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Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
6 posts | 10 read | 7 to read
THE FOURTH PATRICK MELROSE NOVEL The once illustrious, once wealthy Melroses are in peril. Caught up in the wreckage of broken promises, child-rearing, adultery and assisted suicide, Patrick finds his wife Mary consumed by motherhood, his mother in thrall to a New Age foundation, and his young son Robert understanding far more than he should. But even as the family struggles against the pull of its ever-present past, a new generation brings a new tenderness, and the possibility of change.
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andrew61
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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Pickpick

I am conflicted about this series as i don't like the characters but am absorbed in the story particularly after the events of book 1.Patrick now in his 40's, a married barrister with 2 children + a mother who is physically + mentally deteriorating plans to leave the French house and assets to a new age guru type. The story is in Aug over a few yrs voiced by Patrick, his wife and 5/8 yr old son. Interesting perspectives altho the child's voice ⏬

andrew61 For both boys did not sit right, unrealistically precocious, his wife's story was well done giving a contradiction to Patrick's mid life issues, the dilemma of aging parents and yng children was good, and Patrick was both annoying and had me gripped. Will read bk 5 as i want to know how it all turns out but i don't think I'll watch the tv adaptation. 5y
rretzler I‘ve been thinking I‘d like to read this series. I read the author‘s Hogarth Shakespeare adaption of King Lear titled Dunbar, and didn‘t particularly like it, but perhaps it was the subject matter. The Melrose novels, on the other hand, sound interesting. I am interested in the tv adaption though because I admire Cumberbatch‘s acting, but want to read the novels first. 5y
merelybookish I haven't read this but your relationship with the novels is how I feel about Knausgard's My Struggle series. I find it compelling at the same time I find them problematic/annoying on multiple levels! But I've read the first 5 and will eventually read 6. 5y
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andrew61 @merelybookish ive had the first knausgard sat on my shelf from a charity shop for a very long time but never got round to reading it. I suspect the Patrick Melrose may be more readable, definitely books you can reaf 5y
andrew61 @merelybookish read in a couple of sittings. 5y
andrew61 @rretzler they are definitely readable - book 1 has some troubling issues which affect your understanding of the character and his relationships so i would definitely start there rather than dipping into this one as a stand alone. 5y
25 likes6 comments
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andrew61
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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It's a few years since i rd the 3rd bk in the series so it is strange to return to the world of Patrick Melrose and remember how annoying i find him. As he hits his 40's i am frustrated by his feeling sorry for himself (altho if you have rd book 1 it's probably understandable)(it's a bit like 'man cave' and 'mid life crisis annoy me). Still, don't know why the books are so compulsive that i have to read on. But just reading his wife's voice.

Cathythoughts Look at that cute little fluff a juff in your picture ♥️👍🏻 5y
38 likes1 comment
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Librarybelle
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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Pickpick

This is the fourth of the Patrick Melrose series, but I honestly didn‘t feel like I missed anything from not reading the first three. This novel is a little different from what I normally read, but it‘s a great character study over the course of a few years. You see a family struggling through change. At times touching, and at times sorrow-filled, this was a great literary novel. @minkyb - I‘m sending this to you this afternoon! #1001bookswap

Minervasbutler The whole sequence is wonderful, though Never Mind and Some Hope were my own faves 5y
Librarybelle @Minervasbutler Good to know! 5y
minkyb @Librarybelle Hey there Jess. Book has not arrived yet. Should I worry? 5y
Librarybelle @minkyb I‘ll check the tracking number tonight! I sent it out within 30 minutes of posting this picture. Hopefully it‘s just a backup of mail this time of year. I‘ll let you know! Thanks for letting me know! 5y
82 likes4 comments
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Librarybelle
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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What more could I ask for...book and cat and blanket! #SebastianKitty #catsoflitsy

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Librarybelle
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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Starting this one this evening for #1001bookswap .

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Minervasbutler
Mother's Milk | Edward St. Aubyn
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Pickpick

Patrick is now in his forties, unhappily married, struggling with alcoholism, and a father of two young children. If the main theme of the first three books was the sins of the fathers, this one centres around mothers - selfish, well-meaning or absent. It contains less of the Waughesque satire of Volumes 1 and 3 but its depiction of the disappointments of middle-age and the quotidian struggles of marriage and parenthood are wonderfully rendered.