What a great book! This story, which spans the time period of the early 1900's through the middle of the century, is about three women living in an Appalachian mining town. The religion of the oldest, known as Two Tears, is that of the Cherokee people, which she adopted when she was rescued from an abusive husband by a Cherokee man, at the age of sixteen. The second oldest, Anna, the younger sister of Two Tears, lives by the established Old Testament religion of the white settlers of the area. Lily, Anna's daughter, learns from Two Tears, (who she refers to as Fee Granny) about, and becomes enthralled by, the Cherokee beliefs, developing great sensitivity to and awareness of the world around her. The lives of these women is greatly affected by their beliefs and their dire financial situations. But this is not a story about religion by any means. Instead, it illustrates how the poor and marginalized, often women, suffer and manage to live their lives as best they can.

This was a very well written and absorbing novel. I strongly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Laura Hunter and the publisher Bluewater Publications for granting my request for an ARC in return for my honest opinion.

Received a copy of this book through NetGalley.So would like to thank the publisher and author for a copy.
Personally found the book difficult to follow,seemed to jump from one character to another leaving nothing finished for example Two tears was ordered to leave by Beloved Mother,without any explanation,then her moving around,leaving his son to his own devices,why he killed her in the end the reader did not know,nothing was explained the dialogue between Brother Moon and Sister Sun I found confusing,did not add to the plot a lot of unexplained events which only left the reader confused.Found the book very hard going,but was very disappointed in the end.

Beloved Mother is a very good book. It hooked me at the beginning and I loved every word. The writing is well done and the characters are well thought out and developed nicely. I would read more stories by Ms Hunter.

You'll want to read this one slowly and carefully, taking in every nuance and hanging on for quickly-moving plot swerves. In this epic story of three generations of women and the multi-faceted worlds they inhabit, we find incredible strength through a long list of hardships and shifts in their realities. I loved the Native American thread that runs through this book -- and is in fact why I chose to read and review it -- and the magic that courses through it. A standout line that shows you what you're in for here: “women have within them so much love and so much hate they sometime confuse the two." Yeah, it's thought-provoking like that, a natural for book club discussions, and one for which you'll want to save your complete focus. It's got plenty of depth, and is one worth keeping on your bookshelf to read again in the future.

Really enjoyed this. Refreshing read, great job. Full review on the blog coming shortly. . Really great job!