The Mistress's Daughter
Author(s):
A. M. Homes
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Publisher(s):
Penguin (Non-Classics)
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Binding: Paperback
List Price: $14.00
Our Price: $11.90
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Editorial Reviews
Product Description
The acclaimed writer A. M. Homes was given up for adoption before she was born. Her biological mother was a twenty-two-year-old single woman who was having an affair with a much older married man with a family of his own. The Mistress?s Daughter is the ruthlessly honest account of what happened when, thirty years later, her birth parents came looking for her. Homes relates how they initially made contact and what happened afterwards, and digs through the family history of both sets of her parents in a twenty-first-century electronic search for self. Daring, heartbreaking, and startlingly funny, Homes?s memoir is a brave and profoundly moving consideration of identity and family.
Customer Reviews
Kinda like watching someone else's family videos
Perhaps if I was adopted or into tracing my family's ancestry, I would have enjoyed this book more. For me, reading this book was like watching someone else's family videos. I could understand how the process was deeply affecting for her, but the story didn't connect with me emotionally.
Just Awful
I enjoy reading memoirs so I though I would give this book a shot.
The audio version was PAINFUL (as in oh, my can I possibly listen to yet another disc) --the voice so dry and monotone with long pauses between words in some instances. The reader almost sounded like she was in a deep deep state of depression and could not go on a minute more. It took me 2 months to finish. I kept thinking it would get better but it never did. Fortunately, I did not pay good money for this so all I was out was for my wasted time.
In brief before A.M. Homes was born, she was put up for adoption. Her birth mother was a twenty-two- year-old single woman who was having an affair with a much older married man with children of his own. The Mistress's Daughter is the story of what happened when, thirty years later, her birth parents came looking for her. It's a sad look at adoption in my opinion.
I can't even finish this...
I picked up this book and started reading it and I honestly have tried to finish but I just can't. I bought it hoping to understand more of what an adoptee might feel. I know, this is what A.M. Homes feels, however, it is so depressing, whiney, and pitiful that I just don't want to go on as it probably will get no better and will most likely become worse. I should know better than to buy a book before reading a review here, which is what I did this time. I won't make that mistake again!
boring, mediocre writing
The writer doesn't do a good job of describing her life and who she is, so it's hard to care about what happens to her. Maybe it would work if you were already a fan of her writing, but I was unfamiliar with the writer when I picked up this book. The book is oddly paced; for some reason she builds up a lot of anticipation about the second time she meets her birth mother but doesn't build up the drama in other places where one would expect it. What is she thinking and feeling as these things are unfolding? You get the feeling she doesn't remember anymore because she's writing through the filter of many years passed - not surprising because that's exactly what she's doing. Her dialogue rarely rang true for me; she would have been better off describing what people said instead of making up dialogue that sounded phony. Finally, the genealogy chapters were boring.
Searching For an Identity
A. M. Homes always knew she was adopted. She spent her life trying to discover where she `fit in'. When Homes was 31, her biological mother contacted her. This is the story of Homes' struggle with her identity, as well as her attempts to connect with her birth parents.
While reading this book, I was struck by just how honest Homes is about her thoughts and feelings. The basic story of her adoption is what captures your attention, but it is her powerful story telling that keeps the tale interesting. From her account of meeting her father for the first time, to conversations with her mother, and finally her search for a genealogical identity - Homes pulls you along with her on this important journey.
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