LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Growing up, grief, crisis, and reconciliation — Jessica George’s Maame debut is a soul-stirring, heart-healing triumph. Warm, honest, and funny with it, it’s a read-in-one-sitting joy propelled by the unforgettable voice of a young woman who’s finding her way in the world.
Growing-up in London to Ghanaian parents, with her mother largely absent and her brother not pulling his weight, Maame has long borne a great weight of responsibility. In fact, her name means woman, a person “responsible before her time”, and she comes to realise that this name “made me grow up when I should have had more time…It made me responsible and guilty. It made me someone, given the choice, I wouldn’t want to be.”
Now in her twenties, Maame is her father’s primary carer, still a virgin, and unfulfilled by her admin job. As a result, she has something of an alter ego – Maddie. A self-assured young woman who knows what she wants and stands up for herself.
While being unfairly fired leads Maame to land a wished-for publishing job, the culture at her new workplace is homogenous, with the company’s food and drink list mainly comprising books by “white, middle-aged men writing about pies, potatoes and bread.” What’s more, colleagues take credit for her ideas and she’s subjected to racist micro-aggressions.
Compulsive, and brilliantly honest on the complexities of family dynamics, flatmates, friendship, workplace politics, sex, dating and love, Maame is a dazzler. Though her tumultuous story sees her endure some of life’s worst experiences, she emerges with courage and confidence, and her distinctive humour well and truly intact. Magic.
Joanne Owen
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About
Maame Synopsis
Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi, but in my case, it means woman.
Meet Maddie.
All her life, she's been told who she is. To her Ghanaian parents, she's Maame: the one who takes care of the family. Her mum's stand-in. The primary carer for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's. She's the responsible sister, the quiet friend. The one who keeps the peace - and the secrets.
It's time for her to speak up.
Maddie knows what kind of woman she wants to be. One who wears a bright yellow suit, dates men who definitely aren't on her mum's list of prospective husbands, and stands up to her boss's microaggressions. Someone who doesn't have to google all her life choices. Who demands a seat at the table.
But will it take losing everything to find her voice?
Unique, unfiltered and unforgettable, Maame is a deeply moving, achingly funny debut about finally finding where you belong.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781529395570 |
| Publication date: |
16th February 2023 |
| Author: |
Jessica George |
| Publisher: |
Hodder & Stoughton |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
400 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Modern and Contemporary Fiction
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Press Reviews
Jessica George Press Reviews
'Lively, funny, poignant . . . Prepare to fall in love with Maddie. I did!' BONNIE GARMUS, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
'Utterly charming and deeply moving . . . Maddie's journey will resonate with anyone who's had to grow up - or who's still trying to' CELESTE NG, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere
'I loved every page of this beautiful, heartwarming, empowering book. An exceptional debut from an incredibly exciting new talent' BETH O'LEARY, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flatshare
'Maame is a really special novel, at once sweet and sad and funny and so full of life. The sort of book that people are going to cherish, and with good reason' BOBBY PALMER, author of Isaac and the Egg
'This book is going to be EVERYWHERE next year. A truly sparkling coming of age tale. Vividly drawn, witty and heartbreaking' JULIE OWEN MOYLAN, author of That Green Eyed Girl
'Honest, warm, heart-breaking and heart-healing. It felt truly modern, yet somehow timeless. I adored it' NIKKI MAY, author of Wahala
'A poignant coming-of-age tale about finding strength, hope and courage . . . Maame's quiet confidence is true to life and liberating' LIZZIE DAMILOLA BLACKBURN, author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband?
'Meeting Maame feels like falling in love for the first time: warm, awkward, joyous, a little bit heartbreaking and, most of all, unforgettable' XOCHITL GONZALEZ, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
'Maame is uniquely gorgeous, and beautifully written, with such compelling characters and story. I'm officially obsessed' LUCY VINE, eBook bestselling author of Bad Choices
'Absolutely incredible - poignant and heartwarming and so funny, all at once' SOPHIE IRWIN, Sunday Times bestselling author of A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting
'A tender and absorbing novel' PEACE ADZO MEDIE, author of Reese's Bookclub Pick His Only Wife
Author
About Jessica George
Jessica George was born and raised in London to Ghanaian parents and studied English Literature at the University of Sheffield. After working at a literary agency and a theatre, she landed a job in the editorial department of a publishing house. She now lives in North London with an incontrovertible sweet tooth and the knowledge that she can consume half a cake by herself if left to her own devices.
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