From there, we follow her story of Eva's family. Of families that are created, those that you find, and those that walk into your world unexpectedly. How some people shape you irrevocably, leaving their mark long after they're no longer in your life. It is intense in parts, lighter in others and even serendipitous in some. It is, on the whole, a well-written work about women of varying personalities who harmoniously (or not) form a complete picture. The men in the tale were mostly unhelpful, with the exceptions of Nigel, whose character is endearing, and Eva’s eventual partner. Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read - an extraordinary masterpiece’ Anstey Harris, author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton -

Anyway, I could rant more: about Barney and the romanticism, about how that was dealt with, about Carrie being forgotten although she also is a mother, about many thinhgs. But let me stop here.Eva Martinez-Green has two pivotal , life changing moments when she starts school: meeting Bridget Blume, and her teacher reading a book called ‘The Rainbow Rained Us’. Bridget becomes a lifelong friend, Bridget’s mother helps Eva to learn just what a mother can be like: loving and interested in her, unlike Eva’s own mother who has some serious mental health issues. In fact, Mrs Blume steps in to a mothering role for Eva, when Eva moves in due to her own mother having a prolonged stay in a clinic. Mrs Blume is Eva’s benchmark for being a mother for the rest of her life. For that short time she shows Eva affection, treats her like one of her own. Mrs Blume, along with her childhood book, leads Eva to realise that her mother isn’t her birth mother. And so begins the quest to find her. This is Joanna Glen’s second novel and with just two books she has become an auto-buy author for me.

A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow’ DINAH JEFFERIES The plotline of this story is like any dual timeline historical fiction, which focuses on the secrets of the past and how it moulds the future. Two things differentiate this book from fitting that mould more appropriately. The first is that it is not a dual timeline story (I used that description because it gives off that ambience for some reason). The second is how the characters are described and how they fill out their roles and advance the story. Over the years Eva has many important women in her life. Many are positive influences, such as Bridget's mother, M, and Sister Ana in Córdoba, but others are less positive. Eva realises that all of them can teach her something. Christine Orson, mother of Eva's teenage boyfriend Michael, is such an example. This is a woman who gave up her high-powered career to steer her 3 boys to their best lives, and who actually makes notes about questions to guide mealtime discussions. At Eva's first meal with the family, Christine asks them all what they consider to be their guiding principle for life. Eva's response is something she's instinctively known her whole life, but perhaps only crystallises at that point - longing. Convinced she was abducted from her home in Spain as a toddler, Eva has always longed for a loving mother, her real mother.I found it both a mesmerisingly beautiful portrait of a young woman discovering what home means to her, and a poignant depiction of how our actions can touch other people's lives in ways we could never have anticipated. Augusta and Parfait are wonderful characters; I was willing them on to find the happiness and peace they both deserved' Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus

I was drawn into Eva’s story, and desperately wanted her to find the answers she was searching for. This is a beautifully written novel: painful in some parts, joyful in others. Had me absolutely sobbing - a beautiful, beautiful book' JO BROWNING WROE, bestselling author of A TERRIBLE KINDNESSTanya has jumped on the BookTok trend and is reading It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover, although she’s not enjoying it as much as the popular author’s previous novel, It Ends With Us. Mimi has just finished what she’s calling one of the best books she’s read in a long time, All My Mothers by Joanna Glen, a novel about motherhood, grief, and love. Both Mimi and Linda are looking ahead to some of 2023’s big releases, in particular, Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai. Her beautiful descriptions of characters and places are always effortless. All My Mothers is a touching story about family, self discovery and friendship which manages to strike just the right balance between sweet and sad. Bob Mortimer wins 2023 Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction with The Satsuma Complex This book, this book is immense. We are following the story of Eva, from her first memories as a four year starting school and making a best friend, all the way through to adulthood. We see her at her best and her worst, at her highs and lows. This book doesn't pull it's punches.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. I think the character development is done so well and Eva becomes such a strong woman and has such a strong voice. She’s definitely a character that will stay with me for a long time. Mothers are artists - a beautiful sentiment from a beautiful book that challenges the notion of what a mother should look like. Eva is lost. She's sure her mother doesn't belong to her and, with her father absent, no one seems to have any answers - so she goes looking for them, on an epic journey that takes us to Cordoba in Spain. In a coming-of-age story, we feel the desire Eva has just to belong. Though it's not always an easy read, it is worth every tear” - Woman & Home All My Mothers is a captivating and heartening view of motherhood and what it means to be a mother, both within its traditional parameters, and in all its unconventional but beautiful ways. More than that, though, it is a story of unwavering female friendship throughout Eva’s life, starting from age four and on into her twenties and thirties.The story is told from Eva’s perspective, from her wisely attuned observations as a child, right through to adulthood and all the ways in which she embodies a mother on the search for her own. It’s told, too, through letters to the lovely Bridget and the gorgeous Blume family as a whole, as well as through the whimsical presence of Carrie and hilarious Sister Ana.