The Other Mother: A wickedly honest parenting tale for every kind of family

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The other mother, also known as the beldam (which means witch), is the book's super creepy villain. From the very beginning, it's clear to both Coraline and the readers that there's something very, very off about this woman:

There are a good number of journal entries from three women and slips in time which make THE OTHER MOTHER a near-historical novel, but I felt frustrated, too. There wasn't one character or situation I felt strongly about one way or another. Plus, I found a good deal of parallels and coincidences that felt a little too contrived; I may be in the minority. The problem for me started with the audio book. One of the narrators I began to have a real issue with and her reading highlighted what became a sore spot for me in the text, which was specifically the dialogue. It began to lean into near melodrama at times, characters wearing their hearts on their sleeves, especially at emotionally charged moments which increased in frequency as the book progressed. I have to say this thriller kept me hooked with several twists and changes along the way. Despite not particularly gelling with Jane, or Naomi (Florrie’s mother), the storyline and other characters were enough to keep me hooked. What I did like about Jane though was how realistic she was as a character. She is rather proactive and while everything around her is falling apart she does try to keep going and focused. Thanks to Zooloos Book Tours, Inkubator Books, and Miranda Rijks for the gifted ARC. All opinions are my own. The Other Spink and Forcible's performance is quite inappropriate, although Coraline does not seem to mind.Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, The Colin McEnroe Show, The Story Collider, The Liar Show, Literary Death Match, The Mouth, and many others. He has performed in such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wilbur Theater, The Academy of Music in North Hampton, CT, The Bynam Theater of Pittsburgh, The Bell House in NYC, The Lebanon Opera House, Boston University, and Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT. So this was good, could have been better, so let's just say, I loved the journey, more than the getting there. Still well worth a read for thrill readers, there is still much to like here. As many thrillers as I read, it was bound to happen that I read two in a row that I could compare and contrast. That had some elements that were the same, but also many that were different of course. Still, an interesting mind game for me. Anyway, this was winning in the atmosphere, suspense game, both made my head spin. Then, however, came the ending, where this one lost a little ground. It was thrilling for sure, but it was rushed, and after that provocative beginning, this was jarring. Stood out like a sore thumb. I was clueless for one big revelation, one I particularly liked, but others had me shaking my head. Wondering how this exactly came together, just didn't quite make sense. I'm still pleased when my request was approved because even after I started reading it, I was intrigued though after I finished it, I can firmly say this book belongs in the YA category. Perhaps her most distinctive trait is her "love". At first, the Beldam seems to genuinely love her victims, caring for them and giving them a world that they cannot afford in the real world. When she reverts to her true nature, the Beldam still claims to love her victims but in a much more perverted and disturbing way. Her love, thus, could be described as how as a parsimonious miser loves his gold or in a more serious and accurate comparison, how a child predator loves his/her victims, considering the ages of her victims.

In addition to this, at the beginning of the movie, the well is shown to be inside of a ring of mushrooms. this is called a fairy circle and is a type or fairy trap. Other examples of this in the movie may include the doll and door. Fairy traps are often disguised as amazing while they are actually very dangerous. some could argue that coraline had already sealed her fate the moment she stepped into the circle and gave herself to the other mother. It is widely known in folk lore that a child stepping into a fairy trap is the easiest way for them to be kidnapped.

What Does She Want?

And, despite herself, Coraline nodded. It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon loves its gold. (9.7-8) Winston explodes Jenry's world with one question: Why is the young man so interested in his son Jasper? It was Winston's daughter, Juliet, who was his mother's lover. Juliet is the parent he should be looking for-his another mother." And so begins a struggle for Coraline's soul. Gaiman is too intelligent and subtle to invoke the supernatural - this is much more mysterious than that - and too wise to let Coraline face the horrors alone: she has an ally in a sardonic and very feline cat. But the dangers are real, and part of the richness of the story comes from the fact that it offers many meanings without imposing any. For example, when the other mother shows Coraline a mirror in which she sees her real parents, and hears them seeming to say "How nice it is, not to have Coraline any more . . . Now we can do all the things we always wanted to do," we can see for a moment what it would be like to read the story as the acting-out of some unconscious sense of rejection on Coraline's part; but it is touched on so lightly that a moment later it's left behind. The story is much too clever to be caught in the net of a single interpretation. One of my favorite aspects of this book was the way that each part of the story was told from the perspective of a different character involved in Jenry's birth and life - his two mothers, his birth father, his paternal grandfather, his paternal grandmother, etc. I enjoyed some of the characters more than others, but the story was intriguing and that is why I kept reading. Also, the narrators did a great job with voicing the different characters.

The Other Mother is an awkward read, predominantly because while a child has been abducted, there is little sense of urgency about solving the crime. Rijks tells several women’s stories, including that of the mother of the missing child. While these stories revolve around four-year-old Florrie and interactions with her parents, the police and friends, at times they detract from the enormity of the kidnap. But the other world really tells us more about the beldam than anyone else. Because everything there is her creation, the other world shows us how the other mother thinks about things. Basically, she gives everyone the superficial things that they seem to want, but she doesn't understand anything about love or family or friendship. The story is told through Michael's POV. I assume that Michael has ADHD and possibly something else. You get to read about the strategies he is supposed to do before reacting to people. And you read a lot about his temper and how he has hit others when he is angry. That said, you feel for him. He lost his father when he was 11 and we slowly find out about a secret that he has been harboring the past two years. He doesn't understand why his mother remarried Glen especially since she has to work so hard to support everyone. He loves his siblings though they also drive him up the wall. When the next door neighbor Sara and him start to spend time together, Michael wonders if he has found someone to confide in finally.I would like to thank #MirandaRijks, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheOtherMother in exchange for an honest review. Video Game [ ] In the DS game, the Beldam appears at the same time as in the movie. The only remarkable changes with the movie are that first there's no transition between the forms, secondly, instead of grabbing Coraline and pushing her into the mirror, she gets her to the front of the mirror first before pushing her, and thirdly, instead of having Coraline to shut the door, the Beldam will instead pursuit her in the tunnel. This section requires expanding with knowledge derived from the video game. Powers, Abilities, Knowledge [ ] Powers; Natural [ ] Michael misses his father, suffering from anger management issues, seeing school therapist, standing up to school’s bullies, taking care of his siblings even though he hardly stands their quirky antics and collecting money to pay his debt to his stepfather. I liked The Arrangement (4-stars) and was excited to read a child abduction story by Rijks. Unfortunately, this was a miss for me, even with the full-cast audio.

It’s filled with secrets, betrayals, fears, greed, and manipulation—with twists that I never saw coming. The narrative voice is not Coraline's, but hers are the only thoughts and feelings we are told about, so she is at the centre of the story. This is the best point of view from which to tell a story about a child: the telling voice is an adult's, so it can plausibly observe and say things a child would not, but all the sympathy is with the child. Gaiman brings it off with a skill that you wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it.

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There was just something about this character that drew me in right away. To say I was emotionally invested in Michael is spot on. The story takes place over a short period of time and it's not an action filled plot. But there is so much substance and heart that it isn't some simple story, it truly was a worthwhile read. He also keeps a big secret for two years from his family and as soon as he meets with his new neighbor, he feels like he finally finds somebody he can fully trust and share his some of his secrets. Matthew is also the co-founder and creative director of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking to individuals, corporations, and school districts around the world. He has most recently taught at Yale University, The University of Connecticut Law School, Purdue University, The Connecticut Historical Society, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Miss Porter's School, The Berkshire School, and Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Time is running out. Can Jane find Florrie and uncover the truth whilst saving her own family before it's too late?