The whole book is a love letter for mothers. Lily longs for mom, and defines herself as a motherless child. She missed having a mother who would brush her hair, buy her training bras, take her to school and talk to when she went to puberty. And she is not only said but she is guilty because she thinks she killed her mom. And would her mom still love her because of that? “This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away” (9).
She has a kind surrogate mother in both Rosaleen and August, constantly referring to them in motherly way, or if they would be good mothers. The Lady of Chains is also a mother figure, someone who can understand Lily and be there for her. Lily also needs to see her mother without rose colored glasses, and except her faults.
The end of the book is wonderful when she realizes how long she has yearned for motherly love and then looks back on the Boatright sister and the Daughters of Mary. “All these mothers. I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me” (302).
I loved that line at the end about having more mothers than other girls. I feel like this book does a good job of portraying the different ranges of emotions that mothers and daughters experience, whether those mothers and daughters are related by blood or by choice like Lily, Rosaleen, and August. Sometimes everything's happy, the mother is giving advice or just listening while the daughter talks, but just as quickly as that conversation began, emotions can change and suddenly Lily is saying that she hates Rosaleen or August. Those emotional changes are realistic and demonstrate the relatability of these characters.
The whole book is a love letter for mothers. Lily longs for mom, and defines herself as a motherless child. She missed having a mother who would brush her hair, buy her training bras, take her to school and talk to when she went to puberty. And she is not only said but she is guilty because she thinks she killed her mom. And would her mom still love her because of that? “This is what I know about myself. She was all I wanted. And I took her away” (9).
ReplyDeleteShe has a kind surrogate mother in both Rosaleen and August, constantly referring to them in motherly way, or if they would be good mothers. The Lady of Chains is also a mother figure, someone who can understand Lily and be there for her. Lily also needs to see her mother without rose colored glasses, and except her faults.
The end of the book is wonderful when she realizes how long she has yearned for motherly love and then looks back on the Boatright sister and the Daughters of Mary. “All these mothers. I have more mothers than any eight girls off the street. They are the moons shining over me” (302).
I loved that line at the end about having more mothers than other girls. I feel like this book does a good job of portraying the different ranges of emotions that mothers and daughters experience, whether those mothers and daughters are related by blood or by choice like Lily, Rosaleen, and August. Sometimes everything's happy, the mother is giving advice or just listening while the daughter talks, but just as quickly as that conversation began, emotions can change and suddenly Lily is saying that she hates Rosaleen or August. Those emotional changes are realistic and demonstrate the relatability of these characters.
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