Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger: A Riveting Saga of Womanhood and Legacy
Whenever I pick up a multigenerational family saga, I become a little giddy with anticipation. There’s something infinitely captivating about unraveling the complexities of familial bonds, legacies, and the intricate dance of identity passed down through generations. That’s precisely why Susan Rieger’s Like Mother, Like Mother piqued my interest. With a stunning cover and an equally compelling premise, I found myself drawn into the lives of three generations of ambitious women, especially the fierce and formidable Lila.
What struck me right from the start was Lila’s tumultuous early life—growing up with an abusive father and a mother who was institutionalized, passing away when Lila was still just a child. This backdrop sets the stage for everything that follows. Lila’s relentless pursuit of success and her meteoric rise in journalism is not just a narrative arc; it’s a search for acceptance and belonging in a world that often feels unwelcoming. Rieger masterfully explores themes of abuse, abandonment, and the daunting complexities of marriage and motherhood through Lila’s relationships with her husband Joe, a member of wealthy Jewish royalty, and her three daughters, particularly Grace, the youngest.
Each character is richly drawn, with flaws that make them relatable and complex. I found myself rooting for Lila, even when her ambition threatened to fracture her family. Her journey begs the resonant question: can we truly escape the shadows of our past, or are we fated to repeat them? This duality kept me reflecting long after I closed the book.
Rieger’s prose is an intellectual delight; she wields language with precision and depth, often prompting me to pause and savor a particularly poignant line. The pacing is deliberate, allowing moments of introspection amidst the unfolding drama. I particularly appreciated how Rieger balances the tumultuous and often heart-wrenching themes of her story with moments of levity and insight that felt genuine and comforting.
One of the standout moments for me was when Lila contemplates whether a woman is destined to mirror her mother’s life. This theme reverberates throughout the narrative, making me consider my own familial patterns and the question of how much we are shaped by our lineage versus our choices. As I turned the pages, I found echoes of my own experiences, sparking a deeper understanding of the nature of family and its influence.
With Like Mother, Like Mother having been optioned for the screen, I cannot wait to see how Rieger’s compelling characters and intricate plot translate to film. I envision it as a thought-provoking cinematic journey that will resonate with audiences just as it did with me, a celebration of flawed yet resilient women navigating the complex web of love, ambition, and identity.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in deep, character-driven narratives that challenge our understanding of womanhood, motherhood, and personal history. It’s an impactful story that reminds us—we are forever in search of family, both those we are bound to by blood and those we choose to embrace. If you enjoy poignant family sagas that spark reflection and conversation, Like Mother, Like Mother will leave you both enriched and yearning for more.
Thank you, NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Susan Rieger, for the advance reader’s copy. It was a journey worth taking!
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