November 8, 2007

New Novel -- The Other Mother -- Explores Meaning of Motherhood

The Other Mother: A Novel by Gwendolen Gross

Newly released by Crown Books, The Other Mother by Gwendolen Gross is a compelling novel about conflicts between working moms and stay at home moms as well as the constant push and pull of contemporary motherhood. This new novel is a selection of four national book clubs. The Other Mother “paints an electrifyingly complex and explosively gripping portrait of contemporary, have-it-all motherhood” says Booklist. This new novel takes both sides of the mommy wars, asking working moms and stay at home moms to look closely at why they identify with one side or the other. Dame Magazine writes “The Other Mother is a dark look into everything that tears us apart and brings us closest together.”

There is a sharp divide between working moms and stay at home moms according to recent research. A Pew survey finds that 44% of stay at home moms say an increase in working moms is bad for society. In a national iVillage survey, 50% of women said that stay at home moms and working moms have a difficult time relating to one another. A recent poll by Parenting magazine finds that the number one topic that makes moms feel most judgmental is working versus staying at home.

Book reviews of The Other Mother describe how the novel speaks to this tension between stay at home and working moms. Publisher's Weekly says that The Other Mother “documents the front lines of the Mommy Wars, but its real strength lies is exposing the complex inner battlefields motherhood can open up.” National Public Radio calls The Other Mother “a thoughtful, multi-faceted look at what divides and unites mothers.”

Gross’ novel leads mothers to explore their own choices about balancing work and family, the joy of motherhood, and feelings of guilt, resentment, and regret. The Mom Blog 5MinutesForMom writes, “Because of the neutral tone and the way this book addresses the issues that all moms face, this would be a great book club selection.” The Other Mother is a featured selection of the Redbook Book Club, and a featured alternate selection of the Book of the Month Club, the Literary Guild Book Club, and the Doubleday Book Club.

More information about the iVillage poll “What Moms are Thinking Now” and the Parenting Magazine survey “Mom Confessions: Mom vs. Mom.”

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