A family saga spanning decades, The Fourth Child examines “the delicate balance between the purity of faith and the messy reality of life” through the relationship between a mother and daughter, Jane and Lauren.
This story is incredibly complicated and so simple at the same time. I loved reading the parallels of Jane and Lauren’s lives, only to see them diverge as their characters grew.
The discussion of faith set against the backdrop of anti-abortion protests in the 90s was particularly engaging for me. I feel jaded when it comes to the overly devout and Jane’s seemingly “hands off” approach to her Catholicism was fascinating. I’m not sure if it was her effort to present a “saintly” vibe or just a hope to lead by example – but I had a tough time believing it – especially given her seemingly selfless decisions were in fact, incredibly selfish – the exact OPPOSITE of the saints she admires.
Ultimately, it’s the loss of a child and this strong belief Jane has that a higher power wanted her to have four children that leads to the adoption of Mirela from Romania – the catalyst for much of the strife between Lauren and Jane. It’s evident this is a growing experience for both of them and by the end of the novel, we see Jane taking a more nuanced approach to life and Lauren granting her mother a bit of grace.
Winter is clearly a very talented writer – but at times her poetic prose felt verbose, especially in the first pages of the novel. This is why I’m so happy I finished the book on audio. Cassandra Campbell added the nuance I needed to the fraught thought exhibited by both Jane and Lauren throughout the novel.
I’m sure there is something more profound I could say, but I am a sucker for a mother-daughter story and it’s clear Winter has the chops to craft one with precision and care.

THE FOURTH CHILD is a fascinating book, unlike anything I've read before. The writing calls for your attention, and while it can be muddled at times, it tells a story I won't soon forget. There is a lot packed into this novel but it focuses on the strained relationship between a devoutly Catholic mother in Buffalo in the 90s, and her 15 year old daughter who is testing the boundaries and trying to find her place in the world. After Jane, the mother, adopts a 3 year old as a sort of backwards way of protesting abortion, the entire family goes into different levels of turmoil.

It is a classic familial drama, somewhat similar to Celeste Ng but without a driving plot. Instead, it is focused on character development and how decisions you make can affect you in mysterious ways years later. It is difficult to get through, the characters face abuse at different levels and it is rife with content warnings for abortion and emotional and sexual abuse. I liked how we stay with the characters for a few decades, and get to know them well. It's complex and sprawling and if you're in the mood for a sad but poignant family drama, this is a great new release.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC copy of The Fourth Child, for an honest review. It’s always a pleasure to get an arc from Netgalley. This book was a hard one for me. The story was slow and I really didn’t like the characters. I get that this is a liters style and I was glad I was able to read this story.. but I don’t get it. I don’t know why an entire book has to be so sad. The story revolves around a middle class family of 5. The mom Jane is a devout Catholic who is obsessed with Pro Life and most doctrines of the church. She finds herself at a crossroads in life and decides to adopt a child from Romania. Mirela turns this family’s world upside down. The angry father and Jane’s first daughter Lauren are the most affected. There are 2 other sons but there roles in this story is minuscule. The story goes back and forth between Jane and Lauren. They each tell their story. Jane, is a quiet wife, won’t rock the boat and honestly is treated very badly by her husband. Lauren is a angry teen and is desperately trying to find her way, in the family and the world. The back and forth broke up this story for me. The writing was good, very descriptive. This was a three star read for me. I just couldn’t connect with the story or the characters. I look forward to hearing others reviews. Jessica Winter definitely has a talent for telling a story, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Fourth Child by Jessica Winter is a novel about Jane, a woman who has lived her life based on her children ever since her unexpected pregnancy in high school. Jane takes to a pro-life group as her children get older and subsequently adopts a young girl Mirela but struggles with developing a relationship with her. Jane soon devotes her time to doing everything in her power to connect with Mirela, but it comes at the expense of her time and attention to the rest of the people in her life. Jane's daughter Lauren struggles with the lack of attention and redirects her focus to creative pursuits and a new relationship that lead to Jane questioning her staunch beliefs.

This book had an intriguing premise and I loved how the experiences of the mother and daughter paralleled yet were also somehow different. I appreciated the commentary on how your beliefs can be tested when you are someone dealing with an experience like teen pregnancy compared to when you make a judgement on someone else who makes a decision aligned or in contrast to your beliefs. Jane and Lauren were developed very well, but I really struggled with Jane's character. I was often frustrated with her selfishness that she considered selfless when it was coming at the expense of so many people around her and even at times Mirela whom she was doing all of this far. I thought the alternating perspectives helped contribute to how differently one can see the same situation based on beliefs and experiences. The pacing was slow for the majority of the novel but picked up rapidly towards the latter part. Overall this had compelling commentary but just didn't fully land for me this time but I am looking forward to other books from this author!

Many thanks to the publisher Harper and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Very very bland, and the characters were in no relatable to me. The relationship between the main character and her husband was forced, and the relationships with all the other characters were unbelievable and poorly pieces together, like a bad lifetime movie.

The is much going on in this family. Woven in the story is love, family, daughters, religion, adoption, pregnancy and The Fourth Child. This story is deep and touches on many real life topics, compelling indeed. Thank you #netgalley#harper#thefourthchild

I’m judging a 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

The Vines were lean and tawny, with matching chestnut hair; each stood the same height as the other in their stocking feet. They spoke in low murmuring tones and touched each other frequently and were the first adults Jane ever imagined having sex.

This book is excellent. It is a subtle and engaging look at a mother and daughter(s) through the lens of abortion and adoption. There are finely wrought details and an immersive overall plot. It felt much different than Winter's first book.

Thank you again for NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for my honest review.

I found The Fourth Child…complicated. There are powerful themes of religion and the theory of nature vs. nurture, and I found that premise to be interesting. However, this book did not hold my attention very well and I found myself setting it down and picking up another book more often than not. I didn't care for any of the characters and I felt like there wasn't a resolution for any of them in the end. I guess this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

Better luck next time!

Although some of the writing was superb, I really did not like the overall story so that shaded me. The story is as important as the writing and this story missed the mark.

An extraordinary debut! Beautiful and heartbreaking story of adolescence, motherhood, and marriage.  A stunning exploration of the balance of love, sexuality, and faith. Generational points of view are well done. The novel centers on the politics of women’s reproduction. Overall it was a solid read and I can’t wait to see more from this author. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to review an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

I loved this book and it’s deeply nuanced portrait of women’s lives, motherhood, and family relationships. Jane and Lauren, the novel’s main characters, are fully realized, and, like most people, full of contradiction. I really appreciated that Issue of women’s reproductive choice and its politicization are centered in this story. It’s ramifications affect the main characters, the whole family, and the community. I loved this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lauren, the protagonist teenager, is featured in this coming of age novel. Her mother, a staunch right to life activist, adopts a toddler from Romania with no social skills who disrupts their family routines and Lauren's relationship with her mother. Ultimately, Lauren ends up in an inappropriate relationship which causes her mother to change her views somewhat. The twist at the end was unexpected.

The novel centers on Jane, who’s navigating motherhood and all its wonders, and Lauren, Jane’s daughter, who’s adjusting to her life as the oldest sibling. Jane, unbeknownst to her family, travels to Romania to adopt an orphan, adding a sixth member to their family that disrupts the family’s usual routine. Their stories evolve over time and their struggles and triumphs unfold beautifully.

As a mom of 4, I found this book extremely relatable. While my own situation is far less complex, Jane and I struggle with many of the same issues. Lauren also reminds me of my 9 year old daughter, the oldest of my girls. As moms, we try our hardest to give our kids all they need (attention, love, etc), but we’re not perfect. I think this book would also be relatable to anyone who has a child with a learning disability or has fostered/adopted an older child.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. The psych aspect of this novel wasn’t for me, but I think that’s due to my own interests.

Thank you to the author, @winterjessica, and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley Publisher and author for this ebook copy.

Jane becomes pregnant in high school; by her early twenties, she is raising three children in the suburbs of western New York State. In the fall of 1991, as her children are growing older and more independent, Jane is overcome by a spiritual and intellectual restlessness that leads her to become involved with a local pro-life group.

This was a interesting book. I.enjoyed the setting and this book was full of all the wonderful things..... It just wasn't what I was expecting.
It was good, but it was lacking. Some parts didn't quite make sense to me.
I was left wondering why at time's.

Overall ok read

A generational novel that take us through the trials and tribulations of several generations of one family. While interesting and engaging, this wasn’t my favorite. I didn’t feel like I understood this family any more when I finished than when I began reading. After her children are older, a religious mom adopts a difficult child from a Romanian orphanage, in between protesting medical clinics. The child disrupted everyone and everything until the family unit all revolved around the young child. I also believe the mother put the child in harm’s way. I thought the mother was incredibly selfish, and the 3 biological kids needed better parenting. The ending left me feeling sorry for them all. I wasn’t fond of the ending, either. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.