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4.0 

Maame

By Jessica George
Maame by Jessica George digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! • A Today Show #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick • A February 2023 Indie Next Pick

"
Sparkling." —The New York Times

"An utterly charming and deeply moving portrait of the joys
and the guiltof trying to find your own way in life." Celeste Ng, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts

"Lively, funny, poignant . . . Prepare to fall in love with Maddie. I did!" Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.

It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting.

So when her mum returns from her latest trip, Maddie seizes the chance to move out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But when tragedy strikes, Maddie is forced to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils—and rewards—of putting her heart on the line.

Smart, funny, and affecting, Jessica George's Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures―and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong.

"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

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8479 Reviews

4.0
“I really enjoyed this book. Took me a few chapters to get into and to get on board with the stripped-back writing style. I enjoyed seeing a glimpse of what it means be Ghanaian-British and the big vs nuanced challenges that can bring. I wasn't a hug fan of breaking the fourth wall and talking direct to reader as it brought me out of the story rather than into it- but that's just me personally. Excited to see future stories from Jessica George.”
Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes“👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 Beautifully written. This is a story about living for yourself when you have spent so long living for others. It’s a coming of age story about a girl who was forced by circumstances at a young age to grow into a woman. Maddie aka Maame yearns for another life. When she gets that life she is suddenly faced with said life’s harsh consequences. For a majority of the story Maddie is grieving the loss of a parent. Swinging left & right. Trying to hold on for dear life. Her grief consumes her but she tries as many of us do, to go on with life like normal. Maddie tries to avoid her grief at all costs until she’s bursting at the seems. Only when shes hit rock bottom does she agree to confront the issues she has been dealing with & seek the help she truly needs to get better. This is a story about the roles we play in life. Daughter. Sister. Niece. Caretaker. Employee. Roommate. Friend. How those roles are fluid but distinctly different. How those roles shape & define us yet set us apart. This is a story about the before & the after. Before a loss. And how you chose to deal with the after.”

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 Bloomsbury UK. Maame is her first novel.

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