Mother

by Linda Ann Rentschler

Mary Sullivan, wife and mother of two teen boys has been mourning the death of her mother for five years. When she meets Cathy, a young salesclerk at a luncheonette in town who suffers the tragic loss of her own mother, Mary befriends her and the two women help each other heal and move forward.

Genres: Fiction

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Shay Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here it is, The Worst Novel Ever Written. I only read it all the way through as a sort of exercise in endurance, and to see how laughably awful the writing could become. Here's the answer: really, really awful.

Rentschler is the Queen of hyperbolic, cheaply emotional scenes populated by cardboard characters from central casting, described in utterly talentless prose, as they act out plotlines that are so unlikely and/or boring that to read them is to experience a massive die-off of brain cells. You know that completely talentless housewife at the local adult ed writing group? It's Rentschler. No, strike that. That's unfair to the housewife.

I don't know what weird time warp Rentschler lives in, but while her story is supposedly set in the present (the book came out in 2007), her college students listen to their music on "albums" and cassettes (!) with nary a cd or a mp3 to be found. Her two main characters meet at a luncheonette, over cherry Cokes. Wait, it gets better. The grief wall in the student union has pictures of deceased celebrities, but they are all old, like John Lennon, JFK, and Marilyn Monroe. The only "new" name she mentions is River Phoenix! No Kurt Cobain in Rentschler's world.

The whole book seems more like 1957 than 2007. Even while on her big adventure of taking time away from her family to (gasp!) smoke cigarettes and (shock, horror!) stay up past midnight and (facepalm!) have a tarot reading, her main character keeps lapsing into musings about housecleaning and casseroles.

All through this novel, everyone is always bursting into tears, falling down, having conniption fits of wild emotion at the drop of a hat. This includes women, men, everybody. Also, the main character, Mary, relentlessly treats everyone as if they were eight years old. For her son's eighteenth birthday, she and her young friend brainstorm and hit on party hats, noisemakers and cowboy napkins. Then Mary runs out and buys him a puppy! Lord above.

Like I said...Worst. Novel. Ever.

[Jah (_soshereads_) Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mother by Linda Ann Rentschler portrays the story of Mary Sullivan, a middle-aged woman who has been mourning the loss of her mother for five years. As Mary navigates life, she encounters Cathy, a young college student, at a luncheonette during one of her emotional breakdowns. A week later, during a storm, Cathy finds herself at the doorsteps of Mary’s home, drenched and distraught, as she had just suddenly lost her mother to a car crash. Mary’s now compelled to be there for Cathy; she takes her in and comforts her. As Mary and Cathy bond, Mary realizes that something is missing from her life; she is more than just a wife and a mother.

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[Nancy Carty Lepri · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Mary Sullivan goes into a local luncheonette to buy a roll of Life Savers, she’s suddenly reminded of her mother who passed away five years prior. Breaking down in tears, feeling unbelievable grief, she’s comforted by Cathy, the college-age waitress who brings her a cherry Coke and consolation. As the two women talk, Mary feels somewhat cheered, but in the late hours of that night, her doorbell rings with a hysterical Cathy on her doorstep reporting her own mother had just been killed in a car accident. Knowing Cathy has no other family, Mary takes her to her bosom and helps her through her grief, making the young woman stay with her, and helps her plan her mother’s funeral, giving her the support she needs. As the two bond, Mary realizes something is missing in her life. She recognizes she’s more than a wife to Ted, mom to teenaged Matthew and Brian, and assistant to the senior ladies for whom she bakes and brings to appointments. With a rare pique of revelation, Mary decides to change her dull and boring life and go back to college with Cathy, take classes and try to reconnect with her dead mother. Ted and the boys feel she’s lost her mind, and has abandoned them, but nothing will deter Mary’s quest for the meaning in her life.

While living in Cathy’s college apartment, Mary learns to grieve, and meets with Professor Luke, a psychic who helps Mary and Cathy commune with their mothers. While at college, Mary gets a shock upon learning her first lover had died. She runs away again hoping to figure out the why and wherefore of everything she’s experienced in her life. With her soul searching, she comes to the realization of how much she misses her husband and sons and heads home, while offering Cathy a place in her heart and family.

This touching and heartwarming story of love and loss shows how different generations can bond, and how grief can bring unlikely souls together. A delightful read, this story will stay with one long after the last page is turned.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

When two women are brought together a connection born of grief, they learn more about themselves than they ever expected. Mary is a stay-at-home mom with two teenage boys who is still mourning the loss of her mother after five years. Cathy is a young girl who works at the local luncheonette whose mother dies suddenly as the result of a car accident. These two women meet and end up going on a journey of self-discovery. Each has an approach to grief and life that differs greatly from the other, but Mary learns much from this young woman, especially when she follows her to college and the two enroll in a class on paranormal abilities. Luke, the professor, begins to do readings for both women, originally to attempt contacting each's mother. But more is revealed than Mary bargained for.

This story was okay, but the writing didn't strike me as very original and the storyline didn't seem intricate...as if events were thrown in just to keep the story going. Dialogue never seemed realistic and always rung untrue for me, and too often I felt as if things were being spelled out for me as the reader that I'd already picked up on; I didn't like having the obvious explained to me.

[Zinha69 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book... You wonder from the start what a mother of 2 has in common with college girl and what is their connection. Other then they both lost their mothers. So worth while reading the end is the best gift ever...

Zinha

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it was good and had a nice twist in the end.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Hallmark-like story. A bit overdone and too much coincidence. Like Luke the psychic, though.

[C Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first couple of chapters were so well written that I was hooked. However, the latter chapters became dry and cliche

[Paula Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching and thought provoking since Mom passed 7 years ago.

[lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHY IS HER HUSBAND SO INSUFFERABLE. divorce him

[Bellina · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't really feel the authenticity of the psychic communication and the channeling of spirits, I believe that Rentschler captured the heart of the existence of the invisible and self-sacrificing woman, wife and mother.

"Mary was learning she invented each and every limit upon her life: the wash, the groceries, the duty-bound, joyless movement of one activity to another, slicing vegetables for salads on Sunday, changing all sheets on Saturday, [etc.:]... It had been a long time since she had shared her heart with anyone who didn't require her housekeeping, driving, or cooking."

Of course you want everything to work out for her, but the ending is a bit too clean. I mean really, life is usually much messier, even if there is a happy ending.

[Michelle Akers-dicken · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was hard because I enjoyed the authors writing. It flowed really well! Imagination lacked though. With topics like metaphysics and séances or contacting the dead... well I just felt like this could have been an incredible story. Instead, it was a pleasant enough little story about a middle aged woman who's unhappy with the status quo life she's made for herself and her family. Her life doesn't pick up until she meets a young college aged woman and they embark on a journey to help themselves overcome the grief of losing both of their mothers. There are a few little twists but they're predictable.

At best, I can say that this is a pleasant enough read... the story line is just a little boring.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I used to work at Bookspan (the book of the month club) I got this in the book sale room. I started reading this the winter after I lost my mother. This was a good book. The way it read to me was that it was going to end then it came back.

[Karolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book; however, it was very difficult for me to fully get into it and it took me a significant amount of time to read it. Ultimately I felt the book lacked something at the end. I didn't walk away as satisfied with the ending as I would have liked.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually skim-read this book. I could not get into the characters and the premise of the story didn't work for me. maybe you'll have better luck.

[Eva-Marie Nevarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well...I can't remember anything about this book except that I really liked it. I'd definitely pick up another book by this author although I'm not going to be looking.

[Stasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, considering the genre. The selfishness of the men was realistic. Brian cracked me up. Felt like a made for TV special.

[Tiffanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was good to read but had some sad parts to it as well

[Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had hope for this book when I started out but quickly changed my mind. Sorry - but not worth my time !

[Mary Lange · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't see that coming. Great ending♡

[Sue J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I stuck with it, and was glad I read it through. It was decent, and the author packed a lot into it. Not one of my favorites, but a worthy read.

[Andrea Vrtikapa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, but not great. Not that big on the all the talking to the dead stuff.

[Sue Ribeiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than I thought it would be, still not super great.