Fabulous Fiction Firsts #665

Fri, 04/13/2018 - 6:50pm by muffy

One of the most anticipated book of spring 2018, Laura & Emma by Kate Greathead is “a sly, charming debut...a beguiling addictive read.” (People)

The way single, thirtysomething Laura got pregnant in 1981 sets the tone for this original take on the mother-daughter novel. Emma is the product of a one-night stand with a burglar while house-sitting for her parents. Consider herself to be progressive, liberal, (& proud to be unfashionable), Laura nevertheless raised Emma the only way she knew - penthouse apartment, private school, summer at the shores, all with the help of a healthy trust fund and Upper East Side connections. When Emma developed into an independent young woman, it seems more in spite of her mother rather than because of her. “This is a thoughtful novel of trying to find oneself despite an assigned place in the world.” (Publishers Weekly)

Not far away in Waterbury CT, another mother-daughter duo struggles with similar issues under drastically different circumstances. In Brass* * *, debut novelist Xhenet Aliu draws on her own life to tell the story of 2 generations of an immigrant family - the mother-daughter connections; resilience; and dreams that endure despite the odds.

* * *= 3 starred reviews