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What Mother Never Told Me
Raised in the Delta by her grandmother, Parris McKay has the voice of an angel and the promise of a bright, loving future with the man she adores. But everything Parris believes about her life is rocked to the core when she discovers that Emma, the mother she believed dead, is very much alive.
Compelled to discover the roots of this decades-long deception, Parris goes in search of her mother in France, but the meeting only opens old wounds for them both. Hurt and disillusioned, Parris finds solace in two new friends, Leslie and Celeste. Both have difficult relationships with their own mothers, and both, like Parris, are coming to terms with a legacy of long-buried secrets. And as Emma returns to the States, spurring unexpected revelations, the bond that Parris, Leslie and Celeste forge will sustain them on a journey from heartbreak to healing.
Compelling, candid and wise, What Mother Never Told Me is an unforgettable story about the power of our pasts to define us—and sometimes to hold us back. It is a novel about abiding love and hidden truths, about family bonds that may be tested but never truly broken, about the lies that tear us apart—and the friendships that can make us whole again.
Compelled to discover the roots of this decades-long deception, Parris goes in search of her mother in France, but the meeting only opens old wounds for them both. Hurt and disillusioned, Parris finds solace in two new friends, Leslie and Celeste. Both have difficult relationships with their own mothers, and both, like Parris, are coming to terms with a legacy of long-buried secrets. And as Emma returns to the States, spurring unexpected revelations, the bond that Parris, Leslie and Celeste forge will sustain them on a journey from heartbreak to healing.
Compelling, candid and wise, What Mother Never Told Me is an unforgettable story about the power of our pasts to define us—and sometimes to hold us back. It is a novel about abiding love and hidden truths, about family bonds that may be tested but never truly broken, about the lies that tear us apart—and the friendships that can make us whole again.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
17 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
February 1, 2018
I am giving this five stars. My second rating of five for this year. Although it was a little bit slow first it picked. The things people keep from their own families, the longing for the love of parents. lies, deception, forgiveness, the beauty of finding parental love at last. A heartwarming journey of three friends. What a beautiful ending but I guess this deserves a sequel.
February 12, 2011
“The need for love and acceptance is a powerful thing. It, like water, like air, nurtures us. We live and feed off of it and when it is denied, we wither and die-at least inside.”
What mother Never Told Me by Donna Hill is an exquisite novel. Parris McKay and her friends and relatives make this a psychological novel. Each page is a slow walk through the mind. Every mile I traveled deepened my belief that my inner self is very much a part of the outer world I call home. Unanswered Questions have a way of probing at the heart and mind. Without these answers we hunger for milk like a newborn cries for a mother’s milk.
Parris McKay took a long journey. She began her trek from Rudell, Mississippi and ended up in Loire Valley, France. Then, back to the United States. Throughout the novel, I wondered whether Parris would ever become more than an arc of a circle. In the end, DONNA HILL has drawn the type of circle Parris McKay will live with for the rest of her life. Kimani Press http://www.donnahill.com
THIS IS A SOFT COVER BOOK FOR BOOK SWAP
What mother Never Told Me by Donna Hill is an exquisite novel. Parris McKay and her friends and relatives make this a psychological novel. Each page is a slow walk through the mind. Every mile I traveled deepened my belief that my inner self is very much a part of the outer world I call home. Unanswered Questions have a way of probing at the heart and mind. Without these answers we hunger for milk like a newborn cries for a mother’s milk.
Parris McKay took a long journey. She began her trek from Rudell, Mississippi and ended up in Loire Valley, France. Then, back to the United States. Throughout the novel, I wondered whether Parris would ever become more than an arc of a circle. In the end, DONNA HILL has drawn the type of circle Parris McKay will live with for the rest of her life. Kimani Press http://www.donnahill.com
THIS IS A SOFT COVER BOOK FOR BOOK SWAP
March 29, 2012
Good book. It seemed to go slow then speed up in different parts. I hopes for more in the last chapter wrap up. Maybe a second book going a little bit deeper in the characters since there were so many in the short book. Overall good read.
January 20, 2013
I almost didn't finish it, slow start but then it got good and I kept going until the end. I wasn't prepared for the ending, that's good . I never saw it coming
August 11, 2023
This is my first 5 ⭐️ read since I’ve gotten back into reading in 2021. I was glad that I read some of the reviews about it being slow so I was prepared but once you got pass that part that’s where things get real good.
I loved the characters the writing the emotion that was felt I read from each characters pov. It was hard not to feel sympathetic towards certain characters once I heard from their pov.
It would be good if there was a another book that continues the story. The ending didn't feel like an ending.
Overall this was a great read for me.
I loved the characters the writing the emotion that was felt I read from each characters pov. It was hard not to feel sympathetic towards certain characters once I heard from their pov.
It would be good if there was a another book that continues the story. The ending didn't feel like an ending.
Overall this was a great read for me.
January 22, 2021
What a great read and a way to end the series! I feel in love with the love and redemption in this book! The way that she tied in other women that struggled
with relationships with their mothers! I've been searching for a part 3... lol Nothing short of amazing!
with relationships with their mothers! I've been searching for a part 3... lol Nothing short of amazing!
October 25, 2021
Family
I honestly haven't read anything as engaging and dimensional than this book. The story transcends over 3 generations with the curse finally being broken in the end. This book is encouraging, relatable, ploy twisting and emotional. A must read from this author.
I honestly haven't read anything as engaging and dimensional than this book. The story transcends over 3 generations with the curse finally being broken in the end. This book is encouraging, relatable, ploy twisting and emotional. A must read from this author.
August 24, 2022
This was such a good book. I could definitely relate to these characters. This story and Rhythms really touched my heart. It makes me wonder if Sam and Celeste will have their own story as well as Leslie.
May 14, 2018
A good emotional read. I read it two years ago, four years after my mother passed. (She would have been 80 tomorrow.) Good for anyone contemplating family secrets.
November 7, 2018
Good sequel to the first book Rhythms. I enjoyed both and really liked the ending!
April 2, 2019
A little confusing for me @ first but enjoying the read
Want to read
October 27, 2025Sequel to Rhythms
September 29, 2024
So interesting that Hill finished the storyline from 'Rhythms' nine years later and with a different publisher. Also it isn't necessarily marketed as a duology which is a shame as it is such a good one!
As the 2nd book after 'Rhythms' I adored how Hill finished the story while weaving in some new characters too. As the sequal i would easily rate this 4.5⭐. However I don't believe those that skip reading 'Rhythms' first will rate it as highly...simply because they aren't as invested in the characters.
As the 2nd book after 'Rhythms' I adored how Hill finished the story while weaving in some new characters too. As the sequal i would easily rate this 4.5⭐. However I don't believe those that skip reading 'Rhythms' first will rate it as highly...simply because they aren't as invested in the characters.
October 4, 2013
What Mother Never Told Me was first published in trade paperback back in 2010, and it is only now that it is reissued in mass market paperback. I didn't realize until after I've started reading that this book is a re-telling of the author's older story Rhythms. What can I say? I didn't really remember much of the previous book until things in this book make me go, "Hey, this seems a bit familiar..." and check out my review of Rhythms. Don't judge me, please - that book came out in 2002.
This is not a sequel to that book, it's the same story, retold in a different narrative format. Where the previous book goes from one generation to another, this one has the same story unfold through the eyes of Parris McKay, with a little bonus of throwaway side plots involving her BFFs that don't actually have much to do with the main plot.
Oh, and reading the review of Rhythms will spoil this book for you, as, due to the narrative format, the elements that were present early in that book are revealed only late in this book. Be careful!
Parris, an unsigned but talented singer, discovers after the death of her grandmother Cora that her mother Emma is still alive. Oh no, is her entire life a lie? Flailing dramatically, she rushes to Paris to seek out her mother, who pretends to the household help so that she can avoid ugly confrontations with Parris. Meanwhile, Parris's new BFF cheats on her white boyfriend with a black guy - the race of those guys matters here because the author brings it up - but that's okay because the white boyfriend is also cheating on her so... er, hurray for everything!
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this one better if I hadn't read Rhythms. I had the same issue here as I did with that book: the women make so much of their personal drama with one another, but are so quickly to forgive that it often seems like these women are just being unnecessarily melodramatic for the sake of putting on a show. These women could have avoided a lot of trouble if they would stop being so much of a martyr. Cora kept silent even when her silence cost her those she loved... and for what? Edwina flails around in helpless silence until she nearly loses those she loves... and again, for what? Parris is just as melodramatic - oh no, so-and-so is not her blood relative, so it doesn't matter whether she was loved in the past; everything is a lie and her life is ruined. Insert a high-pitched dramatic "No!" here.
At the same time, the men are put on a bizarrely high pedestal. Those who abandoned their women in those women's time of need, due to their own bruised ego and refusal to communicate, aren't forgiven because there is not even any need of forgiveness. Their actions were never portrayed as wrong, as it is the women's fault. In a way, yes, the women's stubborn determination to martyr themselves brought a lot of anguish onto themselves. But that doesn't mean those men were right to do what they did. There is no black and white in such situations, and yet, the author attempts to portray them in just such a way. This results in the unfortunate implication that the sins are the women's alone to bear.
This "guys can't do wrong because we love them" point of view is to such an extent that Parris doesn't even ask her grandfather about her family secrets when the man is knee-deep in the smelly stuff and I learn in the end that he does know many of the answers Parris is seeking. Parris is too busy trying to understand why her mother and her grandmother wronged her, after all, and it is surely inconceivable that her grandfather may know something about her grandmother's relationship with Parris's mother!
There is also a very annoying tendency for the author to switch points of view from paragraph to paragraph whenever there is more than one character in a scene. Things get even more muddled up when these characters speak and I often find myself pausing in the midst of reading to determine who is speaking what. I get seasick after a while, and I soon start to wish that everyone in this story would just stay in his or her room and communicate via emails and text messages.
I'm not sure why the author wrote What Mother Never Told Me when Rhythms is still in print, but it makes sense that I have the same issues with the plot of this book as I did with that other book. I find this one less readable due to the crazy head hopping, however, and the pointless subplots involving the useless BFFs only take up space here. The whole thing is an annoying kind of pointlessness, really.
This is not a sequel to that book, it's the same story, retold in a different narrative format. Where the previous book goes from one generation to another, this one has the same story unfold through the eyes of Parris McKay, with a little bonus of throwaway side plots involving her BFFs that don't actually have much to do with the main plot.
Oh, and reading the review of Rhythms will spoil this book for you, as, due to the narrative format, the elements that were present early in that book are revealed only late in this book. Be careful!
Parris, an unsigned but talented singer, discovers after the death of her grandmother Cora that her mother Emma is still alive. Oh no, is her entire life a lie? Flailing dramatically, she rushes to Paris to seek out her mother, who pretends to the household help so that she can avoid ugly confrontations with Parris. Meanwhile, Parris's new BFF cheats on her white boyfriend with a black guy - the race of those guys matters here because the author brings it up - but that's okay because the white boyfriend is also cheating on her so... er, hurray for everything!
Perhaps I would have enjoyed this one better if I hadn't read Rhythms. I had the same issue here as I did with that book: the women make so much of their personal drama with one another, but are so quickly to forgive that it often seems like these women are just being unnecessarily melodramatic for the sake of putting on a show. These women could have avoided a lot of trouble if they would stop being so much of a martyr. Cora kept silent even when her silence cost her those she loved... and for what? Edwina flails around in helpless silence until she nearly loses those she loves... and again, for what? Parris is just as melodramatic - oh no, so-and-so is not her blood relative, so it doesn't matter whether she was loved in the past; everything is a lie and her life is ruined. Insert a high-pitched dramatic "No!" here.
At the same time, the men are put on a bizarrely high pedestal. Those who abandoned their women in those women's time of need, due to their own bruised ego and refusal to communicate, aren't forgiven because there is not even any need of forgiveness. Their actions were never portrayed as wrong, as it is the women's fault. In a way, yes, the women's stubborn determination to martyr themselves brought a lot of anguish onto themselves. But that doesn't mean those men were right to do what they did. There is no black and white in such situations, and yet, the author attempts to portray them in just such a way. This results in the unfortunate implication that the sins are the women's alone to bear.
This "guys can't do wrong because we love them" point of view is to such an extent that Parris doesn't even ask her grandfather about her family secrets when the man is knee-deep in the smelly stuff and I learn in the end that he does know many of the answers Parris is seeking. Parris is too busy trying to understand why her mother and her grandmother wronged her, after all, and it is surely inconceivable that her grandfather may know something about her grandmother's relationship with Parris's mother!
There is also a very annoying tendency for the author to switch points of view from paragraph to paragraph whenever there is more than one character in a scene. Things get even more muddled up when these characters speak and I often find myself pausing in the midst of reading to determine who is speaking what. I get seasick after a while, and I soon start to wish that everyone in this story would just stay in his or her room and communicate via emails and text messages.
I'm not sure why the author wrote What Mother Never Told Me when Rhythms is still in print, but it makes sense that I have the same issues with the plot of this book as I did with that other book. I find this one less readable due to the crazy head hopping, however, and the pointless subplots involving the useless BFFs only take up space here. The whole thing is an annoying kind of pointlessness, really.
July 15, 2016
This book was a real tearjerker.....it was slow to start but when it got going it was truly amazing. Parris Mckay grows up in Rudell, MS raised by her grandparents after her mother's demise....or so she thought. Her grandmother revealed on her death bed, a secret that would reveal generations of lies and deceit. Paris decides to use the information she was given to go and see if her Mother, Emma, is still alive and if so, to get the answers that will heal her broken soul. Along her journey she finds an unorthodox friend in Celeste....a bougie uppercrest rich girl, trying to find real meaning in her life and a friendship is forged between her, Celeste, and Celeste's best friend Leslie. As different as they all are, they all had one common denominator in their lives....strained relationships (or none at all) with their Mothers. This story accurately depicts how the past can shape us...and also how secrets can destroy people and families. It also shows the power of forgiveness and how the truth, however bad, has the power to heal us all. I will be reading more work by Ms. Hill for sure!
July 24, 2015
This book is about love, deception and the need for acceptance. Parris McKay loves to sing and ventures to New York, only returning to Ruddell MS when the grandmother who raised her passes away. After the funeral her grandfather gives her a letter from her deceased grandmother. Everything for Parris has changed - the mother she thought was dead is alive and living in
Paris France.
Parris makes the decision to seek her out, not knowing what she will find. She just know that she needs answers. She has made friends of Leslie and Celeste who also have issues with their own mothers. This book was riveting and shows how our pasts can shape and define us, as well as hold us back.
I don't know how I missed this book when it came out, but Donna Hill did a superb job with this compelling story.
Paris France.
Parris makes the decision to seek her out, not knowing what she will find. She just know that she needs answers. She has made friends of Leslie and Celeste who also have issues with their own mothers. This book was riveting and shows how our pasts can shape and define us, as well as hold us back.
I don't know how I missed this book when it came out, but Donna Hill did a superb job with this compelling story.
September 18, 2013
great book about mother daughter relationships and how it brought these women together with a suprise ending.
"There were no words to explain the wretched emotion of realizing that in the light of the eyes of the woman who gave you life, you had value."
"Do you know what it feels like to not know who you are - why you are? Do you know what it feels like to have your own mother look at you with emptiness and shame?"
"Those who rely soley on looks rather than talent or some manner of skill were eventually doomed to obsolescence".
"The need for love and acceptance is a powerful thing. It, like water, like air, nurtures us. We live and feed off of it and when it is denied, we wither and die - at least inside"
"There were no words to explain the wretched emotion of realizing that in the light of the eyes of the woman who gave you life, you had value."
"Do you know what it feels like to not know who you are - why you are? Do you know what it feels like to have your own mother look at you with emptiness and shame?"
"Those who rely soley on looks rather than talent or some manner of skill were eventually doomed to obsolescence".
"The need for love and acceptance is a powerful thing. It, like water, like air, nurtures us. We live and feed off of it and when it is denied, we wither and die - at least inside"
May 10, 2011
This was quite a lovely tie up of one of my favorite novels of all time Rhythms. The timeline is askew abit from when Rhythms ended but i guess thats what happens when a book takes a 10+yr break.
It was not as emotional for me, but all teh emotion was tehre on teh pages of what Parris, Emma and Cora went through. The introduction of Leslie and Celeste made the book more modern and added soem more stories.
I especially love how every thing is tied up in the ending, and I must say it was one of the nicest fairytale endngs I've seen in a long while. Great sequel.
It was not as emotional for me, but all teh emotion was tehre on teh pages of what Parris, Emma and Cora went through. The introduction of Leslie and Celeste made the book more modern and added soem more stories.
I especially love how every thing is tied up in the ending, and I must say it was one of the nicest fairytale endngs I've seen in a long while. Great sequel.
Read
January 1, 2014Love this book!
For years Rhythms has been my favorite book, but when the story was over I was hungry to know the rest of the story. This was the perfect sequel. This book brings the story of 4 generations of strong women full circle with an ending that leaves me thoroughly satisfied! Great read!
For years Rhythms has been my favorite book, but when the story was over I was hungry to know the rest of the story. This was the perfect sequel. This book brings the story of 4 generations of strong women full circle with an ending that leaves me thoroughly satisfied! Great read!
June 19, 2014
Do you need to know who you are? Is it important for mothers to be open and honest about parents? Can mother/daughter relationships be restored? This book is an excellent read that can lead to a great discussion about openness, forgiveness and moving forward.
September 29, 2016
Beautiful!!
Seriously, I didn't realize this was a harlequin novel, they're usually cheesy to me. This book was so good! So well written, and the story line so relatable. I'm so glad I took the time to read this. Kudos Ms Hill!
Seriously, I didn't realize this was a harlequin novel, they're usually cheesy to me. This book was so good! So well written, and the story line so relatable. I'm so glad I took the time to read this. Kudos Ms Hill!
Want to read
March 4, 2010Just got it in the mail. After I straighten out this reading list I will be getting all into it.
July 14, 2010
I really enjoyed this book. In fact, it helped me learn something about myself and the legacy I have received from my mohter and the legacy I hope to leave for my daughter. What a powerful lesson.
January 10, 2011
A interesting story of one womans quest for her true identity, the mysterious motivations of her relatives regarding her birth and her path towards acceptance of true love.
July 6, 2011
Outstanding, beautifully written novel with a wonderful twist at the end. Sadly, they just don't write them like this anymore.
abondoned-never-finished
December 28, 2014Too romancy for me.
July 17, 2013
Beautiful Story...great for people who see color as a barrier for them...would be a good read of enlightment
December 22, 2014
I absolutely loved this book. I hope we will be able to find out if Emma and Michael reconciled and if Parris and Michael ever met.
July 24, 2015
I'm on a roll... Several good books in a row..
January 29, 2012
The writing was very basic...read like a soap opera-type book. It had no "substance".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews