this book compared to PPW. If you had to choose...more
Sohn's books are amusing and strikes a chord with 40ish mothers, like me. I can't say I appreciate all the name or place dropping that she does, but it, at least makes for an interesting and funny read.
UPDATE: This book finished with a sequel in mind which i guess is okay. The characters were a little more likable in this book compared to PPW. If you had to choose...more
I just won this from goodreads first reads (thank you very much!).
Did not think a book about New Yorkers, and particularly the stroller set, would capture my attention, but I ended up enjoying it pretty much. A bit much on the Semitic this, Semitic that, and the name dropping, which I usually don't mind but again, a bit much. A quick easy read.
Did not think a book about New Yorkers, and particularly the stroller set, would capture my attention, but I ended up enjoying it pretty much. A bit much on the Semitic this, Semitic that, and the name dropping, which I usually don't mind but again, a bit much. A quick easy read.
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...more
I think Motherland is supposed to be a social satire, but a satire without compassion is just mean and their is very little compassion in this story. Park Slope in Brooklyn is a newly refashioned neighborhooed of young families. It is these mothers, fathers, and children that Sohn targets. Unfortunately, not one person is likeable, not even the children, and they remain that way for most of the book. Even at the end, when Sohn places each of her characters in some form of resolution, it is as i...more
This novel is told in the alternating voices of 5 people in their 30s living in Park Slope. Their paths cross in interesting ways and seem to intersect more than you would think, but it's a book, so that wasn't a worry. What was a worry was all the weird sex, cheating, drugs, drinking and illegitimate parenting that made most of the characters unlikeable overall. While some of the stories were compelling at times and at other times boring, the novel was not completely un-readable, but it was jus...more
The book is well-written, and when I read that the author is also a screenwriter, I could see that in the book. It's feels like you are watching it while reading. And also, the book is so very New York. I had to dig deeper and the author actually lives in the area in the book. It feels real, like you are sitting there watching the Park Slope mums take over the neighborhood.
Anyway, on to the review. At first, all the Povs seemed daunting, but Sohn saved me by giving the chapters the title of the...more
Anyway, on to the review. At first, all the Povs seemed daunting, but Sohn saved me by giving the chapters the title of the...more
What to say about this book...it was a quick read, but it won't be for everyone. To me the book is like a mix of The Springer Show, Real Housewives of NY with a touch of any reality TV show thrown in. The characters are a little over the top and the author moves a little into the "EWWWW - really" territory.
Now having said all that if you like sneaking a peek into others lives and enjoy a dose of reality TV every now and then you may enjoy this book. I did get into it to the point of I wanted to...more
Now having said all that if you like sneaking a peek into others lives and enjoy a dose of reality TV every now and then you may enjoy this book. I did get into it to the point of I wanted to...more
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1.5 stars. This book is dreadful. I gave it an extra +0.5 because I managed to finish it and the writing was alright and not too cliché-ridden or cheesy, minus the part where a character “tucks away” information like a transvestite “tucks away his penis.” There was context there but still… are you kidding me?
This is told through multiple viewpoints of folks living in and around Park Slope, Brooklyn. In my estimation this is a satire, which is all well and good, who doesn’t love a satire? The pro...more
This is told through multiple viewpoints of folks living in and around Park Slope, Brooklyn. In my estimation this is a satire, which is all well and good, who doesn’t love a satire? The pro...more
Just as raunchy and soap-opera-esque as Prospect Park West, and highly enjoyable. I think Sohn's skill as an author is being able to tap into the zeitgeist of today's people in their 30s and 40s and she really gets into a diverse group of people: gay, Latino, male, female, Jewish, wasp, and presents from each of their points of view. Lots of pop culture, lots of cute references and just like before, some surprising twists and turns. I had a lot of fun with this book and it wasn't total fluff. I...more
Motherland by Amy Sohn had me turning pages to find out the next crises in the soap-operatic lives of the five main characters and their spouses/partners/lovers. Each chapter is named after one of these parents: a shop owner, screenwriter, actress, single mom, and gay father with two adopted sons. A gentrified neighborhood in Brooklyn called South Slope is the setting for their stories told in alternate chapters. Several story lines conclude too neatly with chance encounters that strain credibil...more
Not necessarily a sequel to her earlier book, Prospect Park West, but we do catch up on the lives of several characters that made an appearance in the novel about moms in the hipster Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope. They grapple with the standard urban mom issues: finding a life after divorce, keeping a marriage fresh & exciting, dealing with the betrayal of infidelity (your partner's and your own), and revitalizing an acting career (that's pretty standard right?).
Men have a greater rol...more
Men have a greater rol...more
Motherland is a follow up of sorts to Sohn's Prospect Park West, with a few of the characters reappearing in this satirical exploration of parenthood and relationships in upper class Brooklyn.
Half a dozen or more narratives intertwine to reveal a cluster of shallow, privileged men and women who parent only when it doesn't interfere with their latest affair, high or career goals. Actually that is probably a bit unfair, but it's hard to find sympathy for Sohn's characters who all want more, despit...more
Half a dozen or more narratives intertwine to reveal a cluster of shallow, privileged men and women who parent only when it doesn't interfere with their latest affair, high or career goals. Actually that is probably a bit unfair, but it's hard to find sympathy for Sohn's characters who all want more, despit...more
I'm not sure what amuses me more: this book or the reviews here! There are a lot of people who really love to hate Sohn's books, but I find them to be great pieces of escapist-lit.
Throughout reading Motherland, I found myself wanting to compare it to House of God, the 1978 cult classic about surviving intern year at Beth Isreal. It felt like a weird comparison given the vastly different settings (competitive university hospital vs. domestic Brooklyn), but there was just something about the sens...more
Throughout reading Motherland, I found myself wanting to compare it to House of God, the 1978 cult classic about surviving intern year at Beth Isreal. It felt like a weird comparison given the vastly different settings (competitive university hospital vs. domestic Brooklyn), but there was just something about the sens...more
Tough call between 2 and 3 stars. I gave it three because I had a hard time putting this book down. I wanted to give it two because I did not like the characters, the incessant adultery, the foul language, and the lack of redeemable people.
Basically if one is to believe Amy Sohn (a Park Slope resident herself), one is to infer that the neighbors residing in that neck of Brooklyn are addicts, cheaters, baby obsessed moms, superficial gluttons and people with spilling wallets.
But as aforementione...more
Basically if one is to believe Amy Sohn (a Park Slope resident herself), one is to infer that the neighbors residing in that neck of Brooklyn are addicts, cheaters, baby obsessed moms, superficial gluttons and people with spilling wallets.
But as aforementione...more
Motherhood is a satirical novel regarding relationshps and people in and around Brooklyn New York. Not really my kind of book. That being said, the writing is done well in that I could picture the scenes in my mind as I was reading the text. It earns a 3 star from me.
My rating system is as follows:
5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on...more
My rating system is as follows:
5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on...more
Generally speaking, I'm really proud and excited whenever I win a book on Goodreads, but Amy Sohn's Motherland didn't deliver on its promise of "social satire, interpersonal drama, and urban glamour" (The New York Times), or even the dust-jacket description, where Sohn supposedly "delivers a candid, unsentimental look at modern marriage." Perhaps I should have read Sohn's earlier books (one of which, Prospect Park West, is supposedly a kind of prequel to Motherland); if I had, I would not have...more
I really liked this sequel, which brought back most of the couples from the previous book as well as introduced some new characters. In the beginning everyone was broken and that disturbed me but by the end everyone's resolutions were perfect I thought, even if they all weren't Happily Ever After. There was one thing that really, really disturbed me. I saw it coming and it was like a car crash, you know it's horrible and you don't want to look but can't stop. Also the repeat use of the word "Sem...more
I'm not sure how I heard about this fictional book about parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn, but it was a disappointing read. It certainly captured my attention in many parts, but the characters were similar to me (similar age, parents, kids of similar ages, somewhat similar demographic), but man, our lives were different. They all seemed to have very dysfunctional marriages riddled with affairs, drugs, and dissatisfaction. I found the characters fairly unlikable but was curious about how the cast...more
The novelty of reading about the neighbourhood I live and work in could not sustain a book populated by unlikeable characters. For a so-called satire, Motherland is certainly acutely observed but lacking in laughs. The place-dropping works but I found the name-dropping of brands and celebrities woven into plots distracting. It read like a Gossip Girl novel for helicopter parents. The characters are all selfish, devious, unidentifiable and irredeemable... Even the kinky sex is joyless. Maybe a pa...more
Amy Sohn writes about a neighborhood I live close to and function in from time to time. This book was a follow up to "Prospect Park West" which, while snarky, was a page turner. "Motherland" I would have given 2 stars to for how unsatisfying the many plots were and how terrible ALL characters were. But at the same time, another star had to be added for page-turning ability and good cultural observations. Writing style: bitchy, snarky, addictive. Some of the book I just skipped over because I did...more
Okay, I literally forced myself to finish this novel. Time and time again, I had to accuse myself of reverse-snobbism and try and try to view this characters with some empathy. Unbidden, I kept thinking of something my husband says often,"Pretty (sort of) people with pretty problems."
However, these "problems" were not really pretty. Just rather trite and predictable. Have I lived so long I can figure things out? Do I think I know everything? Is it simple jealousy? No, truly not.
This book, to...more
However, these "problems" were not really pretty. Just rather trite and predictable. Have I lived so long I can figure things out? Do I think I know everything? Is it simple jealousy? No, truly not.
This book, to...more
I won this book from a firstreads giveaway, and was immediately not a fan of the writing style (there are many "s/he was feeling ___ because of his ___ in having ___ pay attention to her/him" type statements in this fawning, name-dropping book), but I stuck with it because I don't like to review books I haven't finished, and I wanted to write a review because this was a giveaway.
Basically, this is a story of a bunch of unsatisfied couples with kids. There is also a random crazy misanthrope woman...more
Basically, this is a story of a bunch of unsatisfied couples with kids. There is also a random crazy misanthrope woman...more
I would like to start this review by saying thank you to Goodreads for allowing giveaways, as I won this book from one of them. Also, they may wish they had picked someone else. Also, I am going to be really picky when choosing which giveaways to participate in from now on.
Anyway, I put this book down and am loathe to bring myself to pick it up again. So, I am giving up on it, which I don't like to do, but life is short and there are a ton of other books I'd rather be reading right now.
There we...more
Anyway, I put this book down and am loathe to bring myself to pick it up again. So, I am giving up on it, which I don't like to do, but life is short and there are a ton of other books I'd rather be reading right now.
There we...more
So first of all, I would like to give a HUGE "thank you" shout out to Goodreads: I won this book after spending a couple hours of a slow day at work entering to win books. So THANKS GOODREADS! It made my day to get the package and turned out to be a pretty interesting book!
That being said, being a mother of twins, I thought I would have more to relate to. The mothers (and fathers for that matter) are pretty much across the board self-centered, "keeping up with the Joneses" types. I'm also only 2...more
That being said, being a mother of twins, I thought I would have more to relate to. The mothers (and fathers for that matter) are pretty much across the board self-centered, "keeping up with the Joneses" types. I'm also only 2...more
This sequel to Prospect Park West started off interesting but grew tiring. All of the characters who headlined the chapters became involved in deceit and drama, but having so many interrupted perspectives slowed down the pace of the ones I was most interested in. There was a strange undertone that suggested that everyone feared anti-Semitism or hated Jews (I’ve never read the word Semitic so many times) but the secret to success was to act or look more Jewish. As a Brooklyn resident who is not a...more
I found this book charmingly written but confusing and fantastical.
Motherland is set among characters with more or less interwoven lives, all centered around parenthood and Park Slope, Brooklyn. We follow them through increasingly unbelievable events in their lives, most of which include big name celebrities, both real and imagined. They also struggle with more mundane things, like love and marriage and children and substance abuse.
Perhaps if I had gone into it thinking of the book as a fantas...more
Motherland is set among characters with more or less interwoven lives, all centered around parenthood and Park Slope, Brooklyn. We follow them through increasingly unbelievable events in their lives, most of which include big name celebrities, both real and imagined. They also struggle with more mundane things, like love and marriage and children and substance abuse.
Perhaps if I had gone into it thinking of the book as a fantas...more
This was a fast read, but not an especially good read. Apparently we moms in our 40s are a pathetic bunch and no one is able to keep her/his pants on. Marriages are easily disposed of. Even though each chapter was labeled with a name, I still had difficulty remember who was who. It was very name-droppy, which was fun, but distracting. Something to pass the time, say, on a plane, but not worth sinking into.
Motherland is a sequel (or at least another novel featuring many of the same characters) to Park Slope West, but it doesn't do justice to the first book.
The characters are all flawed--not tragically, just flawed. Either self-involved, or stereotyped or completely predictable. About half way through I had hopes that the story and the people in it might redeem themselves, but that didn't happen.
The characters are all flawed--not tragically, just flawed. Either self-involved, or stereotyped or completely predictable. About half way through I had hopes that the story and the people in it might redeem themselves, but that didn't happen.
I had a feeling it was going to be too soap opera for me. The reviews I read said that it was funny as well, so I thought I'd give it a try. I didn't find it funny at all. I thought living in Park Slope (where it is very definitely set) would make the wit more biting. I found little wit in this book. I recognized the places, but not the people.
And man, is the author obsessed with oral sex
And man, is the author obsessed with oral sex
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Amy Sohn is the author of the new novel Prospect Park West, as well as My Old Man and Run Catch Kiss. She has written for New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Nation, and Harper's Bazaar. She has written pilots for ABC, Fox, HBO, and Lifetime. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her family.
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Sep 21, 2012 01:01am