{"product_id":"motherland-9781473612020","title":"Motherland","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOranges Are Not the Only Fruit\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eGoodbye Lenin\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''I hadn''t expected the Berlin Wall to be clean and white and smooth. It looked more like the edge of the swimming baths than the edge of the Cold War. On the grass of No-man''s Land, fat rabbits ate and strolled about as if they''d never been hunted and nothing could disturb them. This was their land and they ruled it, and there were three parts to Berlin: East, West and Rabbit.''\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is 1978, Jess is thirteen and she already has a reputation - as the daughter of the only communist in town. But then, it''s in the blood. The Mitchells have been in the Party since the Party began. Jess and her mother Eleanor struggle to sell socialism to Tamworth - a sleepy Midlands town that just doesn''t want to know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo when Eleanor is invited to spend a summer teaching in East Germany, she and Jess leap at the chance to see what the future looks like. On the other side of the Iron Curtain they turn from villains into heroes. And when Eleanor meets widower Peter and his daughter, Martina, a new, more peaceful life seems possible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the Cold War has no time for love and soon the trouble starts. Peter is dispatched for two years of solidarity work in Laos. Friends become enemies, and Jess discovers how easy it is to switch sides, and how sides can be switched for you, sometimes without you even knowing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e is a tender mother-daughter story and a tragi-comic portrait of a childhood overcome with belief. It''s about loss of faith and loss of innocence, and what it''s like to grow up on the losing side of history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFunny, smart\u003c\/b\u003e, and packed full of all the melancholy you would expect from a novel that slowly sheds a child's innocence * Red *\u003cbr\u003eThere's a great deal of humour in \u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e, all underpinned with a sober tone . . . Jess makes an engaging narrator * alifeinbooks *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn its warm and witty portrait of offbeat mother-daughter relations, \u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e often recalls Nina Stibbe's \u003ci\u003eMan At The Helm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e. Jess's gift for wry observations also gives rise to some wonderfully quotable lines * Lady *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMotherland\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e cuts a swathe through history\u003c\/b\u003e without feeling like a lesson . . . Even though \u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e is full of historical detail, between 1980s Tamworth and the GDR, the oppression of the era never overwhelms. At the heart, and most important are the human relationships and which bonds survive * Emerald Street *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI'm sure that these are characters (and the voice of a new novelist) that I for one will gladly revisit over and over again\u003c\/b\u003e . . . A beautiful story tinged with fun, sadness and insight * Bookbag *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA delightful tragi-comic novel\u003c\/b\u003e, primarily about a mother\/daughter relationship (hence the title) and also about coming of age and disillusionment . . . \u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e combines a teenager's cold-eyed view of adult absurdities and a wistfulness for lost certainties; a \u003cb\u003ecompelling\u003c\/b\u003e blend * Historical Novel Review *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003efunny and poignant\u003c\/b\u003e first novel * Daily Mail *\u003cbr\u003eThis assured debut from Jo McMillan was\u003cb\u003e a delight from start to finish\u003c\/b\u003e; I was immediately drawn into the lives of the main characters and was sorry to get to the end. McMillan is now based in Berlin and she writes convincingly of both sides of the Cold War, she has \u003cb\u003ea very distinct voice\u003c\/b\u003e and will be\u003cb\u003e a writer to watch in the future\u003c\/b\u003e * We Love This Book *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMcMillan's writing is excellent\u003c\/b\u003e; she captures brilliantly the voice of Jess, naive and committed at the start of the book, knowing and more questioning by the end. Although there's perhaps a certain irony in places in her portrayal of the various members of the counter-culture groups, she never belittles their belief and their faith in their cause . . . \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMotherland\u003c\/i\u003e is McMillan's debut, and it's an excellent one - highly recommended!\u003c\/b\u003e * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings *\u003cbr\u003eFor those of us who remember how well youthful politics can entangle teenage love, this funny, sweet, sad first novel is both \u003cb\u003ea delight and a glorious journey back to a time and place many of us only recall with a wry shake of the head\u003c\/b\u003e * Stella Duffy *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn ambitious coming-of-age novel \u003c\/b\u003efrom debut author Jo McMillan, which is \u003cb\u003ewonderfully written and filled with quirky details and descriptions\u003c\/b\u003e . . . \u003cb\u003eA touching and poignant read\u003c\/b\u003e, which uniquely explores this period in time in a way in which few other authors have attempted to * Herald *\u003cbr\u003eGenuinely funny * Socialist Worker *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA touching and poignant read\u003c\/b\u003e, which uniquely explores this period in time in a way in which few other authors have attempted to * Press Association *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn ambitious coming-of-age story\u003c\/b\u003e, filled with quirky details and descriptions * Scotsman *\u003cbr\u003eIt's an ambitious coming-of-age novel from debut author Jo McMillan, which is \u003cb\u003ewonderfully written and filled with quirky details and descriptions\u003c\/b\u003e . . .\u003cb\u003e a touching and poignant read\u003c\/b\u003e, which uniquely explores this period in time in a way in which few other authors have attempted to * Catholic Universe *\u003cbr\u003eThe book (sometimes very funny, sometimes desperately embarrassing and sad, always absorbing and moving) is full of her ineradicable love for her batty, determined Stalinist mother . . . I urge you to [read it] * Mail Online *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48885772288343,"sku":"9781473612020","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473612020.jpg?v=1722537643","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/motherland-9781473612020","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}