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Motherlands
A mother’s love longed for in a new world.
Growing up on a farm in early twentieth-century Hungary, Irene knew only joy and the deep, enduring love of her grandmother. As the first world war ends, a letter arrives summoning Irene to join her long-absent mother, Mary, in America. Irene's odyssey takes her from security to pressing danger with her embittered mother. As the new world exerts its romantic pull on Irene, Mary's darkness and family secrets begin to reveal themselves. Irene must choose whether to pursue her dreams of higher education and independence or risk being consumed by her mother's broken dreams.
Inspired by his mother's oral history and stories, Dennis Andrulis's Motherlands offers a moving portrait of the immigrant experience and the enduring hope for love and belonging in a new land.
Growing up on a farm in early twentieth-century Hungary, Irene knew only joy and the deep, enduring love of her grandmother. As the first world war ends, a letter arrives summoning Irene to join her long-absent mother, Mary, in America. Irene's odyssey takes her from security to pressing danger with her embittered mother. As the new world exerts its romantic pull on Irene, Mary's darkness and family secrets begin to reveal themselves. Irene must choose whether to pursue her dreams of higher education and independence or risk being consumed by her mother's broken dreams.
Inspired by his mother's oral history and stories, Dennis Andrulis's Motherlands offers a moving portrait of the immigrant experience and the enduring hope for love and belonging in a new land.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 25, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for this book. I found it a little slow at first, when it was centred on Irene’s (the narrator and the author’s own mother) mother and her youth but then once she had fled and abandoned Irene to the care of her grandmother it definitely became more interesting for me.
World War I happens but is interestingly not a huge part of the book. It’s more a simple life story of Irene growing up in Hungary and then, at about age 12, suddenly being summoned by her absent mother to live with her in New York. It was very interesting to see the life of an immigrant in the 1920s and how she made her new life.
I was especially happy with how lovely her stepfather was! That was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting some distant old man who didn’t want to bother with a new child, but then he ended up being way more to her than her mother.
Her mother sure was a piece of work too. What follows will have spoilers so proceed with caution.
I was disappointed at how weak willed both Irene and her stepfather were in the face of her mother’s bullying. Father Richter had three grown up children from a previous marriage but Irene’s mother forbade him from seeing them and he was only able to write letters. When he passed, they did not know of this until Irene tracked one down and told her a few weeks later! Those older girls could have been great stepsisters to Irene but she was denied that ever happening. And when she found her letters back home to Hungary in her mother’s cupboard, I was sad that she didn’t take them herself and find a way to send them. She just let it go. She could have asked a friend or used her fathers work address, and even when she went away to college she didn’t immediately write then - she took over a year to get around to it and by that time her grandmother had died. Her grandmother had raised her and was more like a mother to her than her actual mother so I was really sad that she didn’t try harder to stay in touch with them, especially once she was old enough to not just depend on her mother posting letters.
The first time her mother threatened to kill her in her sleep should she think of leaving her also should have been the last time! I can’t believe she kept going home from college and trying again, and then barricading her door because she got threatened again. I was glad when finally she cut all those ties but she should have done it way sooner. Also it was ironic that her mother, who hated her own mother and abandoned Irene as a baby, was so hellbent on Irene not abandoning her!
The ending comes very abruptly as well I thought, I would have liked a small afterword of what happened to Irene once she graduated, and if the Second World War had any impact on her life or if she was far enough removed from Europe by that stage.
World War I happens but is interestingly not a huge part of the book. It’s more a simple life story of Irene growing up in Hungary and then, at about age 12, suddenly being summoned by her absent mother to live with her in New York. It was very interesting to see the life of an immigrant in the 1920s and how she made her new life.
I was especially happy with how lovely her stepfather was! That was a pleasant surprise because I was expecting some distant old man who didn’t want to bother with a new child, but then he ended up being way more to her than her mother.
Her mother sure was a piece of work too. What follows will have spoilers so proceed with caution.
I was disappointed at how weak willed both Irene and her stepfather were in the face of her mother’s bullying. Father Richter had three grown up children from a previous marriage but Irene’s mother forbade him from seeing them and he was only able to write letters. When he passed, they did not know of this until Irene tracked one down and told her a few weeks later! Those older girls could have been great stepsisters to Irene but she was denied that ever happening. And when she found her letters back home to Hungary in her mother’s cupboard, I was sad that she didn’t take them herself and find a way to send them. She just let it go. She could have asked a friend or used her fathers work address, and even when she went away to college she didn’t immediately write then - she took over a year to get around to it and by that time her grandmother had died. Her grandmother had raised her and was more like a mother to her than her actual mother so I was really sad that she didn’t try harder to stay in touch with them, especially once she was old enough to not just depend on her mother posting letters.
The first time her mother threatened to kill her in her sleep should she think of leaving her also should have been the last time! I can’t believe she kept going home from college and trying again, and then barricading her door because she got threatened again. I was glad when finally she cut all those ties but she should have done it way sooner. Also it was ironic that her mother, who hated her own mother and abandoned Irene as a baby, was so hellbent on Irene not abandoning her!
The ending comes very abruptly as well I thought, I would have liked a small afterword of what happened to Irene once she graduated, and if the Second World War had any impact on her life or if she was far enough removed from Europe by that stage.
December 12, 2025
Motherlands is a beautifully rendered, emotionally resonant novel that captures the immigrant experience with rare tenderness, authenticity, and insight. Dennis Andrulis crafts a deeply moving story inspired by his mother’s oral histories, stories that illuminate the sacrifices, uncertainties, and quiet resilience that defined so many journeys to the New World in the early twentieth century.
At the center of this narrative is Irene, a young girl whose life begins in the warmth and safety of a Hungarian farm, under the loving guidance of her grandmother. This early sense of belonging stands in poignant contrast to the challenges awaiting her in America, where she joins a mother she barely knows. Andrulis writes with remarkable sensitivity as he explores the fragile and complicated bond between Irene and her embittered mother, Mary, whose own unfulfilled dreams cast long shadows across their relationship.
The novel shines in its ability to evoke atmosphere, whether it is the familiar rhythms of rural Hungary or the raw, unpredictable energy of a transforming America. The emotional stakes grow with each page as hidden truths and family secrets surface, forcing Irene to confront a difficult choice: surrender her own aspirations or break free to pursue education, independence, and a future defined by hope rather than inherited sorrow.
With elegant prose, heartfelt detail, and a profound understanding of generational longing, Motherlands offers a timeless meditation on identity, belonging, and the enduring power of a mother’s love, both given and withheld. This is historical fiction at its most intimate and compelling.
At the center of this narrative is Irene, a young girl whose life begins in the warmth and safety of a Hungarian farm, under the loving guidance of her grandmother. This early sense of belonging stands in poignant contrast to the challenges awaiting her in America, where she joins a mother she barely knows. Andrulis writes with remarkable sensitivity as he explores the fragile and complicated bond between Irene and her embittered mother, Mary, whose own unfulfilled dreams cast long shadows across their relationship.
The novel shines in its ability to evoke atmosphere, whether it is the familiar rhythms of rural Hungary or the raw, unpredictable energy of a transforming America. The emotional stakes grow with each page as hidden truths and family secrets surface, forcing Irene to confront a difficult choice: surrender her own aspirations or break free to pursue education, independence, and a future defined by hope rather than inherited sorrow.
With elegant prose, heartfelt detail, and a profound understanding of generational longing, Motherlands offers a timeless meditation on identity, belonging, and the enduring power of a mother’s love, both given and withheld. This is historical fiction at its most intimate and compelling.
January 21, 2026
Motherlands is a quietly powerful novel about inheritance of love, of trauma, and of unfulfilled dreams and how those legacies shape the lives of immigrant families.
Dennis Andrulis traces Irene’s journey from the emotional security of her grandmother’s farm in early twentieth century Hungary to the far more complicated terrain of America, where her long absent mother, Mary, waits. The novel excels in its portrayal of emotional displacement: Irene’s sense of loss is not only geographic, but relational, as she is forced to reconcile her longing for maternal love with the reality of a deeply embittered parent.
What distinguishes Motherlands is its refusal to simplify either character. Mary is not rendered as a villain, but as a woman whose own dreams have curdled into bitterness, shaped by hardship and disappointment. Irene’s coming-of-age unfolds against this tension, making her choice between education, independence, and familial obligation feel genuinely fraught rather than symbolic.
The immigrant experience is rendered with restraint and specificity. Andrulis captures the seductive promise of the “new world” alongside its isolations, especially for women whose identities are bound to sacrifice. The emotional core of the novel lies in its exploration of how love can be both sustaining and consuming, particularly across generations.
Inspired by oral history, Motherlands carries the weight of lived experience. It is a thoughtful, compassionate novel that will resonate with readers interested in historical fiction, immigration narratives, and stories about mothers and daughters navigating the space between duty and selfhood.
Dennis Andrulis traces Irene’s journey from the emotional security of her grandmother’s farm in early twentieth century Hungary to the far more complicated terrain of America, where her long absent mother, Mary, waits. The novel excels in its portrayal of emotional displacement: Irene’s sense of loss is not only geographic, but relational, as she is forced to reconcile her longing for maternal love with the reality of a deeply embittered parent.
What distinguishes Motherlands is its refusal to simplify either character. Mary is not rendered as a villain, but as a woman whose own dreams have curdled into bitterness, shaped by hardship and disappointment. Irene’s coming-of-age unfolds against this tension, making her choice between education, independence, and familial obligation feel genuinely fraught rather than symbolic.
The immigrant experience is rendered with restraint and specificity. Andrulis captures the seductive promise of the “new world” alongside its isolations, especially for women whose identities are bound to sacrifice. The emotional core of the novel lies in its exploration of how love can be both sustaining and consuming, particularly across generations.
Inspired by oral history, Motherlands carries the weight of lived experience. It is a thoughtful, compassionate novel that will resonate with readers interested in historical fiction, immigration narratives, and stories about mothers and daughters navigating the space between duty and selfhood.
October 16, 2025
Motherlands by Dennis Andrulis is a story inspired by the author’s mother’s own experiences as a young Hungarian girl abandoned by her mother to the care of her caring grandmother. The book focuses on the relationship the main character has with both of these women who influence her life in dramatically different ways, her experience migrating to the USA as a young girl, and how she develops into a young woman that seeks the love and approval of her mother while balancing her own ambitions, interests, and needs.
The story that is shared is interesting, and I particularly liked the early portions about the life of the main character, Irene, and her time in Hungary with her grandmother. Irene’s efforts to please her own mother and have her approval was, at times, a struggle for me because Irene was smart and kind and deserved better than what she was given. As Irene comes into her own and begins to develop confidence and a needed perspective on the relationship with her mother, I found myself cheering for her, longing for a good outcome!
While there were some lulls in the telling of Irene’s experiences that I felt slowed the story down, overall I was eager to know what was next for her, how she would progress and grow, and how her decisions would impact the direction of her future.
Thank you so much to #NetGalley for making this title, #Motherlands, available to me in exchange for an honest review.
The story that is shared is interesting, and I particularly liked the early portions about the life of the main character, Irene, and her time in Hungary with her grandmother. Irene’s efforts to please her own mother and have her approval was, at times, a struggle for me because Irene was smart and kind and deserved better than what she was given. As Irene comes into her own and begins to develop confidence and a needed perspective on the relationship with her mother, I found myself cheering for her, longing for a good outcome!
While there were some lulls in the telling of Irene’s experiences that I felt slowed the story down, overall I was eager to know what was next for her, how she would progress and grow, and how her decisions would impact the direction of her future.
Thank you so much to #NetGalley for making this title, #Motherlands, available to me in exchange for an honest review.
January 1, 2026
I loved this book. The author writes a beautiful story of Irene, a child born in Hungary. While the child had the good fortune of being raised by her loving grandmother she would not know such maternal love. Irene's mother left her life in Hungary, including her infant daughter to take a chance on a life in America. The characters in the book are impressively well developed. The book does not follow the typical script for a coming to America story. It's about so much more. An unexpected depth to the story includes the impact of trauma. When Irene, a loved, well rounded, happy Hungarian child is beckoned to come to America to be with her mother the story really develops into the touching, emotional sometimes gritty story it is. Thank G-d for her loving step-father and again her nurturing, loving grandmother there for her formative years. Irene's mother sadly never knows real happiness as her frustration, anger and bitterness prevent her from living her best life. She can't seem to let go of nor obtain the life she believes she is entitled to. Irene however develops a life very much her own, enriched by embracing opportunities and education and making them possible with her own magnetism, intelligence, and drive. What a tribute to the author's mother. We can all learn something about life and it's obstacles, but ultimately the reader is enhanced by the chance to read about the best in us.
January 26, 2026
I really enjoyed this Historical Story based on real life. It’s a very well written and captivating story of a Beautiful young girl growing up in two different countries and her joy to learn a new life. I think anyone who enjoys history,culture and historical stories will love this Amazing book. 📕
February 4, 2026
Full disclosure: I got a free kindle of this book from Goodreads giveaways in exchange for an honest review.
I can not put my finger on why but this wasn't the book for me. The story was OK. The characters a little flat. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but it didn't speak to me.
I can not put my finger on why but this wasn't the book for me. The story was OK. The characters a little flat. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but it didn't speak to me.
November 27, 2025
🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2025
Interesting look into the life of an immigrant in 1920’s America. The mother is just a horrible human ugh! I wish Irene would have stood up to her sooner.
January 3, 2026
This e-book, received from Goodreads, is a captivating story of an immigrant making her way in a new country, searching for a mother's love, for purpose. Very engaging read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews