Fiction

The School for Good Mothers

The School for Good Mothers

  • Downloads：4881
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-14 06:52:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jessamine Chan
  • ISBN：1529151333
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

'We have your daughter'

Frida Liu is a struggling mother。 She remembers taking Harriet from her cot and changing her nappy。 She remembers giving her a morning bottle。 They'd been up since four am。

Frida just had to finish the article in front of her。 But she'd left a file on her desk at work。 What would happen if she retrieved it and came back in an hour？ She was so sure it would be okay。

Now， the state has decided that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter。 That she must be re-trained。 Soon， mothers everywhere will be re-educated。 Will their mistakes cost them everything？

The School for Good Mothers is an explosive and thrilling novel about love and the pressures of perfectionism， parenthood and privilege。

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Reviews

Marci Melton ，

This book was captivating and I couldn’t put it down。 It was disturbing and intriguing。 I had many emotions and reactions as I read each chapter， several deep conversations with one of my teen sons about how disturbing dystopian literature can be。 We talked about the judgement put on the women by society and by each other。 The fragility of the relationships and how quickly the women could turn on one another。 The difference in how the men were treated and treated one another， the standards and r This book was captivating and I couldn’t put it down。 It was disturbing and intriguing。 I had many emotions and reactions as I read each chapter， several deep conversations with one of my teen sons about how disturbing dystopian literature can be。 We talked about the judgement put on the women by society and by each other。 The fragility of the relationships and how quickly the women could turn on one another。 The difference in how the men were treated and treated one another， the standards and rules placed on them…The desperation， guilt， shame… this book will stick with me， very dark and disturbing with hints of hope， without spoilers， dark and disturbing far out weighs hope so I’m on the fence with number of stars。 While it was clearly engaging and well written （ I did read it in a weekend） it is too disturbing to me to give it five stars。 Heartbreaking is a good word for it。 。。。more

Rachel ，

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book and how to rate it。 It was very disturbing， yet creative and interesting。 I won’t soon forget this story - maybe in a bad way 🤷‍♀️。 I couldn’t stop reading it， even though I wanted to at times。

Lia Preyde ，

This book started with such intensity， worthy of the premise。 The rest of the story that followed was really emotionally flat， particularly in contrast to the subject matter。 I kept reading primarily to find out what happens at the end， which is mostly Frida learning nothing。 I don’t understand what I was supposed to get from this。

Sarah Van Wagenen ，

Emotionally moving and definitely poses big/heavy questions about CPS， taking children away from parents， and the process of reunification。 I only ended up reading about half of it。 There was too much heavy language and sex details for my taste。 I do think the premise was interesting and gave me insight into how hard it would be for a mother to be separated from her child by government officials。 Having worked in this system， I will say the book over dramatizes what could happen and there’s a wh Emotionally moving and definitely poses big/heavy questions about CPS， taking children away from parents， and the process of reunification。 I only ended up reading about half of it。 There was too much heavy language and sex details for my taste。 I do think the premise was interesting and gave me insight into how hard it would be for a mother to be separated from her child by government officials。 Having worked in this system， I will say the book over dramatizes what could happen and there’s a whole different system in place for reforming mothers/parents whose children have been taken away。 It’s not meant to be an example of what does happen so much as brings up questions about whether something like this could ever actually happen。 。。。more

Deborah Muller ，

Very creepy concept -- almost Handmaid's Tale-esqu -- of how parents， particularly mothers， are held to some almost unattainable level of performance as a parent。 For such a short book （a bit over 300 pages） it took me a really long time to get through it -- many of the chapters felt like the previous ones。 Still a worthy read in terms of thinking about social worker overreach in terms of parenting。 Very creepy concept -- almost Handmaid's Tale-esqu -- of how parents， particularly mothers， are held to some almost unattainable level of performance as a parent。 For such a short book （a bit over 300 pages） it took me a really long time to get through it -- many of the chapters felt like the previous ones。 Still a worthy read in terms of thinking about social worker overreach in terms of parenting。 。。。more

Jennifer Reierson ，

I feel so disturbed after reading this book。 Frida has what she calls “a very bad day”—she leaves her 1 yo daughter at home alone while she runs to the office， gets caught up in work， and doesn’t realize what she’s done until she’s called by the police。 She’s sent to the school for bad mothers， a year long program that’s meant to rehabilitate mothers that have shown neglect。 A very dystopian story and I’ll need to decompress for a bit after this。

Linda Fulghum ，

Bleak with few bright spots。 Parenting is hard enough。 But kept my interest until the end

Linda Lesser ，

Since it got a good recommendation I read the whole thingI think premise was ridiculous。 Yes， frida was negligent but a year of not seeing her daughter and playing with robot doll instead。 Stupid

Tamara Moura ，

I WANT TO RATE THIS HIGHER BUT LOWER AT THE SAME TIME BC WTF！！！！ Like my emotions were so heightened esp towards the end but…。 I needed more closure 🥲🥲 like what happens next ！！！ ？？ Smh

Kasia ，

I’m stunned， shaken and in tears… this is a new classic！

Jan Lynch ，

"A mother who is in harmony with her child， who understands her place in her child's life and her role in society， is never lonely。 Through caring for her child， all her needs are fulfilled" （200）。 Reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale， Klara and the Sun， and The Giver， The School for Good Mothers offers sharp insights into American motherhood。 Chan explores the biased application of child protection services based on race and income， the different standards mothers and father are held to， and the "A mother who is in harmony with her child， who understands her place in her child's life and her role in society， is never lonely。 Through caring for her child， all her needs are fulfilled" （200）。 Reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale， Klara and the Sun， and The Giver， The School for Good Mothers offers sharp insights into American motherhood。 Chan explores the biased application of child protection services based on race and income， the different standards mothers and father are held to， and the impossibility of conforming to unhealthy standards。 The story moves smoothly， almost glides; Frida， the mother whose bad day costs her so very much， is relatable and fully drawn; the writing is precise and disciplined; the level of explanation is perfect。 Chan resists the temptation to spell everything out， offering just enough detail and trusting her reader to reach conclusions。 This debut novel reads like a classic。 It holds its own with the best of dystopian fiction。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Jessica Hill ，

I had a hard time rating this book， because I can’t really decide how much I “liked” it but I couldn’t put it down。 As is common in many dystopian novels， it was both disturbing and highly intriguing。 However it is certainly one that I will continue to think about

Ayun Halliday ，

Couldn't help thinking of the old commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter cups。。。 "Hey！ You got your Orange is the New Black in my Handmaid's Tale！" This is not a criticism， though the collision did feel kind of stale in certain chapters。I liked the evolving relationship between Frida and the AI doll she's assigned at the School for Good Mothers。 I liked how accurately the AI dolls mimicked actual children's behavior （and thus， by extension， Jessamine Chan's observations of the predictable/unpredic Couldn't help thinking of the old commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter cups。。。 "Hey！ You got your Orange is the New Black in my Handmaid's Tale！" This is not a criticism， though the collision did feel kind of stale in certain chapters。I liked the evolving relationship between Frida and the AI doll she's assigned at the School for Good Mothers。 I liked how accurately the AI dolls mimicked actual children's behavior （and thus， by extension， Jessamine Chan's observations of the predictable/unpredictable way kids act in high tension situations where their behavior will be seen to reflect - usually poorly - on their mothers。）I liked Frida's maddening interactions with the sanctimonious， all-natural younger woman who her husband has taken up with， how it eats at her knowing she's being judged by someone who has less parenting experience， but seems to be doing everything Instagram-right。 And I really dug the ending。 。。。more

Maggie ，

3。5 stars。 This book was really slow at the start for me。 Part of me finished just to find out how it ended， but the other part of me was really fascinated with the dystopian take on mom-habilitation and the ripple effect it has for everyone involved。 It was hard not to get fired up with the events that take place， regardless of my child status （or lack thereof）。 Great writing。

Sarah ，

This book is definitely overhyped！ I found it very drawn out and boring

Melissa Wagner ，

I would consider this book a little dystopian in nature。 3。5 stars would probably be more accurate。 Some things I liked: you knew what the story was base upon almost immediately。 There is a mention of mental illness and pressure on single mothers to do it all。 The book clearly outlines the disparity between being a mom and being a dad， highlights the way society judges moms and dads differently。 Some things I didn’t like: the strange premise of the story and the overall unfairness of the situati I would consider this book a little dystopian in nature。 3。5 stars would probably be more accurate。 Some things I liked: you knew what the story was base upon almost immediately。 There is a mention of mental illness and pressure on single mothers to do it all。 The book clearly outlines the disparity between being a mom and being a dad， highlights the way society judges moms and dads differently。 Some things I didn’t like: the strange premise of the story and the overall unfairness of the situation （basically the punishment didn’t fit the crime）， but I realize that is part of the story。 Basically the underlying hopelessness of the entire storyline was tough to get through at times。 If you like the idea of chaotic dystopian societies， I would recommend。 I don’t think it’s for everyone。 It does give you food for thought on the way the Justice system works and how it would look “changed up”， with more severe punishment for those that are deemed “unfit” 。。。more

Terri ，

Well。。。。1st this book made me so mad at the way the parents were treated & how the social workers were portrayed， so unrealistic。 Then， I just wanted the book to be over because it was just kept going on and on and on！ No excitement， no climax。I don't get what the hype was all about。 I should've DNFed it halfway through！ Well。。。。1st this book made me so mad at the way the parents were treated & how the social workers were portrayed， so unrealistic。 Then， I just wanted the book to be over because it was just kept going on and on and on！ No excitement， no climax。I don't get what the hype was all about。 I should've DNFed it halfway through！ 。。。more

Brittany （bookbuzzing） ，

Great premise and writing but it dragged a bit。 Definitely an agitating read。 The main observation of society's scrutiny of mothers is relevant and valid。 Needed more world building to understand why there were dramatic changes in the government / CPS。 I had sooo many questions and felt the lack of context & backstory contributed to my disconnect。 Great premise and writing but it dragged a bit。 Definitely an agitating read。 The main observation of society's scrutiny of mothers is relevant and valid。 Needed more world building to understand why there were dramatic changes in the government / CPS。 I had sooo many questions and felt the lack of context & backstory contributed to my disconnect。 。。。more

Alexia ，

Pointless exercise in misery。 Good if you want to get really mad at unfairness but not actually written very compellingly。 It’s all very dry and flat; “thing happened。 Then character said xyz。 Another thing happens。” The characters and the world they live in are poorly developed。 I kept asking myself， why？ Why do any of the things in the story happen？ Why does this school exist？ This book gets compared to Handmaids Tale a lot but this book lacks the context and worldbuilding that handmaids tale Pointless exercise in misery。 Good if you want to get really mad at unfairness but not actually written very compellingly。 It’s all very dry and flat; “thing happened。 Then character said xyz。 Another thing happens。” The characters and the world they live in are poorly developed。 I kept asking myself， why？ Why do any of the things in the story happen？ Why does this school exist？ This book gets compared to Handmaids Tale a lot but this book lacks the context and worldbuilding that handmaids tale had to justify the plot。 This book is not long but it took me a long time to finish - it’s sooo repetitive and dull and i had to stop because my blood pressure was getting to high。 This probably couldve made a decent short story though。 。。。more

Tara （valleybookmama） ，

This book。 Wow。Arresting。 Terrifying。 Almost…quiet？ The prose is spare and almost clinical， but the emotions， of being held accountable in the worst way you can imagine for your very worst moment as a parent， are impossible to turn away from。I have three young kids， and so the idea of the unrealistic and contradictory standards to which we hold mothers in our culture hits right on the target。 While I’m not generally too worries about what others think about my parenting， this slightly twisted un This book。 Wow。Arresting。 Terrifying。 Almost…quiet？ The prose is spare and almost clinical， but the emotions， of being held accountable in the worst way you can imagine for your very worst moment as a parent， are impossible to turn away from。I have three young kids， and so the idea of the unrealistic and contradictory standards to which we hold mothers in our culture hits right on the target。 While I’m not generally too worries about what others think about my parenting， this slightly twisted universe that is all too easy to imagine and too close to real， doesn’t seem that many steps removed from the public condemnation that awaits even the most benign of parenting choices。This book has so many content warnings…so many。 Suicide， self-harm， child injury and death， child abandonment， etc etc etc。 Please please if you’re concerned but interested in the book， please DM me。I know this sounds like a dark book， and honestly it is。 I kept reading for the glimmer that I wanted。 That there’s some magic way out。 I sobbed at 95% of the way through。 And I can’t stop thinking about it。 I think I recommend it？ It’s not an easy read。 It builds dread in the quietest way， and sticks with you。 But I’m glad I read it。Thanks to @simonbooks for the advanced copy and opportunity to read and review。 。。。more

Ellen Herrmann ，

I didn't like this world of Jessamine Chan and was very dissatisfied with its nonconclusive ending。Please don't let our world become like this one。 I didn't like this world of Jessamine Chan and was very dissatisfied with its nonconclusive ending。Please don't let our world become like this one。 。。。more

Sharon Griffitts ，

I cannot say I enjoyed this book。 Frida， the “bad” mother who left her 18 month old daughter home alone during the day while the child was awake and in a Walker for more than two hours turned me off immediately。 But the treatment and schooling she received was even more revolting。 She is sentenced to a year at the school for good mothers， more of an indoctrination camp than a healthy learning environment。 It made me angry as I read how the mothers were treated。 Frida tries her best but her best I cannot say I enjoyed this book。 Frida， the “bad” mother who left her 18 month old daughter home alone during the day while the child was awake and in a Walker for more than two hours turned me off immediately。 But the treatment and schooling she received was even more revolting。 She is sentenced to a year at the school for good mothers， more of an indoctrination camp than a healthy learning environment。 It made me angry as I read how the mothers were treated。 Frida tries her best but her best is never good enough for the instructors and counselors。 It took me a while to finish this because it did not bring me joy。 Thankfully it is fiction。 。。。more

andrea ，

Not at all my kind of book， although the premise held promise！ Chan's writing and lexicon are wanting。 I wonder who her intended audience was; I can't imagine "seasoned" adults like myself wanting to read it any further than I got， which was only 50 pages in。 I echo Donna Davis' review on Jan。 3rd: "So much build up; so much promise。 What a crying shame。 This dystopian novel is conceptually strong， addressing the invasive nature of facial recognition software and government access to what should Not at all my kind of book， although the premise held promise！ Chan's writing and lexicon are wanting。 I wonder who her intended audience was; I can't imagine "seasoned" adults like myself wanting to read it any further than I got， which was only 50 pages in。 I echo Donna Davis' review on Jan。 3rd: "So much build up; so much promise。 What a crying shame。 This dystopian novel is conceptually strong， addressing the invasive nature of facial recognition software and government access to what should be private digital communication， but the execution is abysmal。" 。。。more

Gracie Peeler ，

🤖 B O O K R E V I E W 🤖 The School For Good Mothers Author: Jessamine ChanI am just trying to process this book and get my feelings and opinions together。 This is not going to be a long review。 I did not like this book。 The story was fine， the writing was fine， the premise was creative。 The main character was not very likable。 But what I did not like about this book was that it was SAD。 And I can handle a sad or emotional book。 But like， give me some balance。 Throw me a happy bone。 SOMETHING。 Th 🤖 B O O K R E V I E W 🤖 The School For Good Mothers Author: Jessamine ChanI am just trying to process this book and get my feelings and opinions together。 This is not going to be a long review。 I did not like this book。 The story was fine， the writing was fine， the premise was creative。 The main character was not very likable。 But what I did not like about this book was that it was SAD。 And I can handle a sad or emotional book。 But like， give me some balance。 Throw me a happy bone。 SOMETHING。 This story was sad， horrible， sad， appalling， sad， inhumane， sad， horrifying， SAD， SAD SAD。 The beginning was sad。 The middle was sad。 The ending was sad。 I don’t know， I just don’t like that it made me feel really depressed and I never got a moment to breathe in any happiness。It’s a dystopian novel in which Frida， a newly single mom of an eighteen month old little girl named Harriet， has a momentary lapse in judgment in which she makes a very poor parenting choice， and loses custody of her daughter temporarily and is sent to a parenting school for a year， after which the courts will decide if she has performed well enough in the school and passed the tests necessary to show that she is a good mother and should get back custody。 It details her time spent in the school， how she and her fellow bad mothers are treated， the relationships they form with each other， what they study， and their relationships with creepy life like robot dolls that are their specific child’s gender and age that they practice mothering on。 Like I said， the story flows well， the writing is decent， I just can’t get over how depressing it was。 I’m putting this one back on my shelf and never looking at it again。 Also seeking suggestions for a lighthearted book to cleanse my palate， thanks in advance。 😞 3⭐️/5 for decent writing and story Read from: 2/10/2022-2/12/2022 。。。more

Brett buckner ，

Dark and dispiriting dystopian look at the absurdity of trying to be a “perfect mother。” This novel will anger more than a few readers and perhaps disappoint more， but I found it sad and engrossing。

rm ，

"She wants to tell him that these buildings are composed of pheromones and regret。 Hostility。 Longing。 That it's possible to stop noticing sadness。 That the sound of women crying now resembles white noise。"Frida has one very bad day， where she leaves her daughter home alone for several hours。 As a result， she must take part in a new government program—The School for Good Mothers。 Jessamine Chan provides an interesting and creative commentary on motherhood， mental health， racism， and sexism in th "She wants to tell him that these buildings are composed of pheromones and regret。 Hostility。 Longing。 That it's possible to stop noticing sadness。 That the sound of women crying now resembles white noise。"Frida has one very bad day， where she leaves her daughter home alone for several hours。 As a result， she must take part in a new government program—The School for Good Mothers。 Jessamine Chan provides an interesting and creative commentary on motherhood， mental health， racism， and sexism in this dystopian novel。 。。。more

Nancy ，

Bizarre！！！！！！！！！！！ Creepy！！！！！！！！！

Sarah Butterfield ，

It was like reading a nightmare。 I cared about the main character， but there was not enough redemption or hope in this story。

Christie ，

Another contender for Best Book of the Year！ I get why it was on so many Most Anticipated Books of 2022 lists。 Holy cows。 I convinced myself I knew how this book was going to end but I was totally wrong。 Frida， suffering from insomnia， leaves her child alone to pick up a coffee and nab something from the office so she can finish her work at home。 The government， alerted to her parental misdeed， step in and the book begins with a chilling message， "We have your daughter"。 When Frida is unsuccessf Another contender for Best Book of the Year！ I get why it was on so many Most Anticipated Books of 2022 lists。 Holy cows。 I convinced myself I knew how this book was going to end but I was totally wrong。 Frida， suffering from insomnia， leaves her child alone to pick up a coffee and nab something from the office so she can finish her work at home。 The government， alerted to her parental misdeed， step in and the book begins with a chilling message， "We have your daughter"。 When Frida is unsuccessful in the at-home monitoring portion of her repentance tour， she loses custody and is sent to a rehabilitation center to learn "motherese"。 No surprise here， the fathers receive much different treatment than the mothers。 Under the guise of protecting the children， the women at the school are subjected to all kinds of mistreatment and psychological torture。 As a mom， I am terrified。 My reaction to this story was very similar to my reaction to The Handmaid's Tale。 This book will stay with me a l o n g time。It's as chilling as The Handmaid's Tale。 The women there have all been convicted of 。。。more

Rachel ，

I hated this torturous book。 Too many CWs to list。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The School for Good Mothers

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The School for Good Mothers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The School for Good Mothers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0