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Eva is aware from a young age that her family life is not as it should be. There is just her, her emotionally distant mother and her partially absent father. No siblings, no pets, just the three of them. But why are there no baby photos of Eva? And why is her mother so reluctant to remember Eva as a baby? This is a quest Eva is determined to get to the bottom of. And so it goes; we follow Eva as she forms relationships and seeks support from them but always aware of what is missing. Reading this book was a little slow and I was a somewhat irritated that it was so much of an effort. However, slowly I became more and more intrigued by Eva and the surrounding characters. I marvelled at her resistance and fortitude and how bravely she confronted the future. I must admit I cried for her. When her parents’ relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents – and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever…
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. Manuela discovers that her ex-husband, born Esteban but calling himself Lola after becoming a transvestite prostitute, has stolen Agrado’s savings and left an idealistic nun, Rosa (Penélope Cruz), pregnant and HIV-positive. Manuela cares for both of them and, meanwhile, becomes the assistant to Huma, whose stage name (a feminised version of the Spanish for “smoke”) derives from having taken up cigarettes in imitation of her idol, Bette Davis. When Huma’s drug-addicted lover is unfit to play Stella in Streetcar, Manuela steps in, identifying passionately with the role. Asked if she can act, she replies: “I can lie very well and I’m used to improvising.” Inevitably, she’s accused of behaving like Anne Baxter in All About Eve. 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. I didn't start this expecting to find a character that means as much to me as Eva. But once in a while you find a character that hits you at your core, and that's what Eva did for me. Her complicated family life, her emotional turmoil, her fierce friendship, her curiosity mixed with hesitance. This is one of those characters that touched my heart, and I'll carry her story with me.Wow 👏🏻 what an incredible book this is!! I just wish I hadn’t left it so long to read. It was a brilliant book. What can I tell you about this novel, about the pain of searching for truth, about wondering who your parents really are and why you did not grow up with them? Or about growing up in a dysfunctional home, where truth is hidden (or ignored)? Eva’s journey is challenging and complicated. She observes (and experiences) different models of mothering during her quest. This is a novel about life, about belonging, and about mothering. Along the way, Eva meets several women who will have an important influence on her life. Not all are positive. Graham, Bob (22 December 1999). "San Francisco Chronicle review". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 3 February 2012.
Chicago Sun-Times review". Chicago Sun-Times. 22 December 1999. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012 . Retrieved 3 February 2012.This is the story of Eva Martínez-Green, from the day she began school, and for the next 30 years of her life. It's a story about mothers - for anyone who has been a mother, has had a mother, wants to be a mother, or even just knows a mother. It's a totally immersive story, at times painful and at others joyful, that had me ugly-crying for the last two chapters. I loved it. I loved how the author weaved the story, you grow into it as Eva grows up. We sometimes see where the journey is going, and sometimes we don't, but Eva is a truthful narrator to both herself and her subjects. She is at times, not terribly likeable, but she is believable and three dimensional.
Wesley Morris, Examiner Film Critic (22 December 1999). "San Francisco Examiner review". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved 3 February 2012. No hay cosas que me guste más que adentrarme en una historia completamente a ciegas, sin tener referencias de nadie. Simplemente dejarte llevar por esa vocecita que te dice "este libro es para ti". Y lo mejor de todo es así es: este libro llegó para quedarse. Eva gives and receives all her emotional support to her friend Bridget and they vow to be life-long friends. She is ‘adopted’ by Bridget’s family and forms a very strong bond with her mother.
ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 5 July 1999 . Retrieved 15 December 2012. Almodóvar recreates the accident scene from John Cassavetes' Opening Night (1977) as the epicenter of the dramatic conflict. [2]
Manuela introduces Esteban, Rosa's son, to Lola and gives her a picture of their own Esteban. Rosa's mother spots them from the street and confronts Manuela about letting strangers see the baby. Manuela tells her that Lola is Esteban's father, but Rosa's mother is appalled and says, "That is the monster that killed my daughter?!" Overall, it is a story about a girl whose “mother” felt like a phantom and an intruder. All her life, Eva has never truly felt connected to her mother, neither emotionally nor physically. This is why she clings to a color schemes which sorts all kinds of mothers into distinct colors to describe their personality and qualities of how a true mother should act and behave. For her, it is a way to cope with the neglect and detachment of her parents. Throughout the story, she encounters various types of mothers who act as a role model and dramatically shape her one way or the other. 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. Complaints were that the book was perhaps a little too long; and that the one-sentence paragraphs became slightly annoying after a while. Also one reader considered the idea of Eva being the only child not to be able to produce a picture of herself as a baby, for a school project, was flawed and unlikely. We discussed this and considered it to be a dubious educational practice in any case.Eva has suspicions about her family and raises numerous questions and does some investigating throughout. This goes on for a number of years, along the way we meet some lovely characters and families and one or two not so lovely characters. It’s an immersive story, at times it’s joyful and happy but also at times it’s painful.
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