Sherri Wood Emmons
and her father, Brannon, have been nomads for years, traveling from job to job, state to state, Along the way, there have been a string of women, including Jenny's mother who died when she was, Jenny is hoping that Emma is the one who stays, Things are looking good when they both are able to convince Brannon to take the permanent position he is offered at the Amazon warehouse in Kentucky, Emma gets a job at the diner and Jenny gets to go to school, When Emma becomes pregnant, they get married, rent a house and settle into a new, more permanent life, Until Jenny starts going through her father's boxes in the attic and finds items that he said he didn't have, like photos of her mother, and other items that he shouldn't have, like the driver license of every woman that came after Jenny's mom died.
Jenny and her friend at school start to do some google searches and find thatof the women have been found dead andare reported missing, Emma and Jenny escape in the middle of the night and head to a shelter, This is where the story starts to fall off a bit for me, They reunite with Jenny's grandmother and try to find Brannon's younger sister who was adopted after their parent's deaths, When they find her she confirms that their mother was abusive and that Brannon protected her from the bullies in foster care, So we are lead to believe that that explains Brannon's behavior, he is just protecting Jenny from the bullying women that he brought home, It didn't really line up for me but for the most part I liked the story, Too predictable, amp not wellwritten I have just got to give this full, I was captivated by this read right from page one,
I expected something completely different to what I got! It was so much better than what I imagined it to be,
Here we have a little girl who lives in the trailer with her Father, They travel from town to town, city to city as he goes where the work is,
Winter time, Summer time they go to the lock up where he stores their clothes for each seasons needs,
When he meets a girl in a diner and they 'hit it off' it doesn't take long before he moves her in,
His daughter is used to his 'friends' and non of them stay that long,
There are so many twists in this story that you will get dizzy, I tell you, this is one book you don't want to miss,
I'm laid up in bed at the moment and I finished this withinhours even though it said on my Kindle it will take mehours, its a superb story.
I was given this book to read and review from Kensington Books Via Net galley who I would like to thank, The ending all tied up a little too neatly for my taste, but it was an interesting book, Read a bit like a James Patterson novel, short chapters, the narrative alternating back and forth between characters, Gives you that anxious feeling, I just read a poetic classic, the writing style paled by comparison, I was having an introvert weekend and read this book in just one day, It's a slightly predictable suspense thriller type novel, A man travels around, doing seasonal work, and is a devoted dad to his daughter, whom he homeschools, The narration flips between the girl and a woman who meets them while they all work at a campground one summer, He convinces her to drop her life and go away with him, Although the girl, Jenny, is justand the woman, Emma, is an adult, Emma's narration is the most naive as we learn secrets about everyone's pasts, I enjoyed it a lot, enough to read it all at oncebut the ending and premise were so duh predictable, I wavered between rating it a three or a four, but I'll be nice and rate up, I really didn't expect this to be a mystery, I'm not quite sure what I expected it to be, It picked up in the last third but the first/was fairly slow and a little dull, Not a bad read but not a favorite, Totally predictable from the very first pages, so you read it knowing the entire thing ahead of time, What's going to happen how it will happen who it happens, to, etc, Stock characters and situations which have been written about or filmed for TV/movies dozens of times, Not that I don't think there is anything wrong with 'tropes' and their repeated use, This happens with almost all books, films, TV episodes, etc, but most writers put their own spin on things and make what is old and predictable new and different, This wasn't true about this book, I skimmed through the lastpages, reading here and there, . .
In summation, I was very disappointed,
I received a copy of this book through the goodreads giveaway program, Oh boy, was this fun, The story is told alternately by Emma grown young woman with downright yucky childhood and Jenny the well loved daughter of a peripatetic single father, This book becomes creepy like a Gillian Flynn story but you don't realize it until you've settled into what you think is a sweet personal drama of growth and exploration.
It creeps up on you like a masterful mugger, Then in an uncanny series of events, the spineless become superheroes and the beloved become poison, It's all in their eyes,
This is a great book to check out of the real world into a fine escape that will occupy your mind until the last page, Unexpected themes
Emmons's novel starts out as a slow burn, She packs as many issues into this novel as are packed into most complex lives and there were times I wondered where exactly the plot was going.
With so much going on, the novel could have taken many different directions before it settled down to become what it was, I admire Emmons's writing style, It wasn't atmospheric and it didn't go into huge descriptions about setting, Emmons strength of writing is definitely show, don't tell, By the second half of the novel the reader knows exactly what is happening, but suspense is built through the knowing, Themes of cultism, racism, religion, issues about class, and of course predominantly issues about abuse are interwoven throughout with expert skill, I fell in love with Emma and Jenny, the two protagonists, who's POV alternates with each chapter, There are stereotypical experiences in the story but Emmons works hard to flesh them out and I think she is mostly successful, I was most surprised by Emma and Jenny's experience with the nuns, when Sister Theresa asks Emma if she's had a bad church experience, For me, it was such an unexpected moment in this novel, that it definitely resonated how life can be fragile, harsh, beautiful, and totally unexpected, Although it starts as a slow burn, the novel really heats up into a crescendo of suspense that is painful and yet believable, A young girl searches for a mother's love amid unfolding secrets, in this riveting and emotionally complex novel from acclaimed author Sherri Wood Emmons,
A good curve ball but still a curve ball, Not that I was having any problems reading this book but when this happened I read even faster, All I am going to say about this surprise is never under estimate a parent's love for their child,
I loved Jenny, She was a doll. To see her grow up in front of my eyes in this story was fun, Although, she seemed like an old soul already when I first met her, Emma on the other hand was a nice addition, She started out a quiet, church
mouse but by the end of the story she had blossomed until a rose with thorns, The author did a good job of infusing life into the characters that I grew attached to them and their story, The Seventh Mother is a worthy read and worth your money, Loved this book. So many secrets, it is a must read, I liked the premise of the story, but the "plot twist" seemed very obvious to me from an early point in the game, The woman in this story is naive and the red flags were overwhelming, but that's most of America, It was worth the read, but it will likely be forgettable, Picked this up from the library on a whim, Okay, so this is the senior's equivalent of picking up a hot guy at a bar when you've had a few, Bad idea.
I alternated between boredom and eye rolls, This one had more holes than plot, Major end of story spoiler that I guessed about page:
I skimread it in about an hour and a half, Wasted time. The extra star is because the two main characters were sort of likable,
Content: PG warning, I can't figure this book out, It's written at a middlegrade level but there are oddly explicit sexual elements, . . not to mention murder that are quite disturbing. I liked it. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible either,
I found the storyline to be predictable, but it was still an enjoyable read, You know what is going to happen, but you read it anyway to see how the author gets to that point you are waiting for,
Nothing noteworthy comes to mind about this book, No good or bad things that stuck in my brain,
I liked the characters Emma wasn't a bimbo and I really liked the way the story was told between Emma's point of view and then Jenny's.
It was also really convenient to read a couple of pages and be at the next chapter so fast, It makes fitting in reading time much easier, I don't like interrupting myself in the middle of the events if I can help it, I like reading until a page break or chapter ends,
First time reading this author and I'll probably pick up another, .
Jenny and her friend at school start to do some google searches and find thatof the women have been found dead andare reported missing, Emma and Jenny escape in the middle of the night and head to a shelter, This is where the story starts to fall off a bit for me, They reunite with Jenny's grandmother and try to find Brannon's younger sister who was adopted after their parent's deaths, When they find her she confirms that their mother was abusive and that Brannon protected her from the bullies in foster care, So we are lead to believe that that explains Brannon's behavior, he is just protecting Jenny from the bullying women that he brought home, It didn't really line up for me but for the most part I liked the story, Too predictable, amp not wellwritten I have just got to give this full, I was captivated by this read right from page one,
I expected something completely different to what I got! It was so much better than what I imagined it to be,
Here we have a little girl who lives in the trailer with her Father, They travel from town to town, city to city as he goes where the work is,
Winter time, Summer time they go to the lock up where he stores their clothes for each seasons needs,
When he meets a girl in a diner and they 'hit it off' it doesn't take long before he moves her in,
His daughter is used to his 'friends' and non of them stay that long,
There are so many twists in this story that you will get dizzy, I tell you, this is one book you don't want to miss,
I'm laid up in bed at the moment and I finished this withinhours even though it said on my Kindle it will take mehours, its a superb story.
I was given this book to read and review from Kensington Books Via Net galley who I would like to thank, The ending all tied up a little too neatly for my taste, but it was an interesting book, Read a bit like a James Patterson novel, short chapters, the narrative alternating back and forth between characters, Gives you that anxious feeling, I just read a poetic classic, the writing style paled by comparison, I was having an introvert weekend and read this book in just one day, It's a slightly predictable suspense thriller type novel, A man travels around, doing seasonal work, and is a devoted dad to his daughter, whom he homeschools, The narration flips between the girl and a woman who meets them while they all work at a campground one summer, He convinces her to drop her life and go away with him, Although the girl, Jenny, is justand the woman, Emma, is an adult, Emma's narration is the most naive as we learn secrets about everyone's pasts, I enjoyed it a lot, enough to read it all at oncebut the ending and premise were so duh predictable, I wavered between rating it a three or a four, but I'll be nice and rate up, I really didn't expect this to be a mystery, I'm not quite sure what I expected it to be, It picked up in the last third but the first/was fairly slow and a little dull, Not a bad read but not a favorite, Totally predictable from the very first pages, so you read it knowing the entire thing ahead of time, What's going to happen how it will happen who it happens, to, etc, Stock characters and situations which have been written about or filmed for TV/movies dozens of times, Not that I don't think there is anything wrong with 'tropes' and their repeated use, This happens with almost all books, films, TV episodes, etc, but most writers put their own spin on things and make what is old and predictable new and different, This wasn't true about this book, I skimmed through the lastpages, reading here and there, . .
In summation, I was very disappointed,
I received a copy of this book through the goodreads giveaway program, Oh boy, was this fun, The story is told alternately by Emma grown young woman with downright yucky childhood and Jenny the well loved daughter of a peripatetic single father, This book becomes creepy like a Gillian Flynn story but you don't realize it until you've settled into what you think is a sweet personal drama of growth and exploration.
It creeps up on you like a masterful mugger, Then in an uncanny series of events, the spineless become superheroes and the beloved become poison, It's all in their eyes,
This is a great book to check out of the real world into a fine escape that will occupy your mind until the last page, Unexpected themes
Emmons's novel starts out as a slow burn, She packs as many issues into this novel as are packed into most complex lives and there were times I wondered where exactly the plot was going.
With so much going on, the novel could have taken many different directions before it settled down to become what it was, I admire Emmons's writing style, It wasn't atmospheric and it didn't go into huge descriptions about setting, Emmons strength of writing is definitely show, don't tell, By the second half of the novel the reader knows exactly what is happening, but suspense is built through the knowing, Themes of cultism, racism, religion, issues about class, and of course predominantly issues about abuse are interwoven throughout with expert skill, I fell in love with Emma and Jenny, the two protagonists, who's POV alternates with each chapter, There are stereotypical experiences in the story but Emmons works hard to flesh them out and I think she is mostly successful, I was most surprised by Emma and Jenny's experience with the nuns, when Sister Theresa asks Emma if she's had a bad church experience, For me, it was such an unexpected moment in this novel, that it definitely resonated how life can be fragile, harsh, beautiful, and totally unexpected, Although it starts as a slow burn, the novel really heats up into a crescendo of suspense that is painful and yet believable, A young girl searches for a mother's love amid unfolding secrets, in this riveting and emotionally complex novel from acclaimed author Sherri Wood Emmons,
The summer that her father falls in love with Emma, Jenny Bohner is just turning eleven, Jenny was three when her mother died, and since then Brannon Bohner has traveled with his daughter from one seasonal job to another, picking up girlfriends along the way.
Cara, Ami, Trishall were sweet and kind, but none ever stayed for long, Somehow Emma is different, traveling with them from Idaho to Kentucky, filling Jenny with hopes of a real family at last,
Emma's warmth and optimism are contagious, defusing Brannon's flashes of temper and making their first weeks together everything Jenny has dreamed of, Yet something still troubles her, surfacing through years of memoriestempting her from within boxes Jenny has been told never to touch, filled with hidden mementoes from long ago.
And somewhere among them Jenny will find answers that compel her to choosebetween the home she longs for, the love she craves, and the hard truth she can no longer ignore.
. .
Praise for the novels of Sherri Wood Emmons
The Weight of Small Things
"Emmons writes beautifully about women, friendship and choices, and engagingly chronicles the long friendship that becomes a mutual lifeline.
" The Sunday Star Ledger
The Sometimes Daughter
"Emmons has a keen grasp of the difficulties of motherdaughter dynamics, . . an intimate story. " Publishers Weekly
"Teens who appreciated Lauren Myracle's Bliss or autobiographies by Augusten Burroughs and Jeannette Walls of dysfunctional family survivors should also enjoy this novel.
" School Library Journal
Prayers and Lies
"A rich story of the triumph of love and decency, " Sandra Dallas, author of Prayers for Sale
"A strong debut, . . Emmons has a rich voice that pairs well with the earthy setting, . . and the characters are wonderfully drawn, " Publishers Weekly
"Surely Sherri Wood Emmons is the freshest new voice I've read in a long while, Read Prayers and Lies, and hold on tight! You are in for an unforgettable literary ride!" Ann Hood, author of The Red Thread
Ok, so this story threw a curve ball at me towards about midway.A good curve ball but still a curve ball, Not that I was having any problems reading this book but when this happened I read even faster, All I am going to say about this surprise is never under estimate a parent's love for their child,
I loved Jenny, She was a doll. To see her grow up in front of my eyes in this story was fun, Although, she seemed like an old soul already when I first met her, Emma on the other hand was a nice addition, She started out a quiet, church
mouse but by the end of the story she had blossomed until a rose with thorns, The author did a good job of infusing life into the characters that I grew attached to them and their story, The Seventh Mother is a worthy read and worth your money, Loved this book. So many secrets, it is a must read, I liked the premise of the story, but the "plot twist" seemed very obvious to me from an early point in the game, The woman in this story is naive and the red flags were overwhelming, but that's most of America, It was worth the read, but it will likely be forgettable, Picked this up from the library on a whim, Okay, so this is the senior's equivalent of picking up a hot guy at a bar when you've had a few, Bad idea.
I alternated between boredom and eye rolls, This one had more holes than plot, Major end of story spoiler that I guessed about page:
I skimread it in about an hour and a half, Wasted time. The extra star is because the two main characters were sort of likable,
Content: PG warning, I can't figure this book out, It's written at a middlegrade level but there are oddly explicit sexual elements, . . not to mention murder that are quite disturbing. I liked it. It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't terrible either,
I found the storyline to be predictable, but it was still an enjoyable read, You know what is going to happen, but you read it anyway to see how the author gets to that point you are waiting for,
Nothing noteworthy comes to mind about this book, No good or bad things that stuck in my brain,
I liked the characters Emma wasn't a bimbo and I really liked the way the story was told between Emma's point of view and then Jenny's.
It was also really convenient to read a couple of pages and be at the next chapter so fast, It makes fitting in reading time much easier, I don't like interrupting myself in the middle of the events if I can help it, I like reading until a page break or chapter ends,
First time reading this author and I'll probably pick up another, .