The Mothers' Group in Aussie Readers

Jan 09, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aussie-author, arc-are

Most women attend a Mothers' Group after the birth of their first child, eager to share the trials of childbirth and sleepless nights. It can be odd though to find yourself in a room with strangers whom with you have nothing much in common except an infant the same age. The mother's group I attended after the birth of my first child started with ten members but quickly dropped down to seven. Our group included a stay at home dad, two single mum's and our ages varied between 19 and 33. We lost on Most women attend a Mothers' Group after the birth of their first child, eager to share the trials of childbirth and sleepless nights. It can be odd though to find yourself in a room with strangers whom with you have nothing much in common except an infant the same age. The mother's group I attended after the birth of my first child started with ten members but quickly dropped down to seven. Our group included a stay at home dad, two single mum's and our ages varied between 19 and 33. We lost one member when her baby tragically passed away from SIDS at just 7 weeks old, and another when a mother suffered postnatal psychosis (much more severe than PND). Our core group of five continued meeting for almost three years until circumstances began to change for each of us.

Set in the Northern Beaches suburbs of Sydney, The Mothers' Group by Fiona Higgins, introduces a disparate group of women who, despite their differences in background, lifestyle and circumstances, bond during their regular Mothers' Group meetings.
The novel unfolds in alternating chapters, using the third person point of view, allowing each woman to share their lives. Higgins skillfully develops believable characters to whom the reader can relate. These are mothers you most likely know - the mother who insists on organic food and natural fibers, the mother torn between her career and child rearing - but here Higgins allows us to peer into the privacy of their homes and witness their relationships and hidden desires. Higgins also provides context for her six main characters by allowing us glimpses of their families, the partners and fathers of the children. The emphasis of the novel however is on the burgeoning relationships between the women as their friendships develop from tentative interaction to a solidly supportive network.
While the mothers struggle with the challenges of first time motherhood and the changes it brings, they are unwittingly hurtling towards a shocking tragedy that threatens to shatter their friendships and change them forever. Even though I expected something terrible to happen, when it came I felt I was unprepared. Higgins deals with the aftermath sensitively and realistically with an ending that is hopeful, if not happy.

The Mothers' Group is an impressive fiction debut from Australian author Fiona Higgins. An insightful portrayal of first time parenthood, relationships and friendships this novel makes for compelling reading. ...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Bree T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian, aww2012

As suggested by the title, The Mothers’ Group revolves around a group of women put together by their local maternal health centre to provide support for each other after the births of their babies. All the women are first time mothers and live in relatively close proximity to each other on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The women are all quite different – Ginie is 39, a career woman who earns the big bucks as a venture capital lawyer. She meets, becomes pregnant to and marries the younger Daniel in a As suggested by the title, The Mothers’ Group revolves around a group of women put together by their local maternal health centre to provide support for each other after the births of their babies. All the women are first time mothers and live in relatively close proximity to each other on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

The women are all quite different – Ginie is 39, a career woman who earns the big bucks as a venture capital lawyer. She meets, becomes pregnant to and marries the younger Daniel in a whirlwind six months. Ginie finds herself restless at home, keen to return to work both because she wants to and because the money she earns funds their lifestyle.

Made (pronounced like Ma-day) is 22 and from Bali. Married to a much older man who married her and brought her to Australia away from virtual poverty, her English is still halting and she finds it hard to keep up with other women when the conversation becomes rapid. Made still practices her traditions and is quietly philosophical and mature well beyond her years.

Suzie is in her late twenties and alone. Her boyfriend left her when she was 7 months pregnant with their daughter and now Suzie is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet. She has almost no support other than her former boyfriends mother, with whom she has a tenuous relationship. A free spirit, a believer in naturopathy, Suzie runs a home business in massage therapy to make ends meet. When she meets a handsome, charismatic man at her local coffee shop, she thinks her fortunes might be about to change.

Miranda is the only one of the women who is looking after more than one child. Her new husband Willem, father of baby Rory also has a son named Digby from a previous relationship where he lost his wife. Miranda struggles to bond with Digby after Willem dismisses the nanny, struggling to cope with a rambunctious and precocious toddler and a newborn often on her own for long periods of time when Willem travels for work. Miranda is hiding a secret on just how she is coping, from everyone.

Pippa married her childhood sweetheart and had a traumatic birth with baby Heidi, still suffering some months later. She’s struggling with Heidi waking up multiple times a night, which he husband, although supportive, never seems to really hear. She’s surprised when her mothers’ group rallies around her to help her the most during her hour of need.

Cara is the one that makes everyone feel welcome, who smooths over the awkward moments and diffuses any moments of tension that might arise with this group of very different women. Her baby Astrid is the go-getter of the group, crawling and walking early.

These women, thrown together by circumstance, form a very interesting and tenuous friendship, something that is shattered one afternoon. What should be a celebration turns to devastation and the revelations will threaten to blow the entire group apart for good.

Oh my god, this book. I had heard amazing things about it and I bought it without really knowing too much about it, just that it had received some good reviews from people I know. My husband went to the football yesterday and then straight to work from that so he was gone over 12 hours. After I got the children into bed, my reward was this book. And was it worth it!

Fiona Higgins brilliantly captures first time motherhood emotions and conflicts and what it can feel like to have a tiny, squalling newborn thrust upon you. There’s so many conflicting feelings, some that society makes you feel that you cannot even express and this book deals with them all, but not in a way in which makes you feel bogged down, like that’s all there is. The book is divided up into sections about each of the women, their background and how they came to be experiencing motherhood at this particular time in their life. They are an eclectic bunch, from brusque Ginie to hippy Suzie, which is the way most mothers’ groups work. You’re thrown together by proximity and timing, not intellect, social status or hobbies. Despite their differing personalities, slowly the women come to move from meeting out of duty to meeting out of necessity and want.

The book is engrossing as it sets up the group, introducing us to the women and their babies, exploring their backgrounds and establishing the connection that inevitably builds. It steps up another notch as the reader makes a discovery and then it goes up even more when an afternoon that should be a wonderful celebration for them all culminates in utter tragedy. It is devastating to read and I became glad my husband was at work because he makes fun of me when I cry reading books! This story was utterly compelling and then utterly horrific. It was car crash reading – painful but I was utterly unable to put the book down, I had to keep going.

The Mothers’ Group is an amazing story of tentative friendships forged by circumstance, the impact of motherhood on women and the impact of motherhood on relationships. Having a baby is the best thing I’ve ever done (I have 2 now) but it’s also been the hardest in some ways as well. My relationship with my husband is not the same as it was prior to children – in some ways it’s inexplicably better, in other ways it is not. It is the sacrifice we have made to be parents together and I do think this issue is brilliantly explored. Things do not just “go back to normal” after the baby arrives. I went to a mothers’ group after the birth of my first child Hunter, but it wasn’t a success. There were too many of us and the town was unsuitable to hold post-maternal health organised gatherings. I do wish I’d had that sort of support network as my family are all interstate and at times I missed adult conversation!

I’ll be recommending this one to everyone – it is that fabulous. ...more

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May 09, 2014 Tanya rated it liked it

Every woman, and thus every mother, is different. Co sleeping, controlled crying, formula, breastmilk, there is no right or wrong and we all navigate those sleep deprived days to the best of our ability. I went into reading this book with my own parenting (and Mothers' Group) knowledge.

Following these ladies during the first year of their children's lives was enjoyable. Some characters I loved and wanted to know more about, some I had little interest in, but then isn't that exactly like a real m ...more

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