Maame

There was a lot of sadness in this book, watching Maddie hit rock bottom, and I think what bothered me most about it was actually the pacing. The trope of a character hitting low point after low point until finally being able to rebuild themself is a tried and true one, but when the downward slide is as slow and takes as long as this one did, it starts to become dull. I wanted to like Maddie, but it was hard, especially when, as a 23-year-old woman who'd been to college, she was still needing to ask Google about the most basic of things that many teenagers have absorbed through media osmosis.

The writing was well-done, and I appreciated the look at the inner workings of the publishing industry, but that wasn't enough for the book to show more leave a good taste in my mouth, particularly with not enough attention given toward counteracting the biphobia Maddie felt, along with the (probably unintentional, but still) implication that all Maddie needed to do was to give up on dating white men. I might have been inclined to dismiss these things, but since I was already taken out of the story, they stood out more than they might have otherwise. show less

Maddie has a lot on her shoulders; absent mother, distant brother, caretaker of her ailing father, dead end job with a horrific boss, very few friends. When her mother returns, she jumps at the chance to move out and start living. But, fate steps in. She must face harsh reality and cruel lessons.

Beautifully written book that touches on so many hard hitting subjects; racism, dating in a modern world, friendships, family obligations and growing up In an ethnic family, mental illness. To see Maddie grow and find her voice is done beautifully. Such a wonderful debut novel by an author I look forward to reading again! May be a little slow at the beginning, but before you know it you are immersed in Maddie’s life. Don’t let the hard show more subjects turn you off, the author handles these with wisdom and some wit. You’ll find yourself tearing up and cheering Maddie on. This book is so different than my normal reads, but so glad I read it. It will stay with me for a while.

Thanks to Ms. George, NetGalley, Edelweiss, St. Martins Press for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone show less

Maame is a heartbreaking yet lovely read. It’s full of pain, sorrow and missed chances yet offers hope and opportunity. I couldn’t wait to read to crack open this novel each day and read, read, read.

Maame is a Twi word meaning woman to Maddie and it’s what her mother calls her. Maddie hates it. She’s at home looking after her father in between working while her mother spends most of her time in Ghana and her brother is off being part of an entourage. It’s Maddie who has to deal with the bills, looking after the household while she works to make ends meet. But then she has an opportunity to leave home and she takes it. Suddenly, a new home, workplace and a boyfriend all beckon. Then tragedy strikes and Maddie is left show more questioning her choices from one night. Can she forgive herself and attempt to rebuild her life?

There is a lot of pain in Maddie’s life. She has been deserted by both her mother and brother, and although she loves her father deeply, their relationship has been distant. She’s also unfairly dismissed from her job for not being able to fix the unfixable and treated badly by what she thought was her first real boyfriend. One of her new friends turns out to bear a grudge and money is a constant problem as others ask for it. She’s been treated incorrectly by a lot of people and when she first starts to fight back, she’s put on the back foot by some cruel characters. It’s hard to read at times as Maddie suffers setback after setback, but there are also good times and some humour sprinkled in between. The novel ends on a tone of possibility and hope. I hope that Maddie’s life became brighter after the last page. She was a likeable, flawed character and she certainly deserved it.

Jessica George certainly knows how to write rawness and grief. There were times that I felt frustrated with the way others were treating Maddie and others where I rejoiced at one of her wins. The emotions jumped off the pages and I really didn’t want to leave the book to do ordinary life things. Maddie’s coming of age is complicated by grief, racism and nasty people. I loved how she would often Google her problems, giving the story a millennial edge and also showing her naivety. The words flow easily and it’s easy to get lost in the story as the chapters fly by. A highly recommended debut novel.

Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com show less

When you’ve been given undue responsibility your entire life, being called ‘Maame’ goes from a term of endearment to a yolk around your neck awfully quick. Maddie’s quest to find herself amidst depression, a dysfunctional family and the death of her father proves to be a bit difficult. Through the many challenges she faces, learning not to people please in order to obtain love, standing up for herself and acknowledging racial awareness or lack thereof, Maddie may just come out of it alright. George’s writing is smooth and witty. Maddie and the supporting cast of characters, Shu being my favorite, have their own personalities which resonate with the story and lend to Maddie’s journey beautifully. Honestly I thought this one show more was slow to start but about a quarter of the way in it picked up and took off, and I’m so glad I continued. Some heavy topics are dredged up in Maame, but done in an entertaining and intelligent way, and you find yourself rooting for Maddie the whole way. A great first novel for 2023, I highly recommend!
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review show less

This is a beautiful, powerful but heavy story. It's about family expectation and how that can shape who we become. It's about grief and loss but also about growing up and finding your own way. Maddie is a powerful character because she is stable, quiet and comfortable. She is the one in the family that is the foundation. She's taking care of her father, continuing to put her life on hold as she lives at home and commutes to work. She is fixing meals and spoon feeding her father. Even though she has back pain, she is lifting him in to bed at night.

It isn't until thing start to unravel - the job, the family, her father - that Maddie begins the see the cracks in her life. She's not happy, why isn't she happy? Why can't she just continue show more to smile through it all? It's only through the love of friends, the work through guilt and the forgiveness and accpetance of family that Maddie finally starts to dig through it all to see who she is. It's raw and real and so moving to read. And every time she said "okay?" to her dad, I couldn't help but smile. This one was so good!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

I absolutely loved this book. I should have known it would when it broke my heart in a scene and then made me snort with laughter in another. And that was within the first 3 chapters!! I enjoyed seeing Maame grow; loved Shu and Nia (I love female friendships that are portrayed so realistically and beautifully); loved how there are truly no 100% villains. Minus the old job bosses. LOL.

I don't quite know how to say it but this could have been a much more depressing read but while it was deep, it was filled with lightness. Highly recommend! Already know will be one of my top reads of the year.

Maame is the daughter of immigrants from Ghana but her story is universal. George writes with warmth and humor and you can't help but root for Maame. Maame navigates the loss of her father, discovery of family secrets, becoming independent, creating a career, toxic and supportive workplaces, bad boyfriends, sex and more. I loved the use of Googling to get answers to life's questions. As her world expanded, she relied more on her friends. The dialogue whether via text or verbal was so real. This is a fun read with an emotional punch.