Mother, by Kathleen Norris

I mentioned this book in this post over a year ago. I recently re-read it, and liked it more than last time. (I’m not sure what I meant by “high expectations that weren’t met” in the previous post… 😛 ) Now I’m finally giving you a full review!

From Amazon.com

   “This is a difficult age to be a woman.  At times it seems as if the entire culture conspires to belittle motherhood and the home. The woman who aspires to raise children for the glory of God, to develop the ministry of the home, or to co-labor with her husband is deemed “old-fashioned” or “unfulfilled.” The modern lure of independence and career has bewitched an entire generation to exchange the beauty of Christian womanhood for the temporary enticements of a society at war with the family. Amidst this confusion, Kathleen Norris’s Mother is a refreshing call to sanity. 

   “Mother is the fictional tale of a young lady who leaves home and repudiates family life in the hope of finding personal fulfillment through independence and a career. Though she has benefitted greatly from the love of her own mother, she decides that raising children and keeping home is a wasted life in comparison to the opportunities of the business world. But God dramatically changes her heart. She discovers that wealth and position are illusory and that independence can enslave a young lady. She discovers that the greatest woman she has ever known is her mother. Now she longs for home and for motherhood.

“Mother is an antidote to the cynicism our generation has directed at Christian womanhood. Vision Forum is pleased to offer this restored and revised version of the 1911 Kathleen Norris classic in the hope that girls will once again embrace the beauty of motherhood.” ~from the dustjacket

Title: Mother

Author: Kathleen Norris

Genre(s): Christian Fiction

Rating: ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ (four stars)

Romance Content: Basically, the main character “falls in love” with someone partway through the book. At the end of the book, they get engaged. However, they do not kiss, and that is not the main focus of the book. (The only things that I did not like about their relationship were 1) the MC didn’t want him to meet her family; she was embarrassed by them {but that gets resolved by the end of the book} and 2) they were alone a couple times, including when he proposed.) I did appreciate that he asked for her father’s blessing before proposing.

Recommended age range: Perhaps 12+?

My Review:

As I said above, the first time I read this book, I wasn’t very impressed. I liked the message, but I was annoyed by the main character’s attitude towards motherhood. I recently re-read Mother, and this time I liked it better; perhaps because I knew that SLIGHT SPOILER!! Margaret was going to get her attitude straightened out by the end. ;P SPOILER END!!

I really like the message in this book; I’m sure that it is needed by many young ladies these days. However, I’m not sure if it would impact girls in the 21st century, mainly because it is set further back in history. I enjoyed it, but I already knew that motherhood is a wonderful calling and I’m used to reading older books. It may be helpful to girls who have grown up in godly homes but had their perspective changed by worldly influences, as seemed to be the case with the editor and author of the foreward, Mrs. Jennie Chancey. Perhaps it would be helpful for a more up-to-date version to be written?? I really hate to suggest that, since I did enjoy Mother, but the truth is that most secular young ladies probably wouldn’t appreciate the book. 😦

Anyway, I would recommend this book. It was very well written and interesting. I would recommend that you try to find an older copy, however; I read a version published by Vision Forum (which company I may not always agree with), and in the foreword it is mentioned that there have been more recent editors who took out the heart of it. 😉

Note: While looking for the synopsis for this book, I found that you can buy a hardcover copy of this book on Amazon for $0.46 (+$4.89 shipping, but you know 😉 )! Check out the deals by clicking here! *Price as of 9/19/18 (when this post was drafted)