A Reluctant Mother

by Deirdre Simon Dore

Frida and her husband Blake have chosen not to have children. Concentrating on her artistic career instead, Frida has mostly managed to accept this difficult decision while putting her own traumatic childhood behind her. That is, until a stranger knocks on their door with a child she insists is Blake’ s daughter. From that moment on their fragile marriage, their lives are devastatingly changed forever. In Frida, Deirdre Simon Dore’ s evocative writing has created a difficult, blunt and vitally genuine “ reluctant mother.” A contemporary novel of a woman whose relationships are an exercise in hilarity and tragedy both.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

364 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2024

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

3.5 🌟 This rating may change, I feel like I need to sit with this one.
Edit***
4 🌟
That was quick, sat with it for about 15 minutes and decided yes, I would recommend this book. It is unique, and challenging and keeps you guessing.
EDIT to the edit******
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book takes longer to really marinate. Long after I’ve read this one, the more I discuss it with my book group, the more I feel like it was an outstanding book. I still have so many questions and we all came away understanding certain points of the book differently.

[Marla Nicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in 2 days, could not have guessed the ending!

[Forest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story full of grit , tears and laughs . It grabs ahold of you with its complex and layered characters , characters that are at once familiar and tragic . A personal and fearless novel .

[hiaa123 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"But this is what I've learned about the truth. It's not truthfulness we must strive to attain. Truth is too malleable, it's fluid and even contradictory. Truth is completely subjective. All we can strive for is honesty."

This was a wild ride. It takes a while to get your bearings with this book, and when I thought I had it all figured out, the ending still managed to surprise me.

An interesting read following Frida, who is a huge mess and kind of awful though I developed a tenderness for her. As frustrating as her behaviour was, particularly when Clare joins the family, I could understand her feelings of rejection and loneliness, her desperation to be loved and accepted. Can't say I was a fan of Blake at all.

The book was written in a gripping, mysterious way that keeps you guessing with Frida as an unreliable narrator who has a questionable grip on reality. Love, motherhood, family are complex things. I felt quite sad for Frida in the end, though with some hope there too for her future and relationship with Clare.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, in full disclosure, I'm the author of this book. And as you can tell by my rating I'm proud to have a copy by my bedside. There might be a couple of things I would change if I had the chance, but nothing major. I think that's par for the course. For those curious - some of the novel is based on real events, some not. I tell my family try not to read too much into it. hehe.

I have noticed that my protagonist, Frida, is a bit of a polarizing character. Some readers loathe her, others admire, and others say she's real, and they love that about her.
Personally, I have a soft spot for her in my heart and I hope that shows. Because I wish her well. She had a lot to learn and made many mistakes.

A quick shout-out to Ronsdale Press, they were wonderful to work with. If you're Canadian and have written a novel, check them out.
I hope this book makes you laugh and makes you cry. Thanks hugely for the support. Thanks for reading.

[Tricia Dower · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book deserves more attention than it has received. I found it compelling and cleverly structured. The narrator can be considered unreliable, yet her version of events is all we have. The twists are surprising yet not illogical. I felt the ending was a bit rushed as it tried to tie up some loose ends, even as the question about the fire was not answered. All in all, a great read.

[Ronsdale Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Frida is a fantastic protagonist! She says out loud what most people would keep to themselves. She brutal, funny, vulnerable and frustrating. I was engrossed in how she handled what was thrown at her (I don't want to give any spoilers!). Frida is the reason I published this book.

[Corinne Tessier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the powerful, original phrases throughout the book. The story teased me along until the very end, when the characters' connections were illuminated.

[karle milligan · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was pretty good but can we, as a society, please start using quotation marks again. please.