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

Delores loses her mother and then travels to the place of her birth to discover the mysteries of her birthplace and biological parents. Loss, love, parenting, abd reconciliation are all themes contained in this beautiful novel.

Thirty-five year old Dorrie Moore returns to Minneapolis to care for her dying aunt, Jane. On her deathbed, Jane makes Dorrie promise she will go to Columbia to learn the story of her birth parents. This well-woven novel moves from present day Minneapolis and Columbia to Cali in 1989 when Dorrie was born. The book is recommended for discussion groups that can unwind the ending, because there will be questions. And, just a note: The epilogue involves two adults sharing a bed with an newborn which is unsafe and could be deadly.

The premise of this novel has a young woman, born to a Colombian father and American mother,—both deceased when she was an infant—searching for a place to fit in, a place to call home.

Somewhere in Dolores’s 30+ years of life, it seems she should have made some decisions for herself instead of just doing nothing or looking for the easy way out. I understand that she was an introvert and not a risk-taker, but I had hoped that a woman, raised by 2 strong, loving women, would have tried to emulate their strengths more. Instead I felt that her character was more of an empty shell, watching life go by around her. The positives were interesting supporting players in both Columbia and in the States. The descriptions of place, especially in Columbia, were excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC to read and review.

So many novels now utilize going back and forth in different time frames. I have found that this style can be tiring at times. Fajardo's writing is not in that group. Her skill is such that I looked forward to going "back in time" to find out what happened to Dorrie's (the main character) parents. She weaves that narrative with present day happenings of Dorrie's life: her last parent has died, she has lost her job and ended a longterm relationship with her boyfriend. Oh, and her mother, on her death bed, makes Dorrie promise to return to her (Dorrie's) place of birth in Columbia.
The other strand of story arc consists of the voices of her dead relatives. They, at least initially, critique/offer suggestions on Dorrie's actions (present and future), past and present relatives, and anything else they feel the need to comment on. (The Greek chorus is alive and well!)
This novel offers multiple topics to juggle and it is done seamlessly. Kudos to Fajardo and thanks to Netgalley!

I had trouble staying engaged with this one. The little nonfiction inserts about maps and cartography, while relevant, distracted me. I felt like the story was a bit disjointed especially when her trip to Colombia ended so abruptly. Then her time in California ended much the same way. I found the premise intriguing but the execution lacking. The flashback stories of Maggie/Juan Carlos were the best part of this book. I just couldn’t get as caught up in Dorrie’s story. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

*****3.5*****
The cover of this book really attracted me. It's so beautiful! I enjoyed reading it. It wasn't quite what I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a literary novel, but it was more like literary chick lit, which I don't mind because I enjoy chick lit. It also sort of reminded me of Eat, Pray, Love even though that's nonfiction because the main character, Dorrie Moore, travels to Colombia and San Francisco and then back home to Minnesota and finds herself, essentially. I liked Dorrie's first-person narration, and I liked the cartography references between parts. I didn't like the alternating perspective back in 1989 to Dorrie's parents. I didn't think they were necessary and didn't add anything to the story. I feel like Dorrie's discovery of what happened to her parents would be far more impactful without the flashbacks. I also didn't like the random blurbs about cartography that came up throughout the novel. At first, I appreciated the history and found it cool how Fajardo linked the history to Dorrie's story, but they became increasingly intrusive. I really liked that the characters felt so real. They are all really well-defined and detailed and came alive for me, even Dorrie's parents. I found myself connecting to everyone, and I liked that a lot. The section in Colombia was my favorite because of the characters and the richness of the details and Dorrie's experiences. I love that the map she finds of Cali, Colombia is a driving force for her and comes up again in the novel as a metaphor/symbol. I loved the ending--the last lines are great. I also felt that Dorrie's "Greek chorus" of voices she hears with her dead female relatives speaking was more of an afterthought. It is essential to her character development, but the story would be 100% the same without it, and it didn't feel like magical realism because it's never clear whether Dorrie actually hears these voices, or she relies on what she thinks her dead "mothers" would say for comfort and an excuse to maintain the status quo in her life. I love magical realism, and I feel like Fajardo could have dove into this much more and made the Greek chorus more of a character.
Overall, I did enjoy the book. I recommend it to people who enjoy literary chick lit with a vaguely magical realistic background and who like stories about people who are lost finding themselves, especially in other countries but also coming home to find their home and themselves changed in various ways. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ebook to review.

I found this book very different and intriguing. Dolores's journey to find her roots was heartwarming, and the voices in her head enchanting. This was an enjoyable read and I'd recommend it. Looking forward to reading others from this author.

I really enjoyed The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore. It was a bit whimsical and had a good dose of magical realism -- it kind of reminded me of Sarah Addison Allen's novels a bit. It had the same kind of vibe, which made for a cozy and endearing read.

I liked the voices of Dolores's relatives in her head and her adventures exploring Colombia. I looked forward to picking it up each night and seeing where the story went next. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a unique read with a lot of heart. Themes of family, loss, belonging, and love resonate throughout the book. I enjoyed it very much.