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There are currently 29 member reviews
for Mothers of Sparta
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Carol F. (Lake Linden, MI)
Powerfully Pieces
This is a powerfully honest, gripping story of a woman as told by her during her life as a child, teenager, lover and mother. Each chapter (or piece) is a glimpse of her life told with humor that belies the sometimes underlying sadness. The title chapter is particularly thought provoking as the author struggles with an autistic son while explaining the Spartan philosophy of throwing the babies deemed unfit into the pit of Apothetae.
I would highly recommend this book for discussion at a book club as I believe it would raise some interesting points on motherhood, luck and the "payback fairy".
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Claire M. (New York, NY)
Mothers of Sparta
There is some amazing writing here. And as Dawn shifts from one life period to another the tone and substance change, to the point I thought perhaps I was reading different authors. But as one grows, perspective changes and of course, life changes too. One of the funnier pieces talks about Dawn's almost addictive desire to let the family birds, hamsters, etc be free only to be eaten by their dog time and again. A sadder one involves the autism of her son. Dawn writes with eyes wide open, a very clear idea of self that grows with time. She has such a sense of language that I was just left with my mouth open sometimes, wondering how she did it. This is a talented writer and I look forward to whatever she writes.
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Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)
Wonderful Essays
The Mothers of Sparta is a Memoir in Pieces as stated in the subheading. They are wonderful, in-depth essays. After reading all the essays I get a pretty complete story of her life so far. I don't think I will forget about her son in the title essay or her dog in King of the World. She writes about things that are hard in her life as well as her joys and embarrassments, very relatable. When I finished the book I was amazed she had the time to write. I wish her well!
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Beth VF Bellbrook, Ohio
Thoroughly Enjoyable Read
I love everything about this book. The subjects, the language, the humor, and the tears. Dawn's writing is gritty and relatable and highly entertaining. I adore women who can look at their lives with clear eyes and a sense of humor even in the darkest moments and convey that sense of "me too, I get it, you're not alone" to their readers. Dawn did that to perfection.
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Ariel F. (Madison, WI)
Life is not always a bowl of cherries, but you deal with it.
I enjoyed Dawn Davies book Mothers of Sparta.This series of essays about her life had me laughing and crying at various times.She presented her life, not in rose colored glasses, but with realism. Whether you are a mom or not, you will appreciate her honesty. I sympathized with her as I read her essay Pie. This is a good book for a book club discussion.
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Kay D. (Strongsville, OH)
Memoir of Note
Great read! Writing style was captivating and drew me in to each chapter/story. Loved the way they held up as separate pieces, yet tied together to create an epic story. Couldn't put it down once I started. Dawn Davies has a gift for expressing herself. All the moments were drawn together to create something so much more. Would love to read more of this author.
The only downside was the chapter "Men I Would Have Slept With". I found it to be a waste of my time. Felt like it was not really part of the rest of the stories. Inserted for it's shock value? Just didn't work for me.
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Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
Mothers of Sparta
I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a non-fiction book so much; I absolutely loved this book. Dawn Davies is irreverent, hilarious, unfailingly candid, and brutally honest in her descriptions of events in her life. Her writing made me want to know her personally, and to hope that this debut is followed by many more books. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
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