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Everything My Mother Taught Me
- Inheritance collection
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 50 mins
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Everything My Mother Taught Me
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Summary
In this haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first.
For fatefully observant Adeline, growing up carries an ominous warning from her adulterous mother: don’t say a word. Adeline vows to never speak again. But that’s not her only secret. After her mother takes a housekeeping job at a lighthouse off the tip of Cape Ann, a local woman vanishes. The key to the mystery lies with Adeline, the silent witness. New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman crafts a beautiful, heart-wrenching short story.
Alice Hoffman’s Everything My Mother Taught Me is part of Inheritance, a collection of five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single setting. By yourself, behind closed doors, or shared with someone you trust.
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What listeners say about Everything My Mother Taught Me
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- AZ
- 03-04-21
Skillful tale-telling in a short story
This short story included a lot of detail from the backstory to the sense of place.
Set in the 1900s, the narrative centres around a young girl and her narcissistic mother. Our heroine has lost her father and finds herself, literally and metaphorically in a strange place. She has become non-verbal through trauma. This begins partially voluntarily, but it seems she was silenced by threats used by her mother to keep her quiet, and grief at the loss of her father. She and her mother move to take up the position of lighthouse cleaner and housemaid in a remote and beautiful stretch of New England's shore. She finds ways to communicate as she grows and develops under the care of a new, gently maternal friend. But soon her friend needs saving. Our young protagonist must find the strength and wit to help weave the escape of the one person she trusts. Now her silence is a shield but soon she must find her voice, and perhaps her own freedom.
If you like historical fiction and short stories this is a good way to pass 50 minutes. Hoffman's story-telling skill means that the plot is rich.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-02-20
This story is incredible
Sweet Lord many twists and turns... The narration is so good guys..you will love and pity the characters...
8 people found this helpful
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lorie
- 19-02-20
Great short story!
I didn’t realize this was a short story. Good read!! Going to check out the other short stories from this Inheritance collection!
7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- ndwoods
- 11-02-20
Too Short
I really enjoyed listening to this book.
story was tight and effective
I wished it was longer
4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- By AB.
- 31-12-19
Dajavu
This story reminds me of my own life experiences as a child and young girl. Such as it was, at times I think about growing up with a mother who didn't like me. I am happy I am a loving caring person in spite of my mother.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Megan Robinson
- 29-02-20
Surviving a narcissistic mother
This short story has Hoffman’s careful establishment of environment. It’s in first person, from the point of view of a preteen girl who’s father recently died. Her very beautiful mother traded on her looks to get ahead, and had a string of married boyfriends while her husband was sick. She gets a job as a cleaning lady at a lighthouse on a remote island, unusual for its orchards and gardens and immediately strikes up an affair with one of the lighthouse keepers (there’s three of them). The daughter makes friends with the wife being cheated on, and they come up with an escape plan when the light keeper becomes increasingly abusive. It’s a decent story. I didn’t like the narrator initially, although I got used to her. She sounded too modern for a story taking place in the early 20th century, if that makes sense.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 14-03-20
Everything my Mother Taught Me
This was short and sweet. I didn’t like the way the mother treated the daughter. She was just looking out for herself.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Amanda
- 24-02-20
Total waste of 50 minutes of my life.
Sorry for being a Debbie Downer but in summary: mother-daughter angst + abusive man + nasty sex talk + faked suicide = nothing I’m interested in reading. The setting was cool, and I liked Julia. The End.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kristin
- 10-02-20
great short story
Interesting short story, found it relatable and raw. emotional and full of depth. worth the listen!
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- jmfree13
- 09-02-20
Fortitude Strength and Future
The fortitude demonstrated by a youth in the face of motherly exasperation leads to Strength and a Future free from pain
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mindful Castle
- 29-01-23
Wonderful Story!
I loved this short story so much! It has inspired me to try my hand at short stories! Hopefully I can be as good a story teller as Alice is. She is a master!