100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Thanks for supporting our 100% NZ-owned independent bookstore ❀️ Overnight NZ-wide Delivery πŸš€

Mothers, Fathers, and Others

Essays
3.84 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 1,134 ratings, 164 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Mothers, Fathers, and Others by Siri Hustvedt is a profound and scintillating essay collection that blends feminist philosophy with intimate family memoir. It explores motherhood, the maternal, and misogyny through a wide-ranging investigation including artistic mothers like Jane Austen and Louise Bourgeois, psychoanalysis, science, literature, and ethnography. This polymathic work challenges rigid boundaries and invites readers into urgent discussions of familial love and hate, prejudice, and the transformative power of art, all conveyed with wit, fierceness, and humanity.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Mothers, Fathers, and Others. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in feminist philosophy, family and identity memoirs, psychoanalysis, and cultural criticism, as well as those who appreciate erudite and richly textured essay collections that challenge societal preconceptions.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Feminist philosophy meets family memoir in a fresh essay collection by the award-winning essayist and novelist Siri Hustvedt, author of the bestselling What I Loved and Booker Prize-longlisted The Blazing World.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Dizzyingly flexible, deeply human, often funny, it blasts aside our preconceptions and urges us to see the world as it is.

Feminist philosophy meets family memoir in Siri Hustvedt's most personal essay collection yet, a scintillating and profound exploration of motherhood, the maternal and misogyny.

Ranging across artistic mothers such as Jane Austen and Louise Bourgeois, psychoanalysis, science, literature and ethnography, this is a polymath's journey into urgent questions about familial love and hate, human prejudice and cruelty, and the transformative power of art. Fierce, moving and witty, it warns against drawing hard and fast borders where none exist.

The voice is consistent, combining assured erudition with more playful questioning, always thoughtful and capable of surprising shifts of register and even genre β€” Lara Feigel, Guardian

Praise for Siri Hustvedt:

'Hustvedt is that rare artist, a writer of high intelligence, profound sensuality and a less easily definable capacity for which the only word I can find is wisdom' β€” Salman Rushdie

'It is Hustvedt's gift to write with exemplary clarity of what is by necessity unclear' β€” Hilary Mantel

'Her novels have received a deserved acclaim. But to my mind, she is even more to be admired as an essayist . . . in this regard I feel that she resembles Virginia Woolf' β€” Observer

'Few contemporary writers are as satisfying and stimulating to read as Siri Hustvedt' β€” Washington Post

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Critics praise the book for its thoughtful, flexible, and deeply human essays that combine memoir, psychoanalysis, feminist theory, and literary criticism. The Guardian highlights Hustvedt's fresh and direct approach to motherhood amidst contemporary debates, while the Independent appreciates her skillful, gem-like prose. Described as dazzlingly flexible and often funny by the i, and precise yet luxuriant by the New Statesman, the collection is celebrated for urging readers to re-examine their assumptions.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529376715

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 October 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Sceptre

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 24.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 240g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Siri Hustvedt is the author of seven novels, five collections of essays, a poetry collection and a memoir. Her books have been listed for major prizes, including the Booker Prize, the Women's Prize and the PEN America Literary Award. She holds a PhD from Columbia University and has been awarded honorary PhDs from Johannes Gutenberg University, Stendhal University and the University of Oslo. She is a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and has written on art for the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph. Born in Minnesota, she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Also by Siri Hustvedt

View all
  • Ghost Stories
    Ghost StoriesΒ is Siri Hustvedt's tender memoir of the forty-three years she spent with her husband, writer, poet and filmmaker Paul Auster: from their first encounter in 1980s New York, to his death in 2024. Β  Featuring Paul Auster's last ever piece of writing. Β  'A deeply moving memoir, raw with loss, yet luminous with love'Β SARAH WATERS Β  Β  'What a...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women
    Internationally acclaimed as a novelist, Siri Hustvedt is also highly regarded as a writer of non-fiction whose insights are drawn from her broad knowledge in the arts, humanities, and sciences. In this trilogy of works collected in a single volume, A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women, Hustvedt brings a feminist, interdisciplinary perspective to a range of subjects. Louise...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Blazing World
    LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR FICTION 'Dazzling' Sunday Times 'A truly wonderful intellectual work that makes you think and laugh' Daily Mail 'Playful, ebullient, brainy' Financial Times The artist Harriet Burden, furious at the lack of attention paid her by the New York art world, conducts an experiment: she hides her...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • What I Loved
    This is the story of two men who first become friends in 1970s New York, of the women in their lives, and of their sons, born the same year. Both Leo Hertzberg, an art historian, and Bill Weschler, a painter, are cultured, decent men, but neither is equipped to deal with what happens to their children. Leo's son drowns when...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Memories of the Future
    FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED 'Few contemporary writers are as satisfying and stimulating to read as Siri Hustvedt' Washington Post 'A 21st-century Virginia Woolf' Literary Review A provocative, wildly funny, intellectually rigorous and engrossing novel, punctuated by Siri Hustvedt's own illustrations - a tour de force by one of America's most acclaimed and beloved writers. Fresh...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The Summer Without Men
    FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF WHAT I LOVED 'An astoundingly joyful read . . . a book that shines with intellectual curiosity and emotional integrity' Guardian By turns funny, moving and erudite, playfully reminding us of a contemporary Jane Austen' Daily Mail After Mia Fredricksen's husband of thirty years asks for a pauseβ€”so he can indulge his infatuation with...
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • A Plea For Eros
    A stunning collection of essays by the author of What I Loved, in which she addresses many of the themes explored in her novelsβ€”identity, sexual attraction, relationships, family, mental illness, the power of the imagination, a sense of belonging, and mortality. In three cases, she focuses on the novels of other writersβ€”Dickens, James, and Fitzgerald. She also refers to her...
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Arts & Culture

View all
  • Dylan's Pick
    Bold Types
    A tribute to 32 truly independent bookshops throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, from north of Auckland down to Dunedin, and coast to coast. Jane Ussher's photographs show every bookstore in its unique nature - including behind the counter, smoko rooms, the mess which tells the hardworking story behind the joy of matching books with customers. Jemma Moreira's careful editing has crafted...
    Hardback
    $5999
    Elsewhere:
    $7000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    New Release
    Disney Moana: The Official Cookbook
    Embark on a culinary adventure with Moana of Motunui with Pacific recipes inspired by Moana and Moana 2! After a long day of sailing to see how far you’ll go or keeping the demigod Maui out of trouble with Te Fiti, catch a break with the delicious dishes in Moana: The Official Cookbook! Featuring more than 50 recipes spanning the...
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $5299
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Did I Ever Tell You This?
    In this unexpected memoir, written in a creative burst of just a few months in 2022, Sam Neill tells the story of how he became one of the world’s most celebrated actors, who has worked with everyone from Meryl Streep to Isabel Adjani, from Jeff Goldblum to Sean Connery, from Steven Spielberg to Jane Campion. By his own account, his...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Elsewhere:
    $4500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • This Angry Pen of Mine
    This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...
    Hardback
    $7299
    Elsewhere:
    $8999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • They Bloom Because of You
    Bestselling author and Instagram sensation Jessica Urlichs returns with a new collection of beautifully observed poems about the ever-evolving journey of motherhood - the hard, the magic and the fleeting. β€˜A raw and honest read that makes you feel seen and understood in a way that will bring you to tears.’ - Hilary Swank β€˜A book to keep close and...
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Odyssey
    Composed at the rosy-fingered dawn of world literature almost three millennia ago, The Odyssey is a poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travellers, hospitality, and the yearning for home. This fresh, authoritative translation captures the beauty of this ancient poem as well as the drama of its narrative....
    By Homer
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3599
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Buy to Win
    Leaves of Grass
    A collectible new Penguin Classics series offers beautiful, slim, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets. In 1855, Walt Whitman published his first collection of poetry, Leaves of Grass. The volume received great praise from leading Transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. This encouragement led to what would become a lifelong project, as Whitman expanded and rewrote the volume until his death...
    Hardback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    30% off
    Great Writers and the Cats who Owned Them
    Throughout history, cats and writers have bonded together in a magical combination of comfort, companionship and inspiration. The famous authors featured here range from Samuel Johnson, whose cat Hodge dined on oysters, and Edward Lear, whose charismatic cat Foss was missing half his tail, to Margaret Mitchell, L. M. Montgomery and Dorothy L. Sayers, who rescued her kitten Blitz from...
    Hardback
    $2800
    Usually:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Beautiful Chaos
    The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller Selected poems from bestselling author and Instagram poet, Jessica Urlichs. 'These words awaken the magic of life by celebrating the ordinary.' - Giovanna Fletcher Motherhood is messy and beautiful, and hard and humbling. We adore our children and sometimes we miss ourselves. Beautiful Chaos is a collection of raw, honest poems about motherhood, capturing everything...
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour
    The creative journey continues with Wreck This Journal: Now in Colour by Keri Smith, the latest and most vibrant edition of the groundbreaking series that redefined journaling. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, this edition brings the playful destructiveness of the original to life in dazzling full colour, adding a dynamic new dimension to the beloved prompts. Whether you're a seasoned Wreck-er,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • A Thousand Feasts
    THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER From award-winning writer Nigel Slater, comes a new and exquisitely written collection of notes, memoir, stories and small moments of joy. 'Nigel Slater’s prose is the rarest delicacy of all: exquisite yet effortless, filled with heart, tenderness, yearning and humour' ELIZABETH DAY For years, Nigel Slater has kept notebooks of curiosities and wonderings, penned...
    Paperback
    $2999
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Moonwalk
    Moonwalk is Michael Jackson's one and only autobiography, offering insight into the King of Pop's life in his own words. This is the only book Michael Jackson ever wrote about his life. It chronicles his humble beginnings in the Midwest, his early days with the Jackson 5, and his unprecedented solo success. Providing unrivalled insight into the King of Pop's...
    Paperback
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.