Another Woman’s Child

By: Kerry Fisher

Narrated by: Emma Spurgin Hussey

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Could you take in your best friend’s child, even if it risked destroying your own family?

Jo had thought that her life - and her heart - was full. With a busy job, a husband and a teenage daughter who is going off the rails, keeping her life running smoothly had already felt hard enough.

But now Jo sits at the funeral of her best friend, Ginny, crushed by the loss of a friendship that had endured for 30 years: from college and their first days at work through to settling down and raising their own children.

Against her husband’s wishes, Jo has made a life-changing decision: to take in Ginny’s teenage son, Victor, and raise him as her own. Despite her misgivings, Jo feels she had no choice: Ginny was a single parent, and Victor had no other family who could take care of him.

But Victor’s arrival is about to break open the fragile cracks that were already forming on the surface of Jo’s family life and in her small rural community...and expose a secret that has remained hidden for many years, with devastating consequences.

From the best-selling author of The Silent Wife and The Woman I Was Before, Another Woman’s Child is an gripping and heartbreaking listen about the secrets we keep from our families and the sacrifices we are willing to make for those we love. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.

©2020 Audible Ltd (P)2020 Audible Ltd

Well written -very well done.

This was a fabulous book, very appropriate and very true. As a mother of three adopted children, all different races I related to the story. The development of characters was excellent and I strongly recommend for all families

Book

Great book . This was an excellent story. I loved it. It was so relatable and great to touch on racism.

Another great one

This one has been one of my favorites from Kerry. Her fifth book I’ve listened to as I clean up my kids rooms and my house, also as I work. Her plot twists have me gasping and my mouth hanging open yet they’re always twists that could happen in everyday life to someone close if not to us. I love your books Kerry. Thank you for sharing!

Family 💪🏻

I love the honesty and real characters in every book Kerry Fisher writes. She is wonderful!

Drawn out story with no real surprises

Kerry Fisher, once again, showed how good of a writer she is. I’ve read/listened to all of her books and am always amazed at how she paints a scene, characterization, and story. As a black American woman who only knows British terms from movies and television shows, I always feel like I’m peeking behind the curtain of another world when I read Ms. Fishers books. The Mother I Could Have Been is the book that revealed to me that motherhood, in all its intricacies, is complicated for everyone. And no matter your age or class, no one is immune. Race was never mentioned, which didn’t matter because I was still able to see myself in the main characters. It was such a brilliant book.

This book was harder for me to relate to. I did appreciate the subtle, and not so subtle, commentary about casual racism. I’ve never been privy to conversations that happen in a room full of white people, so I can only imagine what types of conversations occur when race comes up. I’d never thought about it before, so I liked having the opportunity to hear those conversations. The writing was very well done. That newfound insight was what I enjoyed most about this book. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much more.

The book was very slow. I mean like snail slow. The main character, Jo, was far too weak and self deprecating for me. Her lack of strength was draining. And her parenting skills were tiring. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman her age with children that I had no sympathy for her. Every time her daughter spoke to her I cringed. I mean, what parent allows her child to talk to them that way? Yes, it could be a cultural thing, but really?? I cringed throughout the book.

Then there’s Ginny. What kind of mother leaves her child’s welfare and future to chance? And what kind of best friend only tells a material truth after her death. I must say, however, that Ginny’s letter to Jo did bring tears to my eyes.

I did enjoy Jo’s mother, the meddlesome yet loving every-mom. I really liked Victor, quite the young gentleman. And I liked Jo’s husband, Patrick. There were other interesting and entertaining elements of the book, but overall, the story was boring. I kept waiting for something to happen (teenage drinking, drug use, and partying doesn’t count). I waited and waited. The big “reveal” was no reveal at all. Pretty much from the second chapter, you already knew the secret and where the book was heading.

I liked the books ending (here comes the but)...but it took too long to get there. This is my least favorite of Ms. Fishers books to date. I wanted something that I could really sink my teeth in. I wanted the complexities of her other books, not just a woman who spent her time trying not to ruffle anyone’s feathers. That was just exhausting.

Though the story fell flat for me, I’m still a fan of Kerry Fisher and look forward to future novels. The narration by Emma Spurgin Hussey was spot on as usual. I absolutely love her narration.

Good listen

This is the 3rd book I listen to from this author. She always has interesting story lines. I absolutely love her narrator. She delivers witty lines with such ease. I was able to relate to this book as I too have a 16 year old teenager exploring what life glows to offer and all to willing to be on the fringe of trouble. I felt comfort in knowing that I am not the only one dealing with the difficult teenage years and how scarry and frustrating that can be. Another job well done!

Good read!

Well written, realistic family drama that kept my interest. The dynamics between parent and teenagers and husbands and wives was very relatable.

great book!

lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. this was a most enjoyable book!

Great listen

This was the first book by this author I have listened to and enjoyed not only the story but the narrator so much. Families are complex and the author did a great job exploring this.

Good but...

I found it hard at times to keep listening due to Jo’s lack of a backbone, over and over. But I suppose that’s real life for some. Like this author very much but this title wasn’t one of my favorites.