Maame 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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

Meet Maddie Wright.

All her life, she's been told who she is. To her Ghanaian parents, she's Maame: the one who takes care of the family. Her mum's stand-in. The primary carer for her father, who suffers from Parkinson's. The one who keeps the peace - and the secrets.

What a beautifully complex debut, about family, friendships and a late coming of age.

I was immediately drawn in by Maddie, our mid-twenties protagonist, living in London looking after her ill father, working a job she doesn't like. Maddie's Mum has spent years shuttling between her native Ghana and London. Maddie's mum decides its time to come home and for Maddie to move out, that's exactly what Maddie does.
We are with Maddie through some of her firsts and through this expressional and emotive novel we see Maddie trying to navigate her way through her firsts in life, while dealing with tragedy, family pressures, depression and guilt.
We watch Maddie grow and become her own woman while dealing with all these issues.
I found it a wonderful journey that encapsulated so many raw and emotional themes that so many young people have gone through in their own life's. I laughed, I cried and I didn't want this one to end. This one will stay with me and I hope everyone gets the chance to read this beautiful book.

This was an amazing debut and I can not wait to see what Jessica George has to offer in the future.
Thank-you to Netgalley, Jessica George, Hodder and Stoughton, for the ARC in return for an honest review.

"ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴀꜱꜱᴜᴍᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪꜱ ꜱᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛꜰᴏʀᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɪᴛ ɪꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴀ ʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴡᴀʏ, ᴀ ᴘʀᴇꜰᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴀʏ, ꜰᴏʀ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ɪɴᴅɪᴠɪᴅᴜᴀʟ, ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʙʏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ—ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱɴ’ᴛ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴡᴀʏ. ɪ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜰꜰɪᴄᴜʟᴛʏ ᴏꜰ ʟɪꜰᴇ ʜᴀꜱ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ɴᴀᴠɪɢᴀᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ. ɪᴛ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ, ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴜʀᴅᴇɴ, ᴛᴏ ʀᴇꜱʜᴀᴘᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ʏᴏᴜ’ᴅ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ. ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ᴡʜᴏ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʀᴇ, ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʙᴇʜᴀᴠᴇ, ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴇxᴘʀᴇꜱꜱ ᴛʜᴇᴍꜱᴇʟᴠᴇꜱ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜʏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ, ᴏʀ ʟᴇᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇʟʏ. ᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴡᴀʏ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʀᴇꜱᴘᴏɴꜱɪʙɪʟɪᴛʏ"

What a charrrrming book this was!
I devoured it!

I know you guys saw me posting funny bits to my stories over the weekend but this book is so much more than that! It carries moments of absolute heartbreak at the sheer unravelling of life and beautifully encapsulates what it is to be in mourning for a life you felt you deserved, for relationships and job opportunities you have missed out on and for a softer approach than people have been willing to grant you.

Maddie Wright, our MC is so freaking loveable and the first person narrative sucked me in immediately. She has a way of telling her story so truthfully and completely, that you have no choice but to learn life lessons through her experiences and also forgive the things that you allowed in the past. I celebrated her wins and felt angry on her behalf (multiple times)...I also laughed a lot.

This story is witty and complex without dragging or rushing and I adored how tender it was!
That being said- there is a deeper message that runs through it- a quiet reminder to take care of yourself too. To do for yourself what you have always done for others.

It was so refreshing to read a true coming of age story where the MC is in her mid twenties, rather than still a teen and the raw honesty was a delight to experience.

Wonderfully written and incredibly thought provoking. Maame was a beautiful read. You can’t help but feel for Maddie, and how he navigates work life, independence and loss along with family struggles. She was incredibly relatable and made me think about my own situation (which I usually try to escape from whilst reading but it was warmly welcomed). A wonderful writing style and I very much enjoyed this debut novel. Looking forward to reading more from Jessica George.

Maame is a warm-hearted look at a twenty five year old Londoner who is not living her best life. Looking after her sick father, in a unfulfilling job and with little social life and no romantic life it's time for things to change.. Touching, sad and funny at the same time, Maame is very relatable.

Post-adolescent 'coming of age': family guilt, first relationships and getting to grips with life.

A mingling of issues for Maddie. A typical life of love life, work life and family life problems, with this young woman carrying burdens and emotional weight that gradually becomes unpicked.

Though many of us won't be able to say we understand what it's like to be a carer, we can look on with sympathy and worry as Maddie rushes from work to home to care for her Parkinson's-afflicted Ghanaian father. His daughter is 25, still living a home, a virgin, and left to care for her dad alone. Her brother is off enjoying life and occasionally sending money. Her mum is back in Ghana running a family care home, sending inspirational Bible quotes to keep her daughter on track. Maddie hates her admin job, hasn't had a date since she was at school and is clearly not coping well with her load.

I could really empathise with Maddie, a woman who worries about other people and puts herself second. Who feels awkward and unlovable and unable to push herself out of the rut she's in.

We follow Maddie as she attempts to make changes after being (unfairly) fired from a job, as she tries dating (yes you can imagine the contemporary hell this becomes), considers moving out, and constantly looks up the answers to all life's questions on Google.

This is one urban new adult with a lot of weight to bear as family tragedy and guilt also strike, and we also get a case study in grief.

It's very well played as an audiobook, Maddie's voice is clear in our heads as we are let into her thoughts and her overwhelming life. As this independent young women grapples with who she is and wants to be alongside everything else, the narrator brings vulnerability and charm to a person I wish I knew, she's wonderful. She's also inspirational, a good person trying to do right by others and not putting herself up there.

Loved the character, there are also some good minor players (Maddie's mum isn't as 'likeable' but I'm sure will strike some chords with readers) and I loved how so many different issues didn't overwhelm the story. Confidently handled.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

All the feels with this charming and engaging debut novel! Maddie is the caregiver for her chronically ill father; she's left to care for him while her mother and brother move on with their lives. Maddie's life is consumed with the care of her father and household from the time she is only a teenager. Now twenty five, she is finally on her own to experience life independently. This book delves in to the life of a caregiver and Maddie's accompanying angst and depression when that role ends. Race, family turbulence, mental health and transitioning to an adult role are all major themes in Maame. This is a beautiful written book and kept me entertained throughout. While sad, I also found it to be heart warming as Maddie finds her way into her new, independent role. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton as well as NetGalley for an ARC of this book. Definitely a book of the year contender for me.

So I finished this book this morning, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it all day, it was such an unforgettable debut.

Due to her mother living in Ghana and her brother never being around, Maddie is the primary care giver for her dad who is suffering from Parkinsons. When her mother announces she is returning to London, Maddie takes the opportunity to move out of the family home and finally start living the life she expected her twenty-five year old self to lead. But, when tragedy hits Maddie is forced to face the truths about her unconventional family and so she begins on a journey of self discovery and acceptance.

Let me tell you, this was it. Maame is a charming and poignant coming of age story that covers so many different aspects of life. I felt like I was right there in the thick of it and Maddie was talking to me as if we were besties. Honestly, this book was so immersive and the characters were so relatable.

Jessica George is well and truly on my radar now. She has served up a story that is accessible, refreshing and beautifully told.

Thank you to Jessica George, Hodder and Stoughton, and Netgalley for the e-ARC.

Maame is a coming-of-age story following Maddie, a British Ghanian woman living in London. She is the primary caregiver for her father, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, while her brother offers no help and her mother spends more time in Ghana than in the UK. Living an unsatisfying life and ready to finally find her way, Maddie moves out to become “New Maddie”, and tackle the obstacles that come with exploring adulthood for the first time.

This is a great debut from Jessica George. There are many difficult themes explored in Maame, from race to death to mental health. But each one was addressed and unravelled skilfully. I enjoyed the story from Maddie’s point of view, and found her to be a very realistic protagonist. She has a naiveté about her, which is to be expected having spent most her time at home caring for her father or in an unfulfilling job caring for her boss’ schedule. Her internal monologue (and constant need to Google everything) served as good entertainment, as the book isn’t overly plot driven and relies more on the character’s observations and development.

I will always be a fan of coming-of-age stories, because there is always a layer of relatability in the story, and I found this with Maame. Maddie, like many, wanted to reinvent herself and find happiness. And the journey to get to “New Maddie” was wonderfully sweet.

Maame is Jessica George’s debut novel based in london. It is about Maddie aka Maame who is a 25 year old British Ghanaian who is navigating through life!
Her father has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and is the primary caregiver while her mother shuttles between Ghana and London.

Maddie grows as a character when she decides to leave the nest and branch out. Navigating work, family and dating this book delves into the expectations and realities of growing up in an African household, mental health and grief!

I appreciate the way the book had funny moments but really explored how people have been brought up to ‘get over’ the pressures of life rather than dealing with it.

The characters were developed well and the writing in general was very well done.

Thank you NetGally for the advanced copy.

This exceptional debut follows Maddie, a young Londoner trying to break away from the mould her family has created for her. She’s her father’s carer, the ever-sensible sister, the one who always picks up the pieces when her mother leaves for year-long trips home to Ghana. But she’s tired of this life, and is ready to emerge into a new form: whether that’s a woman who wears bright yellow suits or something even more daring. Funny, heartbreaking and deeply affecting, you’ll find yourself cheering Maddie on as she takes uncertain steps towards her future and her very own voice. Include a personal styling session to aid your friend in their quest for their true selves and they might turn up with a yellow suit of their own…

The definition of healing.

Maddie is a British Ghanaian woman who tries to navigates between two cultures while finding her true self. This story will sure resonates in a lot of immigrant's children: to me, it has.
It hard to find who you are when everybody has their own definition of who you are. To her parents, Maddie is Maame: which means in most central african countries woman, but mostly mother. It

In reality, this word (which also finds its equivalent in West Africa, that's why it resonated in me) is heavy with meaning and covers much more than that. I felt the weight of its responsibility.

Maddie's journey is really interesting to follow because it is not linear and very realistic. We will walk with her throughout several key milestones of her life and therefore, we will necessarily follow her evolution which is also far from being a long quiet river.

This book is the discovery of oneself, of others, the confrontation of the potential self with the self perceived by others. I can only recommend it!

5 🌟

Here it is - my first five star review of 2023! 📚💕

This novel is the beautiful, heart-wrenching story of Maddie, a 25-year-old in London, who is torn between the different choices she must face in her life. She watches over her father, who has advanced Parkinson’s, and hasn’t fully lived life on her own terms.

However, her mother moves back from Ghana and tells her to move out and start living her life. She decides to start trying some “firsts” - including pushing forward in her career, drinking, trying online dating, and losing her virginity.

Maddie is such a beautiful character and her arc throughout this novel really stood out to me. Also, I really love how “Maame” tackles mental health issues and stigmas. It is uncomfortable, but so worth diving into.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me an ARC of this novel!

A fantastic debut by Jessica George. Fresh, raw and realistic - it really taps into the messiness of your 20s in a way that spoke to me. Maddie is by no means perfect but she's trying. And really, isn't that the whole point? This had so much to say about work, relationships, womanhood, grief. I think it'll land with a lot of people.

“Maame” is one of the most anticipated novels of this year, and anyone who read the ARC knows how this one deserves it. This is not only a book, it’s even more (or, at least, it has been so to me); it’s a companion, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, a journey, a caress. It brought me comfort, made me cry (a lot), understood me, made me ask questions on myself, on our social system, on love, friendship, life in its complex simplicity. Jessica George, the author, was able to narrate her world, to collect reality and made it literature, to write about grief, sorrow, to hold its weight, about youth, this difficult youth, about becoming adult, free, independent.
I saw myself in the main character, Madeleine – although she’s so distant from me by ethnicity and nationality –, in what she feels, how she perceives the other people and reality. I felt less alone, more understood, seen. Special mention to Nia and Shu, beautiful friends, beautiful characters.
Even though the writing style is not my favourite one, this book is perfectly written. Balanced, coherent, and the character’s development was likely, who, at the end, can find, despite everything, her own harmony, people who loves her and stay with her.
When it comes out, buy and read it!

From a very young age Madeline Wright has been called 'Maame', which means Mother In Twi.

Due to her mother living much of the year in Ghana, her father having Parkinson's Disease, and her brother pursuing his career/life, Maddie lives up to this nickname. She doesn't mind, but wonders why she spends a lot of time feeling fatigued and tearful. When her mother returns and suggests Madeline move out, life changes substantially. Consequently, Madeline is forced to have experiences that lead to both growth and grief.

I really came to love George's portrayal of Madeline. She is a character you can relate to, due to her having both good and bad sides, blind points and nuance. Some of the things that happen to her after leaving her father's house are extremely sad, but there is resolution too. It is also very realistic, although at times a little detailed (e.g. depicting Madeline's admin tasks at work).

I would recommend.

Loved this book and never wanted it to end! Maudie is 25 years old, living at home as the main carer for her Dad who has advanced Parkinsons. Meanwhile her mum spends most of her time in Ghana, and her brother off living his own life seemingly oblivious to the pressure and impact on Maddie. Holding down a job she doesn’t love, with no real social life and certainly no love life.
A chance comes to change that life…. To move out, to start going out and maybe even date….
The main character is such a joy that you root for throughout. I never wanted it to end.

I very much enjoyed this book. I thought the main character was very well written and relatable. I would definitely read more books by the same author. I would also buy the cookbook in the story :)

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Maame
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Jessica George
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 16th February 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

Maddie is a private 25 year old Ghanaian woman who has taken on the responsibility of caring for her father with Parkinson’s disease and also relies on Google far too much to manage her expectations of how she should be thinking and what she should be doing as a more conforming woman in her mid-twenties.

I would have read this in one sitting but as a parent to a three year old, that was a physical impossibility. It took me around four hours to finish and I absolutely did not want to put it down. This book was so raw and compelling, whilst Maddie’s perspective was fresh, unique yet felt personal, and extremely engaging.

Maame explores deep, meaningful themes such as Parkinson’s disease, grief, the role of the dutiful daughter, race, culture, mental health and most of all: relationships. The reader gets to explore Maddie’s navigation of relationships including friendships, employers, love interests and family (close and extended), how they contribute to her depression or alleviate the symptoms of being a guilt ridden, heavily burdened, responsible woman.

Of course, working in mental health means that I was really drawn to Maddie’s emotional well-being and her journey of firstly self awareness of how she felt, and then acceptance. I love this quote where Maddie googled the symptoms of depression and finds this response in a forum:

”To attribute the symptoms of depression solely to ‘hard times’ may have you feeling like you should wait it out instead of seeking professional help. What if you’re going through a series of ‘hard times’? You’ll be waiting for the storm to pass until you’re dead. Depression varies from person to person; for example, I had extreme mood swings, which isn’t mentioned above and is rarely talked about regarding depression. I was on cloud nine one day and being tormented in hell the next, and things did not change until I got help. So you need to ask yourself (and answer truthfully): do you think you’re depressed? The answer is obviously yes, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this page. Do yourself a favour and seek help.

Anyway, this is a ridiculously impressive debut. I sincerely hope everyone gets a chance to read it.

🧚🏻‍♀️

Maddie, also knows as Madeline, or Maame (which means ‘woman’ in Twi) by her mother, is 25 and living in London. For the past 8 years she’s been caring for her dad who has Parkinson’s disease as her mother is in Ghana and her elder brother is entirely unreliable. Feeling a bit lost with her current life, Maddie decides to finally ‘live a little’: she moves out of home, she starts dating, she gets a new job, but suddenly tragedy hits home and Maddie’s world crumbles completely.

I had high expectations for this, and boyyyy IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

I love Maddie as a protagonist so much. She’s a character who you just completely empathise with, and you just want to give her a big hug and tell her that everything will be ok. She’s quite naive and innocent, and you see her experience all her ‘firsts’ but you also see her grow, and by the end of the book she’s just such a beautiful character.

The book is also a complete emotional rollercoaster, as it’s humorous in parts, but also tackles some really important things like grief, depression, racism and navigating relationships and friendships.
I have to applaud Jessica George for the way she speaks about grief in this book. It’s not often that I find grief written about well, but Maddie’s story just captures something so honest and raw about it, about how you truly never stop grieving for a loved one, and that you learn to live with grief.

Such a stunning novel, and I’d absolutely 100% recommend to anyone!

I loved this! One for fans of 'Queenie', 'Sunny' and 'Yinka, where is your husband?' as all four novels explore a young single woman navigating the awful London dating landscape, which is made even more complicated by how racist it all is. With Maame, her Ghanaian heritage is wonderfully depicted and explored too.
This one really felt like I was spending time with a friend who I began to miss as soon as I finished it. Although it's pitch perfect for a TV or film adaptation, so maybe I'll get to spend time again with her once more!