"Deborah Adams' All The Hungry Mothers features nanny-for-hire Janet Ayres, who discovers the eccentricities of Jesus Creek, Tennessee, when she begins her duties in the Leach's disorderly antebellum mansion. She is reluctantly drawn into the chaotic lives of her employer and the desperate battered women and children who temporarily live together there. Janet finds solace in the apparent normalcy of the nuclear family living next door until that happy home is invaded by demons. Human drama is vividly portrayed as Janet investigates this puzzling phenomenon. The murder of the abusive husband of one of the shelter's former residents leads Janet to question whether her neighbors' paralyzing fear might be caused by a more tangible form of evil. Domestic violence is poignantly explored as this tantalizing mystery unfolds. As the answers are revealed, Janet Ayers and Jesus Creek are changed forever." -- Word of Mouth
All The Hungry Mothers (Jesus Creek mysteries)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The third of Adams's works set in the small town of Jesus Creek, Tenn., this well-intentioned but ultimately unsatisfying Southern gothic focuses on domestic violence. An inexperienced young nanny, Janet Ayres, arrives in Jesus Creek to care for two-month-old Ariel Leach. The Leach household doubles as a safe house for battered women, and Ariel's mother, Sarah Elizabeth, juggles her volunteer work for a domestic violence hotline with a part-time job at the library, university classes and the demands of her razor-tongued mother-in-law--though her husband is mysteriously absent. Jesus Creek is peopled with an assortment of TV sitcom-style eccentrics, including an old codger who is documenting traces of UFO activity and a '60s-era hippy who gets tangled up in her yoga position. Janet comes to realize, though, that something is seriously amiss in the house next door where her new friend, Mary Ann, lives with her young son and seemingly devoted husband. Mary Ann's fate is entirely predictable, and readers will have no difficulty guessing the depressing climax. The story is told from Janet's perspective and as the nanny tends to both a pretentious vocabulary and an uptight attitude, the narrative suffers. Adams superficially chronicles several other cases of domestic violence, using the volunteer hotline as a device for introducing them into the story, but the reader learns too little about these women or their children to care much about their troubles. Domestic violence is a serious and frighteningly common problem, and this disappointing novel does not do justice to its important theme.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"...a quietly powerful case study which shows us just how easy it is for battering, whether emotional or physical, to occur right before our very eyes. Adams'' blend of humor and suspense strikes just he right note; never didactic, but educating while entertaining." -- Dean James, co-author of By A Woman's Hand
"A series rich in provocative themes and artful plots." -- Joan Hess, author of the Maggody series
"Adams' books perfectly capture the rhythms of life in a small town, where everyone sees it as a God-given right to know everybody else's business." -- The Baltimore Sun
"It takes a very daring writer to approach the sad and terrible subject of domestic violence with a touch of humor. Ms. Adams does it, and makes it work." -- Chico's Mystery Newsletter
"A series rich in provocative themes and artful plots." -- Joan Hess, author of the Maggody series
"Adams' books perfectly capture the rhythms of life in a small town, where everyone sees it as a God-given right to know everybody else's business." -- The Baltimore Sun
"It takes a very daring writer to approach the sad and terrible subject of domestic violence with a touch of humor. Ms. Adams does it, and makes it work." -- Chico's Mystery Newsletter
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read mysteries for fun. I don't read them to hear about heavy societal issues, i.e., domestic violence. I've read all of the other Jesus Creek books except for one and have enjoyed them; except for this one. Ms. Adams handles the domestic violence issue well, but in my opinion, it just doesn't belong in light, amusing stories of Jesus Creek.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy societal issue doesn't fit into fun, light mystery.
Aug 26 1999
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I read mysteries for fun. I don't read them to hear about heavy societal issues, i.e., domestic violence. I've read all of the other Jesus Creek books except for one and have enjoyed them; except for this one. Ms. Adams handles the domestic violence issue well, but in my opinion, it just doesn't belong in light, amusing stories of Jesus Creek.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Adams Handles Heavy Issue With Taste
Feb 8 2000
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
It isn't often that an author can handle a heavy issue like domestic violence with taste, much less with humor. However Deborah Adams has done just that in "All The Hungry Mothers". This is a fast-paced, funny, yet tragic, story that I could barely put down. Excellent read.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews
3.5 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
