Very Interesting,a real page turner

Fascinating, and very interesting, quite unlike any other read. Recommended.

"Who are you now ?" her mother said. "That's the only question you can answer, really." They had just finished a bottle of wine, and her mother was grandly philosophical. "Nothing lasts, good or bad, " she went on. "You just do the best you can."

This collection is the story, in a sense, of all women. It's rich in history and more, it's a history of women throughout time- hence the apt title, Mother Time. There is happiness and tragedy, love, birth, deaths, war, peace... it's all here. Every telling could be about every woman, and that's what holds strong here. The disappointments are heavy and familiar. As quoted above, nothing lasts- good or bad. Time is not always a kind companion, though certainly a constant one. Think of disease in early times.. Herman goes as far back even as 1327! This is time travel in a sense, an intimate look at times gone by. We have a habit of thinking of the past as dead, as being disconnected from those 'primitive' people, but how much of the human heart really changes? How much of our longings, struggles, regrets, loves are really that different? The scenery changes, technology and certainly modern medicine but isn't there always some war, or some horrible new mysterious disease taking it's toll on us? The saddest was Grace's story (1737-1791) but also the happiest- as life shows us, sometimes rotten luck can hit us but good can come from a terrible beginning. The ravages of small pox is not going to stop her future. Also, we come to the end of some lives as well- and we will all be there one day too, if we're lucky enough to live into old age.
Each woman's story is meaningful- this is a well written historical collection.

Mother Time is an interesting and unique concept of linked stories of mothers going back through many, many generations, all the way back to 1327. I appreciated the author's abilities to create new characters with seemingly accurate historical details, especially because there were so many characters. Reading about women's hopes, dreams, tragedies, and troubles throughout the centuries showed that even though details may differ, we have much in common with women who might have lived in centuries past. There were several instances that I wished for more depth to the stories and more resolution, but that is mainly a function of the short story format. Recommended for readers that enjoy historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ecopy.

Love the style of this book, it is my first introduction to short stories and I can say that this book has inspired me to read more.

I received a free electronic copy of this history from Louise Herman and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much for sharing your work with me.

This is truly an exceptional work. Louise Herman has obviously spent years studying the history of England, most especially daily life as it pertains to women and mothers and the lives they lived, ranging back through each generation for 700 years. And she is willing to share this knowledge with us in a book of linked short stories. She takes us, one mother at a time, from Pip, due to deliver her child on New Year's Eve, 2000, to the Prioress at the Jefford Priory who chooses to raise the foundling Hildegarde in the year 1300. Because this is a family tree, many of the characters extend into several parts of the time line, bringing continuity that binds us to this tale, making these folk part of our own story.

I would recommend Mother Time to anyone curious about their own heritage, interested in what made up the daily life of their ancestors, anyone curious about history as it evolved around families. Be prepared for a marathon read - this is one you will not want to put down. I plan to read it again, starting with Hildegarde this time, and working back to Pip....