The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone - by Randy Susan Meyers

Book Synopsis

". . . beautifully written and full of warmth, wit, and wisdom. I'm a devoted fan!" -Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers

Seven Children. Five Mothers. One idyllic commune. What could go wrong?

Annabel Cooper wants to save the world. Her story begins in 1964 with her journey to Freedom Summer in Mississippi, where the disappearance of her first love ignites a lifelong fight for justice. Years later, she, her husband, and four other couples form a Boston political collective where they live together with their children in a rambling Boston house. As the era's social upheaval intensifies, they move their children to a Vermont Eden, where they can remain safe from the world's threats; their parents continue their political work, taking turns traveling to Vermont to care for the children.

But not all danger comes from the outside.

Annabel's daughter, Ivy, yearns for normalcy, not the patchouli-soaked, natural-food-laden confines of Vermont. But mostly, she longs for Annabel's attention-until a cataclysmic event alters the course of all their lives and she learns the limits of her many mothers and fathers.

The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone delves into the intricate and nuanced dance of familial love and communal ties through the lens of sociopolitical upheaval from the 1960s to the present day, examining which sacrifices are worth the price.

Review Quotes

". . . beautifully written and full of warmth, wit, and wisdom. I'm a devoted fan!" -Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers

". . . Meyers delves into the untold strength of mothers and the unfathomable choices they face-and will have readers whipping through these pages."-Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan's Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris

"With a deft hand, Randy Susan Meyers seamlessly weaves in the issues of the day in this beautifully crafted novel that questions what we're willing to sacrifice in our attempts to right the wrongs of the world." -Jennifer S. Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Whisper Sister

"Meyers has done an excellent job recreating late-20th-century history that may be unfamiliar to many readers...The premise is engaging, and the polished prose keeps us eagerly turning pages." -Washington Independent Review of Books

"With realistic, hard-hitting prose and a well-researched and startling setting, Meyers delivers another deeply felt, beautiful novel."-Booklist, American Library Association

"With a com-pas-sion-ate hand, Mey-ers explores the many man-i-fes-ta-tions of love in a flawed but eter-nal-ly hope-ful universe." -Jewish Book Council

"Rarely has a novel touched me so deeply. . . . Meyers moves the story with urgency and grace between Freedom Summer and 9/11 and beyond, reminding the reader of the complicated political stew of race, class, and gender that has simmered in the past half-century." -MER Review, Ellen Meeropol

"Meyers has crafted a story that is both intimate and expansive. A beautifully written, witty and heart-warming novel of love and loss."-Reader's Choice Book Awards

"..if possible, I would give it more than 5 stars. It's one of my favorite books of 2024."-Girl Who Reads