Eva’s story unfolds over the next thirty years in London and in Spain. Her parents separate and a tragedy in Bridget’s family sees Bridget and her family move to Israel. Eva feels this loss more keenly as, for a while, she lived with the Blume family and experienced their acceptance and love. It's like the author looses steam the second our protagonist lands in Cordoba, which is an absolute let down after almost half the book knowing this will be the beginning of the Actual Quest. One of the most transporting novels I have read recently” - Patricia Nicol, Daily Mail’s Best Books for Winter Breaks

London, 1980s. Though she has a comfortable, privileged life, Eva Martínez-Green is deeply unhappy. The only child of an emotionally absent mother and a physically absent father, Eva has grown up in a cold, unloving house. But Eva is convinced that all is not as it seems. Why are there no baby pictures of her? Why do her parents avoid all questions about her early years? One of those rarest of books: so beautiful I almost couldn't bear it, and so moving I was reading through tears' STACEY HALLS I simply loved this book.. It made my heart break at some parts, and made me stifle laughter at others. I literally stayed up all night to finish it, and now I have work in three hours and can't wait to recommend this book to others. A moving tale... sure to make you cry... Parfait [is] a convincingly serious, sweet, clever and funny person who ends up carrying the story... an epic hero ... It's going to be all over every book club in Britain before you can say Burundi' The Times I found it both a mesmerisingly beautiful portrait of a young woman discovering what home means to her, and a poignant depiction of how our actions can touch other people's lives in ways we could never have anticipated. Augusta and Parfait are wonderful characters; I was willing them on to find the happiness and peace they both deserved' Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus

Member Reviews

Eva’s life in London helps the reader to learn about the characters, and when she starts to study in Cordoba, the real task of finding her birth mother begins. It follows our narrator Eva from childhood when she begins suspecting that her mother isn’t hers. There are no baby photos, no answers to her questions and suddenly, no father to turn to either. Eva’s mother suffers from depression, making her distant and absent emotionally and physically. Eva takes it upon herself to find out what’s missing and document her search in her Quest Book. I loved All My Mothers, perhaps even more than The Other Half of Augusta Hope (also by Joanna Glen, which I also really enjoyed). I’d really recommend this beautiful read. My Rating: 4/5 Honest, heartfelt and hopeful, All My Mothers captures the joy and pain of love in all its forms, and reminds us that mothers can be found in the most unlikely of places and people. It broke my heart three times, but I adored it!” - MARIANNE CRONIN, author of One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

All My Mothers offers an insightful look into how one's sense of home can be shaped by multiple experiences. Throughout her life Eva has felt that there is something missing in her life. She feels the outsider even when people go out of their way to show her love. Her mother is distant, undemonstrative and spends most of her time in bed. She is neither a loving mother, nor a supportive mother – she is an absence. An absence that is hard for a small girl to understand. Her father is everything and she adores him. When school requires her to bring a photo of herself as a baby she discovers there are no photographs. As she grows she learns that there is nothing of her before the age of three and a half – another unexplained emptiness. An absence that is compounded when her father leaves and her mother is moved to hospital.I think the character development is done so well and Eva becomes such a strong woman and has such a strong voice. She’s definitely a character that will stay with me for a long time. Honest, heartfelt and hopeful, All My Mothers captures the joy and pain of love in all its forms, and reminds us that mothers can be found in the most unlikely of places and people. It broke my heart three times, but I adored it!' MARIANNE CRONIN, author of One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot Eva is aware from a young age that her family life is not as it should be. There is just her, her emotionally distant mother and her partially absent father. No siblings, no pets, just the three of them. But why are there no baby photos of Eva? And why is her mother so reluctant to remember Eva as a baby? This is a quest Eva is determined to get to the bottom of. When her parents’ relationship crumbles, Eva begins a journey to find these answers for herself. Her desire to discover where she belongs leads Eva on a journey spanning decades and continents – and, along the way, she meets women who challenge her idea of what a mother should be, and who will change her life forever…

This is a title that I may not have been drawn to immediately as it sounded a little syrupy. I was wrong. It’s filled with insight into friendship, ,love , longing loss and the bonds between women. For the lyrical quality of the writing alone, this is a wonderful book and despite moments of heartache, I’m so pleased to have read it. Powerful and compelling from start to finish.A truly glorious life-affirming book, in which love, hope and friendship trump sorrow' DINAH JEFFERIES Eva Martinez-Green has two pivotal , life changing moments when she starts school: meeting Bridget Blume, and her teacher reading a book called ‘The Rainbow Rained Us’. Bridget becomes a lifelong friend, Bridget’s mother helps Eva to learn just what a mother can be like: loving and interested in her, unlike Eva’s own mother who has some serious mental health issues. In fact, Mrs Blume steps in to a mothering role for Eva, when Eva moves in due to her own mother having a prolonged stay in a clinic. Mrs Blume is Eva’s benchmark for being a mother for the rest of her life. For that short time she shows Eva affection, treats her like one of her own. Mrs Blume, along with her childhood book, leads Eva to realise that her mother isn’t her birth mother. And so begins the quest to find her. The men in the tale were mostly unhelpful, with the exceptions of Nigel, whose character is endearing, and Eva’s eventual partner.

Joanna Glen weaves a uniquely heartening and hopeful story. A story about pain, the solace of words and our search to belong, to a place, to a person. Welcome to the world of the wonderful Augusta Hope' Jess Kidd, author Himself and Things in Jars What can I tell you about this novel, about the pain of searching for truth, about wondering who your parents really are and why you did not grow up with them? Or about growing up in a dysfunctional home, where truth is hidden (or ignored)? Eva’s journey is challenging and complicated. She observes (and experiences) different models of mothering during her quest. This is a novel about life, about belonging, and about mothering. Along the way, Eva meets several women who will have an important influence on her life. Not all are positive. I loved how the author weaved the story, you grow into it as Eva grows up. We sometimes see where the journey is going, and sometimes we don't, but Eva is a truthful narrator to both herself and her subjects. She is at times, not terribly likeable, but she is believable and three dimensional. The narrative structure of All My Mothers provides an interesting exploration into the past and present lives of its protagonists. Overall, it is a story about a girl whose “mother” felt like a phantom and an intruder. All her life, Eva has never truly felt connected to her mother, neither emotionally nor physically. This is why she clings to a color schemes which sorts all kinds of mothers into distinct colors to describe their personality and qualities of how a true mother should act and behave. For her, it is a way to cope with the neglect and detachment of her parents. Throughout the story, she encounters various types of mothers who act as a role model and dramatically shape her one way or the other.The creation of Eva’s life experiences is staggeringly skilful drawing you in to every heartbeat and every facet of an increasing set of real-people-characters – and, too, the different locations as England moves to Cordoba which Eva learns is her place of birth. In The Other Half of Augusta Hope the author didn’t quite avoid a slightly less than satisfying fairy tale element towards the end. All My Mothers moves in that direction but she manages to create a fabulous ending planted firmly enough in real life to work. There’s plenty of painful tragedy to cry over which will resonate with many listeners, but it never dominates. What you’re left with is an exhilarating, uplifting story where love isn’t found where it is sought, or the kind which was long yearned for, but which is found in abundance in all kinds of unexpected places and forms.