Reviews for In My Mother's House

The average rating for In My Mother's House based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2011-11-20 00:00:00 Ronkie Edrob This book is part of my 1930s kick and it was fascinating. Kim Chernin tells the story of her activist, Communist mother Rose Chernin. Rose's life in Russia all the way through her immigration, marriage, work for the Communist party, imprisonment, and eventual decline into old age is fascinating reading. The stories of Rose's life are compelling and I found myself lost in her world. Rose was an unusual woman in her time, and I only wish I had even more of her. The book, though, suffered during Kim's segments. I found the writing, when it wasn't in her mother's voice, to be downright florid. Kim is a poet, and her prose has that twinge of fussiness that feels held over from poetry. I also felt the relationship between Kim and Rose, which was tense at times, was never fully explored. We see Rose. We see Kim. But we didn't see enough of Rose and Kim together except for one or two moments, which, yes, were defining, but were not enough to completely explain the strained relations. If anything, it seems as if they would have been closer together. Despite the flaws, Rose's stories are so fascinating that this is worth the read and I'm sure I'll be returning to these stories again.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-09-17 00:00:00 David Pascoe Loved this book. I love most books with connections between the generations. Interesting look at communism and socialism and the differences between an ideal and what it becomes as a reality. Lots to relate to with balancing life work with being a mother.