5 stars from N.N. Light’s Book Heaven
N.N. Light’s Book Heaven gives Mama Tried a 5-star rating!
Here’s the review:
“Mama Tried is a humorous women’s fiction illustrating the tenuous mother-daughter relationship. I connected with Joy on so many levels, it’s like I was reading a book about my own relationship with my mum. The descriptive narration is quite immersive which draws the reader into the story. The characters are vibrant and leap off the page. The dialogue is quick, emotive, humorous, and a tad snarky so naturally I loved reading it. The tone of the story is serious one minute and funny the next, as it is in life. Kathy Des Jardins writes with the same style as Rebecca Wells from Ya-Ya Sisterhood fame. Is it based on real life? I’m not sure but it resonated with me and made me think long and hard after I finished reading. Fans of Rebecca Wells and Fannie Flagg, you’ll love Mama Tried. A beautiful story about life, love, and mothers. Highly recommend!”
Jackiekcooper77 gives 5-star review on Instagram!
This week the Writers Wednesday spotlight falls upon the first novel by writer Kathy Des Jardins. It’s titled MAMA TRIED and is stated to be a “semi-true” tale. The plot concerns that old stand by for a good plot, a mother daughter relationship. This one created by Des Jardins is a little wilder, a little more hysterical, and a great deal funnier than those relationships usually are. All of this makes for fun reading as the daughter’s thriving career as a disc jockey is tied to her revelations about her eccentric and kookie mama. Get ready for some fun reading as you delve into MAMA TRIED. -JKC
#mamatried #kathydesjardins #writerswednesday #bookstagram #bookrecommendations
Marilyn Baron, award-winning author, says ‘one of the best books I’ve ever read ‘
Marilyn Baron, award-winning author of 28 works of fiction, including The Case of the Missing Botticelli, says, “… I am an avid reader and this is truly one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s a page-turner but also the kind of book that will have you marveling at every word and recommending it to your friends. There’s nothing trite about this book. It’s fun and nostalgic with its many musical references, literate and lyrical. … Mama Tried is literary fiction, Southern fiction, women’s fiction, commercial fiction, and romance all rolled into one. It should be made into a movie and would be ideal for book clubs. I laughed throughout and cried at the end and I didn’t want it to end.”
Kirkus Review Reviews Mama Tried
“A haunting … exploration of maternal relationships and grief.” — Kirkus Reviews
5 Stars from The Faerie Review
5 out of 5
It’s not uncommon to not want to turn into your parents – but how many times have you stopped and realized, you have more in common with them then you thought at first? Joy wants nothing more than to not be like her mother – until the day everything changes. I loved this book. It was a great journey, Joy and Quida were excellent characters, and it was so easy to get wrapped up in their lives. While their relationship won’t hold true for all mothers and daughters, I think there are enough moments that will ring true that many will be able to relate.
Yvonne Irby, former school teacher and book club organizer
Loved it!!! Great sense of characters and setting. Country music fans (actually, all music fans) will appreciate how the author weaves in song and plot. Heart wrenching, heart tugging, hilarious, and life affirming.