What a great short story! Descriptions and story will make you feel for little Adeline. To be honest, if I didn't read the description of the book set in the 1900's, I wouldn't have been able to tell. Nonetheless, great story!

A lot of punch in a little story. As always with a good short story, I'd read a full length novel of this.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy.

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. This short 28 page book did not disappoint. It's amazing how much impact can be wrapped up in such a short story. I loved the main character- a 12 year old girl named Adeline who loses her father and stops speaking. Her mother a so called role model is anything but. I highly recommend reading this story. It's a taste of the magnificent work that this author provides her readers. I want more of this story! Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the story. This review is in my own words.

What an enjoyable short story. I will preface this by saying how much I enjoy Alice Hoffman's other books and collections of short stories, so I had high hopes for this one, too.

This story is told by the girl who was called Adeline, and she talks about her life before and after the death of her beloved father when she's left with her mother (who didn't seem to ever really want to be a mother.)

I don't want to give away the ending, but I will just say that it was a satisfying ending, and if leaves you wanting it to be even longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

A Little gem with a big heart!

Alice Hoffman’s “Everything My Mother Taught Me” is atmospheric and beautifully told. 12-year-old Adeline completely captured my heart. She was such a strong smart little girl just wanting to be loved. After her father passes away Adeline chooses to be mute, this is her way of dealing with her mother. Adeline’s mother is cruel and self-absorbed. When mom takes a job on an island at a lighthouse and a woman goes missing Adeline‘s life takes a turn. This was a lovely story, the only problem was it was so short. I listened to it on audio and it was just shy of one hour. Brittany Presley did a great job with the audiobook narration and bringing the story to life.

this book in emojis 🛥 🧼 🗝 🌲

*** Big thanks to Amazon originals for my copy of this book ***

You could grow to love something so strong and elemental, but you'd have to value the beauty of it more than you did your own life.

I first must gush about Alice Hoffman. I love her writing as she threads a story like no other that you are captured by her characters and the story that they tell. The story can be so far from you in your own life, however, she has a way of drawing you close to her characters and their story.

Adeline a young girl who lost her father whom she loved greatly. She has seen her mother treat others with disdain while she uses them for her own pleasure and want. Her mother and her end up by the sea which reminds Adeline of her father. Living as gatekeepers of the sea, they live in a community of light house keepers outside of Boston. She keeps the lessons of her father close, however, when she sees her mother up to her old tricks hurting the one person who has showed her kindness, she takes the lessons that she has learned from her mother while keeping the integrity that she learned from her father to find redemption.

If you have never read Alice Hoffman, this short read will give you a story that you will never forget.

A Special Thank you to Amazon and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

All I can say is that I wish this had been longer! I was so into reading this. Maybe there will be another short story soon.

Thank you Netgalley and Alice Hoffman for this advance copy of “Everything My Mother Taught Me”. I felt like I was on the east coast with Adeline and her horrible mother. Hoffman’s descriptions are so on point you get lost in the ocean tides. Adeline won me over from the start and continued to impress me with her grit and ideals. My only complaint is that I wanted more. I felt like this was such a good storyline and could have continued well beyond the final sentence. Hopefully there is more.

This is the last short story I’ve read from the Amazon inheritance collection. I have to tell you all five of the short stories were quite simply fabulous. This book did not disappoint. Of course the author is very well-known to me and I have read all of her books. This one takes place in the early 1900s, a crazy mother , and abused daughter are living together outside of Boston. This was an example of excellent character portrayal, I would say a character driven story. Thank you for my advance copy. As always I will read all of Alice Hoffman‘s books.

Everything My Mother Taught Me is part of the Inheritance Collection of short stories. As soon as I saw the author was Alice Hoffman, I knew I would enjoy reading it. I have read several of her books and I like her writing style. This is a story of a bad mother and a traumatized daughter. It was interesting from the very beginning. I really liked the ending.

I have read 3 of the 5 Amazon Inheritance shorts and this was definitely my favorite with a 12 year old girl trying to cope (or not) with a widowed mother who doesn't act like a mother should. And a lighthouse setting is always a favorite too. Very well done.

Everything My Mother Taught Me is a powerful, captivating and stunning short story by Alice Hoffman. A tale of a 12 year old girl, and her surprisingly selfish mother, whom become a housekeeper on a lighthouse on a remote, cold island. It is a gripping book about a young woman finding strength, making her own future and finding her voice, despite the near impossible situation. Loved it! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the early reader copy. All opinions are my own.

4★
“She was the sort of person who saw only herself and her shadow, and the rest of us disappeared in the bright sunlight.”

Adeline begins her story in 1908, when her mother is widowed and finds work on an island with a lighthouse tended by two families. It is a decided step down for a woman who fancies herself the centre of attention.

“My mother’s name was Nora Ivie, and mine was Adeline. I had been named after a soap she’d once seen in a fancy shop, Adeline Lilac Soap, made in Paris. My mother said naming me so had been a mistake because now I thought I was better than she.”

Mother is a gorgeous head-turner, so dropping her into a closed social group on an island was bound to stir things up. She resents the burden of a daughter, and added to that is Adeline’s refusal to speak since her father died. There are two other families, complete with children and animals, so mother’s job as housekeeper is much more onerous than anything she ever intended for her future.

I assumed this would just be some wistful, heart-string-tugging tale of a grieving, mistreated young girl (12) angry with her selfish mother, but it became much more dramatic than that.

“We were all in close quarters, in the dining room and on the island. An argument could mean many things to many people and affect us all.”

It’s an interesting combination of place and characters and an ultimately satisfying read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted. This is one of five (so far?) stories from the collected called ‘Inheritance’ from Amazon Original Stories. They are still available on NetGalley until 2 January 2020.

Beautifully written tale of hardship and love! Short but very sweet! The characters are very vibrant and alive! The descriptions of the land and seascape were so vivid! A brilliant read!

Everything my Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman is a 2019 Amazon original collections story- Inheritance Collection #1

First, I would like to thank all my Goodreads friends for recommending this story to me. A special shout out to Angela M., whose heartfelt review of this short story first caught my attention.

As noted by many reviewers before me, this is a poignant story, featuring twelve-year-old Adeline, who is at the mercy of her abusive, selfish, and neglectful mother. After her father dies, Adeline deliberately becomes mute, refusing to speak. As her mother manipulates and schemes, Adeline finds an unlikely ally and makes a loyal friend, giving her the courage to break the chain, and carve out a more stable future for herself, despite all the odds.

For such a short story, this one really packs a punch. Strong emotions build quickly, and real feeling of compassion, righteous indignation, and pride for and on behalf of Adeline. She is a truly memorable character and this story is one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

4.5 stars

Had it not been stated in the description and maybe a one-liner in the book, I wouldn't have known this was set in the 1900's, which actually did the story a favor; this could have been written now. This definitely packed a punch for being so short! I have so much respect for the young Adeline- the young heroine who's not only observant, but steadfast, honest, and admirable, especially after the hardships she's had to endure.

This is a wonderfully written short story by Alice Hoffman. It is part of the Amazon Inheritance Collection and is my favorite story in the collection. Adeline is a young girl growing up in the early 1900s with a wonderful father and a selfish, cheating mother. When her father passes, Adeline refuses to speak as she follows her mother from one difficult situation to another. When Adeline sees her mother's cruelty rise to new heights, she learns to find her own way and her own voice.

Although this is a short story, it has the action, passion, and adventure of a full length novel. I shake my head in awe wondering how Alice Hoffman did it. The scenery is beautifully described, the characters jump off the page, and so much happens that you wonder how it all could have been done in 24 pages. Bring on more short stories, Ms. Hoffman.

My thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and Alice Hoffman for a free copy of this book. My review is voluntary.

Alice Hoffman is a poetic wordsmith conveying more emotion in a sentence than most do in a paragraph or page. Although the story made me sad in so many ways, just reading her lyrical prose made me want to keep reading. Two days after finishing this short story, I am still thinking about the characters and wondering how they fared after the conclusion.

I somehow seemed to miss the part of the synopsis saying that this was a short story, which I normally do not like but I loved this one! And having read only 2 Alice Hoffman books so far I can confidently say she is going to be a favourite author mine now!

This book follows Adeline and her journey from a young child to a teen and obviously predominantly her tumultuous relationship with her scandalous mother. Their journey leads them to living and working on an island with other families, drama follows.

This book gave me some Wicked deep (by shea ernshaw) vibes. With them living on an island and rowing back to town for school supplies and just alot of the atmospheric writing, in saying that I think atmospheric writing is definitely Alice Hoffman's thing.

Like I said although it was short I felt like alot managed to be said and done in that short space. Characters were well written, the writing was beautiful and I loved the story in general. Adeline was a favourite and so was her mum in a way that shes well written because you really do find yourself disliking this woman from the get go.

I dont want to say too much as it is I think 28 pages long, so I don't want to give away the story but I can truly see why Alice Hoffmans is such a famous and adored author. I cannot wait to pick up another one of her books!

Thank you to netgalley for providing me an ebook arc of this book.

*Many thanks to Alice Hoffman, Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This was my second read by Ms Hoffman, and she has definitely become the author I will follow.
This short story had all my attention and engagement as a reader. The premise, a rocky island off Massachusetts, with its tragic history and two lighthouses provides perfect background for the plot, set in the beginning of the 20th century, which introduces us to a young girl, Adeline, who decides to become mute after her mother's remark. The mother-daughter bond is non-existent and reading about Adeline's plight is truly gut-wrentching.
The writing and narration are excellent.