Spotlight of The Making of Her by Bernadette Jiwa

PHOTO SOURCE:
TYPORAMA
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THE MAKING OF HER

BERNADETTE JIWA

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF EMILY CANDERS | ASST. DIRECTOR OF PUBLICITY | DUTTON, PLUME, TINY REPARATIONS PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

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In their starred review of the book, Booklist that claims: “Fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly, or Adriana Trigiani may find a new favorite author here.” And Ashley Audrain (author of The Push) writes, “The Making of Her is a compelling and tender exploration of the unattainable expectations of women, the shame and guilt inherent in motherhood, and the reverberations of the hardest choices we make.”

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PRAISE FOR THE MAKING OF HER:

“Bernadette Jiwa’s powerful debut serves as a tribute to motherhood and the strength of women.” —Veranda

"Memorable insights are quotable and the ending is satisfyingly true to the ups and downs experienced by Joan’s extended family. Fans of Maeve Binchey, Cathy Kelly, or Adriana Trigiani may find a new favorite author here.”—Booklist (starred)

“The Making of Her sucked me in from the very first page, and didn’t let up until I’d turned the last. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, it is an exquisite examination of the secrets that haunt us. I cried several times. A stunning debut.”—Sally Hepworth, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Sister

“The Making of Her is a compelling and tender exploration of the unattainable expectations of women, the shame and guilt inherent in motherhood, and the reverberations of the hardest choices we make. Jiwa gives us a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that ultimately celebrates the strength of women. A true pleasure to read.—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

“Bernadette Jiwa’s moving fiction debut, The Making of Her, explores the impact of secrets, the magnitude of our choices, and the tenuous binds of family. Set in Dublin and shifting between past and present, this deeply evocative novel is a masterful study into what it really means to love, and to forgive. The Making of Her is ultimately a story about the plight and power of women, and is not to be missed.”—Karma Brown, bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife
 
“An absorbing, brilliantly paced book; I didn't want it to end.”—Roddy Doyle

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ABOUT THE MAKING OF HER:

 

An unforgettable debut novel about family secrets, falling apart, and coming together.

 

Dublin 1996. Joan Egan lives an enviable life. She and her husband, Martin, and daughter, Carmel, are thriving in Dublin at the dawn of an economic boom. But everything changes when Joan receives a letter from Emma, the daughter who she and Martin gave up for adoption thirty years before, asking for a life-or-death favor.

 

While Joan grapples with the guilt over giving up her baby long ago, she must confront her present as the cracks in her marriage become impossible to ignore and simmering tension with Carmel boils over. 

 

Meanwhile, Carmel and Emma must come to terms with the perceived sins of their mother, to imagine a future for their family before it is too late.

 

Spanning the nineties and the sixties, with Dublin as its backdrop, The Making of Her is the tender and page-turning story of marriage, motherhood, a culture that would not allow a woman to find true happiness—and her journey to finally claim it. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

PHOTO CREDIT:  ANDREW CAMPBELL

Bernadette Jiwa was born into a house with no books and a home full of stories, in Dublin, Ireland. 

She migrated to the UK in the 1980s, raised three sons with her husband, and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. 

She is the creator and leader of The Story Skills Workshop—a program that has taught thousands of people to harness the power of their everyday stories.

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