#maame

[longliveridge]

Maame

Efiewura (Ghanaian television sitcom).

[caribeandthebooks]

Caribe's Contemporary Fiction TBR - Part 1

[dailyquotes6563]

A person’s troubles are not measured by the size of those troubles, but by how much they weigh on the individual carrying them.

Jessica George, Maame

[books-i-once-read]

I can’t comprehend living to work, but then I’m afraid of working just to live.

Maame by Jessica George 

[libraryleopard]

Adult contemporary novel

Maddie is a twenty-five-year-old daughter of Ghanian immigrants who has spent most of her adult life taking care of her father, who has Parkinson's

When her frequently-abroad mother returns to London for a year, Maddie takes the opportunity to move out of her childhood home and finally experience adulthood on her own terms

Funny, moving, and insightful exploration of grief, family, caretaking, and and self-growth

Ghanian British main character and side characters; Chinese British lesbian side character

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Maame | Author: Jessica George | Publisher: St. Martin's Press (2023)

[magicianboom]

[padutchtravel]

What are you reading this weekend? I’m getting ready to dive into this beauty. I just love the cover. It brings some color into this otherwise dreary weekend here. #maame #weekendread #upandcomingauthor #prettycovers #readingbringspeopletogether #bookart #readwithjenna #currentlyreading #books #onmybookshelf #bookstagram @readwithjenna @stmartinspress https://www.instagram.com/p/CpGPTtLPCN2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Maame: A Novel

By Jessica George.

Design by Olga Grlic.

[randombrowngirl]

First of two

[bloodmaarked]

➸ reading list

just added:

lore of the wilds, analeigh sbrana

the unmaking of june farrow, adrienne young

want, gillian anderson

medea, rosie hewlett

like happiness, ursula villarreal-moura

the exception to the rule, christina lauren

the sellout, paul beatty

maame, jessica george

behold the dreamers, imbolo mbue

sing me to sleep, gabi burton

[ylissebian]

WOMEN ARE MY FAVORITE GUY 💥

[thunderon]

so i sent my friend’s mother a thank you card and for whatever reason her mother sent me back a “thank you for the thank you card” card and GIFT. so i sent back a “thank you for the thank you, thank you card” card. because im not about to be out-thanked.

well today i open up my mail and see that she sent me YET ANOTHER card in retaliation and so now i’m about to go buy stamps in bulk because this means WAR

[happilylostinwords]

Cleaning the slate, i.e. 2023 in review

I set a humble goal (via the ever trusty and gentle-pressuring Goodreads) of reading 48 books in 2023. As of today, December 29, 2023, Goodreads tells me I have read 59 books. And I’ve got 10% left in the one I’m reading now so I will hit 60 books this year. Yay me! And before I get too confident, I’m setting the goal for 2024 at 48 books too. Four books a month is entirely doable without…

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: Maame by Jessica George

I had no idea what to expect from this striking cover but the glowing reviews from authors that I adore gave me a lot of hope. Thankfully, I was completely enthralled by Maddie's story and I really struggled to put it down.

Maddie's London life is tough as an absent mother and brother leaves her the sole caretaker of her father who has late stage Parkinson's. At work, she is tired of being the only Black person in the office and she feels sure that there is something bigger and better out there for her. But there is no way she could abandon her familial duties. When her mother returns from Ghana. Maddie sees a chance to move out and find her true purpose.

Maddie has a difficult relationship with the word 'maame'. It's the name that her mother has used for her since she was very young and because of her strained relationship with her mother, Maddie struggles to find it endearing. By the end of the book, there is a sense that she has relaxed into it but that Maddie has realised that the true power that a 'maame' or 'woman' can wield.

Maddie is an introvert and she likes to keep her family and home life private. She has always known that her mother's frequent, lengthy flits to Ghana and that her father's condition isn't something that every daughter has to deal with. There does seem to be a sense of shame surrounding her family situation and although some may see that as sad, it's wholly relatable as a reserved person who likes to compartmentalise in order to cope with everything.

There is some humour in the novel and it mostly comes during the scenes where Maddie is breaking out on her own and socialising more. Her polite, gentle nature comes out as she struggles to insult those who wrong her effectively which made me laugh. It's really lovely to watch her blossom and find her confidence.

Part of Maddie's battle to find happiness and peace comes from cultural attitudes that she has been raised with. It becomes apparent that in Ghanaian culture, mental health isn't something that is talked about openly and that there is a cynicism around mental health treatment. However, Maddie is distanced enough from it to know that she would benefit from speaking to a therapist. Perhaps one of the messages that Maame is trying to tell us is that while remembering our roots and culture is important, we must always do what is best for own health and happiness.

Maddie also starts dating and it was so much fun rooting for her as she goes through all the trials and tribulations of that as a young Black woman. Themes of racism, virginity and female pleasure drive this aspect of the plot, which made for both joyful and intensely frustrating moments. Some of it resonated with my own experiences and some of it never could but it was really lovely to watch.

Maame has a similar vibe to Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie and Kiley Reid's Such A Fun Age. I don't know why but I was expecting it to be more literary and serious than it was. It's a contemporary character study rather than a book that deeply tackles social issues. It manages to speak candidly about racism, toxic whiteness, losing one's virginity 'late' and family duties while maintaining a light-heartedness. Touching, warm and fantastically honest, Maame is a compulsive read with a fantastic heroine.

[memoriesfrombooks]

In so many ways, Maame by Jessica George is a coming of age story. The word “maame” in the Twi language means mother or woman. Maddie’s journey of self-discovery is a slow read and tries cover a lot of issues – perhaps, a few too many issues for any one to be developed in full depth. An interesting premise, a relatable lesson, but ultimately a story that proves to be a challenge. 

Reviewed for NetGalley.