“Everything My Mother Taught Me” by Alice Hoffman is a heartfelt story that takes place in the early 1900’s. It is about a young girl being raised by her immoral mother, after her father passes away and raises the nature vs nurture question. Gorgeous writing and a haunting setting pulls you into this story from the very first sentence.

I immediately loved twelve year Adeline and was broken hearted for her from the first sentence. “There are those who insist that mothers are born with love for their children and place them before all other things, including their own needs and desires. This was not the case with us.” This is a short and beautifully written story about a young girl in the early 1900’s New England trying to find her way in a world given what she knows. A self imposed mute, since her beloved father died, Adeline is wise though she speaks no words. I don’t want to say much about the plot since the story is only 28 pages. Instead, I’ll say what I knew for sure when I finished it. Alice Hoffman is a prolific writer and while I’ve only read a few of her novels, she is firmly cemented on my list of favorite writers. I also know that one of my reading goals in the coming year will be to read some of her books that I have been meaning to get to. I also know that I won’t soon forget Adeline.

I was fortunate to obtain an advanced copy of this from Amazon Original through NetGalley. It’s part of the Amazon Original Inheritance Collection. If you are a NetGalley member, I recommend you go and request it. If not, preorder it from Amazon kindle . It’s being released 12/19/19 . It’s worth so much more than the $1.99 that it will cost you.

Short, bittersweet, with a strong young heroine. This story is missing this author’s “mystical” signature, but proves that she writes engaging characters and compelling plots nonetheless.

I was given a free copy of this story from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review. And honestly, I didn't really get it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ It is a short story (23 pages according to Amazon), so I'm sure that was part of it. But I'm not positive if it was longer, and more fleshed out, I would have liked it better. I didn't find myself rooting for who I think I was supposed to root for. I wasn't really rooting for anyone. And the title... I guess everything her Mom taught her was basically what NOT to do... I don't know. Not a fan of this one. Others are, it has some good reviews, but I didn't see the point of it.
#ARCReading #2019Reads #EverythingMyMotherTaughtMe #NetGalley

This is a very short story.. not much to comment on. A strange little piece of fiction that did not capture my interest. Perhaps she intends to turn it into a novel at some point. Maybe that will add to its appeal.

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

In this haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first.

2 stars

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Everythinng My Mother Taught Me.

This is a short story about a mother and a daughter, and all the events that take place after the death of their husband and father.

I was not prepared for this story. Most of all how short it was. But I think short stories are underrated. I was very much reminded as I began and finished it in the late hours of last night, just how much a story can tug your heart, no matter the length. Alice Hoffman has always been hit or miss with me, but when she hits, it's a home run. This is so atmospheric and heartbreaking, but also so injected with beauty that it will make you ache in the best way.

Nice little short story. I enjoyed Adeline’s voice. I wish it were longer, when I requested I didn’t realize it was a short story. Overall it was good!

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this story written by Alice Hoffman.

Twelve year old Adeline vows never to speak again after the death of her beloved father. Her mother, in an attempt to financially support the two of them, takes a job on an island as housekeeper for the families of the three lighthouse keepers. Things begin to unravel when Adeline’s mother begins an affair with one of the lighthouse keepers. Young Adeline helps the lighthouse keeper’s wife to fake her own death, causing a cascading series of events to take place.

This was a good story. Young Adeline, old beyond her years, was an interesting enough character, that a whole book could have been written about her.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC. Disappointing that it was just a short story. Sometimes a mother teaches you the opposite of what she embodies, in this case being an adulterer and a drunk.

This short story by Alice Hoffman is part of a collection of five short stories by different authors under the title of Inheritance, and if the other four are as good as this one, it will prove to be worth your time to check them all out.

In twenty-eight pages, Hoffman shares an unforgettable story of a young woman living in the early 1900s with her parents in Boston whose life changes dramatically the year she turned twelve. First, her father becomes ill, and her mother is fond of spending her time in a local tavern in the company of men. A tavern where Adeline often has to find her and bring her home. Adeline is warned by her mother not to tell her father what she’s seen, telling her to keep her mouth shut. And so she does, making a vow to remain silent.

Twin lighthouses on the rocky coast of Cape Ann is where the later part of this story takes place, which adds a sense of isolation in the setting, prompting Adeline’s desire to create a different path for herself.

A story with a haunting atmosphere that pulled me in from the first sentence about secrets, the ones we keep from others and the ones we keep from ourselves, as well.


Pub Date: 19 Dec 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Amazon Original Stories through NetGalley

WOW. I would love this short book to go on and on. It was beautiful in all the shorts. I want to thank NetGalley for the advance copy to review. I am happy I read this one.

I have been a huge Alice Hoffman fan for decades. Everything My Mother Taught Me was a e-book short story by Amazon Original Stories. While it was a short story, Hoffman packed in a great story. This definitely could be expanded on- I would definitely like to read more. Hoffman introduces you to a young girl and her mother, who after her father dies, is forced in to a new way of living. Her mother and her go away form their home in Boston to live and help care for a lighthouse along the coast. you learn how deceitful and terrible her mother can be. Thankful for the other ladies in the lighthouse, the young girl meets a woman who takes her under her wing. No spoiler details but it gets way better than that. I read this book in no time, definitely a easy short story. Special thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

#EverythingMyMotherTaughtMe #NetGalley

This was a quick and simple short story. I read it in about 15 minutes, but I would have loved it to be a full length novel. It told a sad tale of a young girls life, her hardships and how she overcame them. It had a great amount of detail for a short story, which helped you immediately connect to the main character. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would have to read it in a full length.

★★★★✰ 4 stars

Alice Hoffman is an exceptional writer. This was a short yet striking tale that captivated me from its very opening lines:

“There are those who insist that mothers are born with love for their children and place them before all other things, including their own needs and desires. This was not the case with us.”


As per usual Hoffman showcases the way in which her insightful prose beautifully lends itself to the subjects of her story. The narrator paints an uneasy picture of her relationship with her mother. There is some recurring 'Hoffman imagery' (red shoes, sailors, the sea) which made the story all the more enthralling. I particularly liked the way the landscape mirrors the narrator's feelings.

“The sea was a dangerous enemy, and we were surrounded by it. But I remembered what my father had told me. 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 definitely recommend this to fans of Hoffman. It makes for a quick yet atmospheric read.

“I closed my eyes and went through a list of everything I wished I could thank him for giving me. Patience, loyalty, trust, and hopefully, in time, kindness.”

This is one of the five books in Amazon's Inheritance series

Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer
Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman
The Lion's Den by Anthony Marra
Zenith Man by Jennifer Haigh
The Weddings by Alexander Chee

This was my favorite story in this series. The author has such a beautiful way with words

Life for a woman in early 20th century Massachusetts was not easy. Adaline’s mother engages in affairs and warns her daughter to keep her mouth shut, so the girl does; saying nothing at all. Her mother becomes a house keeper for a lighthouse about the same time a woman in the area disappears. Adaline has the answers to the girls disappearance, but she also has her mother’s words ” Stay silent” . This is just one of five stories in this anthology about keeping secrets and while I enjoyed it, I didn’t think it was up to Hoffman’s usual standard. Maybe the length of the stories kept the character development to short for my taste

Alice Hoffman was the whole reason I requested the Inheritance series from netgalley. I've been a fan of Hoffman and her wonderful writing. This story did not disappoint.

Adeline's dad dies when she's twelve and her mom accepts a job looking after two lighthouses. Her mom is selfish, unkind and is pretty much looking out for number one. This is the story of all the havoc she causes when she enters the lives of the three families living at the lighthouses and the impact it has on Adeline and the story of Adeline’s redemption. Mothers and daughters are always complicated and it's just so in this powerful story.

This is one of the five books in Amazon's Inheritance series. "A collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones."

Can You Feel This? by Julie Orringer
Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman
The Lion's Den by Anthony Marra
Zenith Man by Jennifer Haigh
The Weddings by Alexander Chee

Thank you to netgalley and amazon for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Hoffman has yet to disappoint me, However, the story was too short. I liked very much what I have read and wished the story would have been longer. I do hope she plans to follow up with more about this short story.

There are givers in this world and then there are the takers.

In her brief twelve years, Adeline has had a front row seat in observing which category her mother falls into. Nora Ivie would take the last drop of milk from a newborn if it would suit her purpose.

But it is Adeline's father, the dreamer, who holds her heart. He's given up the sea as a sailor for the love of Nora Ivie. A love that is never quite returned even at his early death.

It's 1908 and with few options for a young widow and her daughter, Nora takes a job as a housekeeper on Thacher Island on the tip of Cape Anne. Nora connives her way into the household of the three lighthouse keepers with very dubious results. Adeline must try to adjust to life on the island where she is exposed to others with far higher standards than Nora. Adeline, sadly, has great difficulty in recognizing happiness.

Everything My Mother Taught Me is a snippet of a short story packed to the brim with the uneven avenues of human nature. Alice Hoffman works her magic here in a limited piece, but with profound results. She showcases characters that are as smooth as glass while others wound with their sharpness of intent.

Beautifully written by Hoffman and a personal longing for her to return to Adeline with a hefty novel in the making. Absolutely loved it.