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Nichts wird mehr sein, wie es war.
The attack on fifteen-year-old Joe Kennedy was particularly squalid and vicious. Sheila Armstrong's grandson Leo, usually a quiet, well-behaved boy, was found holding a knife. Harriet Kennedy cannot cope with her son's continuing pain; Sheila, who reared Leo, cannot bear the lasting guilt. In a powerful and moving tale of suffering and forgiveness, the two women confront the complex range of emotions that motherhood entails.
- GenresFiction
Hardcover
First published August 2, 1994
About the author
Margaret Forster
71 books200 followersMargaret Forster was educated at the Carlisle and County High School for Girls. From here she won an Open Scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford where in 1960 she was awarded an honours degree in History.
From 1963 Margaret Forster worked as a novelist, biographer and freelance literary critic, contributing regularly to book programmes on television, to Radio 4 and various newpapers and magazines.
Forster was married to the writer, journalist and broadcaster Hunter Davies. They lived in London. and in the Lake District. They had three children, Caitlin, Jake and Flora.
From 1963 Margaret Forster worked as a novelist, biographer and freelance literary critic, contributing regularly to book programmes on television, to Radio 4 and various newpapers and magazines.
Forster was married to the writer, journalist and broadcaster Hunter Davies. They lived in London. and in the Lake District. They had three children, Caitlin, Jake and Flora.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 19, 2022
Published in 1994, just one year after the infamous Jamie Bulger case, Margaret Forster writes about a vicious attack on a teenager walking home from the cinema alone. What makes this novel so surprising, and thought provoking though, is her focus on the mothers of Joe - the victim - and Leo - one of the two perpetrators.
This isn't a novel about who deserves sympathy and who doesn't; instead it looks at the impact of trauma on the bond between a mother and her child. Beyond the initial shock is a tortuous journey of recovery, without landmarks or maps. Both mothers suffer not only on behalf of their children, but also in their own right, as they attemot to come to terms with a world that will never be the same again.
This wasn't an easy read; it never let me off the hook. What it did do, though, was offer me ways of thinking about motherhood, masculinity, and adulthood that were new to me, and will stay with me.
This isn't a novel about who deserves sympathy and who doesn't; instead it looks at the impact of trauma on the bond between a mother and her child. Beyond the initial shock is a tortuous journey of recovery, without landmarks or maps. Both mothers suffer not only on behalf of their children, but also in their own right, as they attemot to come to terms with a world that will never be the same again.
This wasn't an easy read; it never let me off the hook. What it did do, though, was offer me ways of thinking about motherhood, masculinity, and adulthood that were new to me, and will stay with me.
August 6, 2017
Gripping but ultimately unsatisfactory as the central question was never answered. Obviously deliberate, but I found it frustrating.
Also I felt a lot of statements were made about the main characters which were not backed up with evidence (show, don't tell), and the basic characters of the protagonists were inconsistent which felt like the author bending things to suit her narrative, rather than documenting real-world inconsistencies. Also I felt that the husbands were two-dimensional and never really became real or graspable to me - I kept getting them mixed up.
Also I felt a lot of statements were made about the main characters which were not backed up with evidence (show, don't tell), and the basic characters of the protagonists were inconsistent which felt like the author bending things to suit her narrative, rather than documenting real-world inconsistencies. Also I felt that the husbands were two-dimensional and never really became real or graspable to me - I kept getting them mixed up.
December 6, 2018
I have never in my life taken 4 months to read a book, yet this one broke me. The number of times I wanted to just leave it are uncountable. The flicking between characters, lack of plot and outright confusion meant this book was on my list of worst reads. I can normally deal with similar books however this one I couldn’t handle. I’m so glad it’s finished, so I can start books that I actually might enjoy.
May 5, 2023
Finished Margaret Forster's Mother's Boys this morning and wanted to read it straight through and was loathe to put it down but life intervened. Horrid content though, harsh mind-numbing abuse and an attack of a teenage boy by two others, proper nasty. Quite a satisfactory ending considering. You never know what you're going to get from her, a gripper or a gently, slightly boring, read. This was a gripper.
June 30, 2025
Margaret Forster has taken two mothers’ perspectives and given insight into the role of mothers and the unbreakable bond. A lot of pain and sadness expressed. As a mother myself, also left me thinking about the way we choose to be for our children- rightly or wrongly- and how letting go can be so hard. There were parts of the story that did drag a little but an all round worthwhile read.
March 2, 2023
An interesting premise - the story of two women. Sheila’s grandson, who she raised, has participated in a nasty attack on Harriet’s son. We explore Sheila’s guilt and Harriet’s struggle to get through to her son. Should have been gripping but was at times dull and ultimately unsatisfying.
April 27, 2021
Intensely good. Such incredibly well observed characters, and definitely a 'show don't tell' work of art. I am looking our for more by this author.
February 21, 2016
I was about half way through 'Mother's Boys' when looked for an online review only to discover that Margaret Forster had recently passed away. I am greatly saddened by this but am grateful for the many wonderful novels and non-fiction works that she has contributed to the world of literature. I have always been amazed at just how prolific a writer she was, and marvel at the way in which a hitherto unknown Forster novel will just make its way into my reading path.
Mothers's Boys is a difficult and disturbing story. It focuses on the aftermath of a a violent and degrading assault on 15 year old Joe by two assailants, one of whom, Leo, is arrested and imprisoned after pleading guilty. The narration occurs from the points of view of Harriet, Joe's mother, and Sheila, Leo's grandmother, who bought him up after his parents died in a car crash in Africa. Both women are deeply affected by the crime, and, to varying extents, feel unsupported by their husbands and families. Forster has written the novel in such a way that the crime is only gradually revealed, and indeed the full extent of the assault is only made clear about half way through. However, it is clear from the beginning that there is something about this assault that is particularly humiliating and shameful for both Joe and Harriet. Various other viewpoints come from Eric James, Sheila's cranky elderly father, Graeme, the investigating police officer, as well as Joe's father Sam, and some other family members. I felt quite sympathetic towards both Harriet and Sheila, as they both suffered enormously, and I found it quite confronting that both their husbands were so out of touch with these women. Joe treats his mother quite contemptuously, and Leo refuses to speak with Sheila though she conscientiously visits him in prison every week. I don't know if this is what was intended but it felt as if Forster was indicating how women bear so much of the emotional burden in families, as well as tending to their family's' practical needs. They seemed to struggle on alone, with little acknowledgement or love from anyone. The scene where Sam confronts Harriet about her inability to move on and to enjoy anything was disheartening. Maybe you need not to be a mother to understand his way of thinking. I found Eric James a really fascinating character - I wondered if he had been modelled on Forster's own father, Arthur, as there were many elements to Eric's character that were similar to the picture of her father drawn in the memoir, Precious Lives, which I also read recently.
Overall, a bit depressing, but a thoughtful and nuanced read.
Mothers's Boys is a difficult and disturbing story. It focuses on the aftermath of a a violent and degrading assault on 15 year old Joe by two assailants, one of whom, Leo, is arrested and imprisoned after pleading guilty. The narration occurs from the points of view of Harriet, Joe's mother, and Sheila, Leo's grandmother, who bought him up after his parents died in a car crash in Africa. Both women are deeply affected by the crime, and, to varying extents, feel unsupported by their husbands and families. Forster has written the novel in such a way that the crime is only gradually revealed, and indeed the full extent of the assault is only made clear about half way through. However, it is clear from the beginning that there is something about this assault that is particularly humiliating and shameful for both Joe and Harriet. Various other viewpoints come from Eric James, Sheila's cranky elderly father, Graeme, the investigating police officer, as well as Joe's father Sam, and some other family members. I felt quite sympathetic towards both Harriet and Sheila, as they both suffered enormously, and I found it quite confronting that both their husbands were so out of touch with these women. Joe treats his mother quite contemptuously, and Leo refuses to speak with Sheila though she conscientiously visits him in prison every week. I don't know if this is what was intended but it felt as if Forster was indicating how women bear so much of the emotional burden in families, as well as tending to their family's' practical needs. They seemed to struggle on alone, with little acknowledgement or love from anyone. The scene where Sam confronts Harriet about her inability to move on and to enjoy anything was disheartening. Maybe you need not to be a mother to understand his way of thinking. I found Eric James a really fascinating character - I wondered if he had been modelled on Forster's own father, Arthur, as there were many elements to Eric's character that were similar to the picture of her father drawn in the memoir, Precious Lives, which I also read recently.
Overall, a bit depressing, but a thoughtful and nuanced read.
December 7, 2014
I’ve been an admirer of Margaret Forster for a long time, but it’s been a while since I read one of her books. I’ve read Have the Men Had Enough? (1989); The Battle for Christobel (1991); her biography of Daphne du Maurier (1993); The Memory Box (1999); Lady’s Maid (2003); and of course Georgy Girl (1965), but I read all of these long before I started this blog. So when I saw Mothers’ Boys as an audio book at the library, it seemed like an ideal choice for the daily commute.
The novel was, in parts, rather confronting, but it was riveting. Like many of Forster’s novels it’s framed around the theme of family breakdown and loss, and the unexpected strength that women discover in themselves when life forces them into difficult situations. And the situation in which these mother’s find themselves, though regrettably commonplace enough, is difficult indeed.
Earlier this year I read an impressive debut novel called The First Week by Margaret Merrilees, which was the story of a woman whose quiet life was shattered by her adult son who commits an incomprehensible crime. (See my review). In Mothers’ Boys, Forster explores a similar theme from the point-of-view of both the mothers – Sheila Armstrong, whose grandson Joe was the one involved in the assault, and Harriet Kennedy, whose fifteen-year-old son Joe was his victim.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/12/07/mo...
The novel was, in parts, rather confronting, but it was riveting. Like many of Forster’s novels it’s framed around the theme of family breakdown and loss, and the unexpected strength that women discover in themselves when life forces them into difficult situations. And the situation in which these mother’s find themselves, though regrettably commonplace enough, is difficult indeed.
Earlier this year I read an impressive debut novel called The First Week by Margaret Merrilees, which was the story of a woman whose quiet life was shattered by her adult son who commits an incomprehensible crime. (See my review). In Mothers’ Boys, Forster explores a similar theme from the point-of-view of both the mothers – Sheila Armstrong, whose grandson Joe was the one involved in the assault, and Harriet Kennedy, whose fifteen-year-old son Joe was his victim.
To read the rest of my review please visit http://anzlitlovers.com/2014/12/07/mo...
March 19, 2010
I felt it dragged a bit. But I thought Forster did a good job portraying the compulsions and torn feelings of the mothers.
January 22, 2013
Thought provoking!
January 4, 2013
A very difficult subject. As usual, Forster delivers with style.
October 17, 2013
such a difficult subject but handled with great objectivity
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews