It’s was alright, I just expected for. I have not more to say at all.I didn’t like the person who narrated it.

This book starts off good and just gets better the more you read.
This book has an abundance of great descriptors that immerse you into the story, along with the powerful stories of each character
This book has you thinking about it long after you finish.
Highly recommend a read through this well crafted book!

I was not a fan of the narrator for the audiobook, so I switched to ebook.

This book deals with some heavy topics and honestly it blew my mind.

I couldn’t understand how very little thought process went into Shannon and Vladimir’s decision to just snatch a child off the street and leave the country with her. I was angry at how the citizens of Morocco made it so easy.

I was devastated how Souria, who suffered at every turn and endured so much felt one again helpless and unable to do or say anything about her missing child.

Shannon endured a lot as well, but her character was so selfish and unlikeable, that it didn’t even matter.

The writing was a little strange for me as it sometimes jumped into what seems like stream of consciousness from a narrative perspective.

I think this would make a great book club selection as there is tons to unpack with this one.

Mother Country by Jacinda Townsend was beautifully written. It handled tough topics with care and provided the much needed community context to further the plot along. I will be looking for more from this author.

I received a review copy of this book from the author/publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

"Mother Country" by Townsend paints a rich historical tapestry. The novel explores the complex dynamics of a community's journey, but pacing occasionally lags. Townsend's descriptive prose creates a sense of place, yet character motivations can feel elusive. The book provides insight into cultural shifts, offering an immersive experience that balances depth and occasional stretches of slower development.

I found this audiobook very chaotic and hard to follow. The narrator did an excellent job and overall storyline was intersting but over all, I was confused. I think this is a book best read than listened to.

This book was gard to follow it had all the prospect of a fanbiok but there was a disconnect between the author, the words, and the Narration. The Narrator did their best, but it just didn't connect.

DNF…… read a bit too much like YA and that’s not my vibe, i’m sure it would be great for those who do like young adult. this is just not for me !

I went into this book blind and was not expecting the heavy topics. I had to take a breather to reassess what I thought of the book.

It was a bit slow and hard to follow initially but it turned into a beautiful story. There was love and there was loss. There was pain and there was joy (although fewer and further between for the characters).

Some of the modern-day mentions - like Doja Cat and such felt a bit strange to me. I understand the book is supposed to be written in the modern day and I'm not sure if it was the pace and sound of the narrator but it felt like it didn't belong - like the story was set earlier.

Overall a great storyline but just fairly dull in my opinion.

This book was... okay. It had 2 main POV characters (along with a third occasionally), and the complexity of their unknown relationship with each other made the flips feel hard to follow for me--i understood them, but couldn't emotionally shift very well. In general, it felt maybe a little overly ambitious (esp with the 3rd POV character, who i thought would be easiest to connect to but was written in a way where she was very much not).

That said, the characters were complex and interesting, and the plot raised really intense questions about motherhood, capitalism, colonization, race, and power. So all in all, a very uneven 3 stars.

The narration did not work for me.

First off, I do think this book could benefit from trigger warnings, "Rape, Enslavement, extreme poverty, substance abuse, racism, and colorism." Just to name a few!

Initially, this book was so disjointed. I found it hard to get into it- at first. For example, I was following a story of a woman kidnapping a child from a marketplace, and then all of a sudden, she's talking about this deadly car accident where she'd almost been killed, but I think that was her remembering the past. It was just confusing.

The main plot is that an indolent American woman kidnaps a toddler she encounters in Marrakesh. But really, it follows the journey of two very different women. One lives in extreme poverty but attempts to follow her faith and do the next right thing. The other wants more but feels like she lacks what it takes to be like others and be loved and accepted.

This book made me feel a lot of feelings!
OMG, the description of infertility treatments! 😂😂😂 So true! The rage and frustration and longing came through.

I was so angry at the nearby shopkeeper for not saying anything. My heart was breaking for Souria! 💔 The Embassy guy… ugh!

Overall it was a good story that'll I'll likely think about in the future.

**Electronic advanced reader copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

I couldn't get into this, unfortunately- I found the narration distracting. Plan to try the physical book. Rating 4 stars because the premise is interesting and I think this could really work for me, just not on audio.

I thought this would be interesting from reading the summary. I couldn’t connect with the main character. I felt like the story rambled and I struggled to keep interest. It was not a bad read, just not for me.
****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****