This morning, I’d like you guys to give Mary Smith a big, smiling welcome to The Write Stuff. Mary is here today to share a lovely review of her book, No More Mulberries, and I know you’ll be fascinated by it. Please help others find it by sharing all over your social media. Thanks!
REVIEW:
James J. Cudney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
No More Mulberries is an international contemporary drama written by Mary Smith and published in 2009. The story focuses on Miriam, a Scottish midwife, who has married two men from Afghanistan during her lifetime. The tale unfolds by jumping time frames across different chapters to share the reasons why Miriam’s life has become what it is today. At times, her days have been heartbreaking, and at others, they have been an admirable source of strength. I chose this book because I’d seen many positive reviews and it fit the parameters for my month of international and/or autobiographical reads. Let’s chat more about this complex and wonderful story…
Miriam had a wonderful husband and life, but he passed away. She had a young son to raise in Afghanistan during a difficult period in the country’s history, especially for a red-haired Scottish woman with strong beliefs about how things should be. Knowledgeable in medicine, she won over some of the village, yet she always knew she was viewed differently. Then, she remarried and had another child with the second husband. At first, they had a strong love. Although she’d converted to Muslim, her husband, Iqbal was careful to find a balance between his beliefs and her beliefs. While he could be strict, he was by no means radical or excessively controlling of his wife. As tension rises between them, Miriam revisits her past to understand why her first husband died. Through the process, her eyes are opened about her own blame in the new marriage as well as as what truly happened to her first beloved.
The story is rich with a supporting cast who provide laughter, love, fear, and pain. Smith eloquently shares a culture and a lifestyle with her audience, some who may know little about the Muslim faith or Afghani culture. While I’ve read a few other books focusing on this part of the world, they tended to stick to the religious aspects of the Middle East rather than the social aspects. I was glad to experience a different side of the life through this story and the author’s wonderful ability to showcase both the good and the bad.
Questions of parenting, forgiveness, pain, tolerance, and curiosity quickly enter a reader’s mind. What will become of someone who defies her husband? Who will stand by you when you have no one else to trust? How do you ensure the village listens to your advice on bearing a child when the culture dictates the complete opposite solution? This novel helped me understand a different mindset, and while it wasn’t necessarily one I agree with or support, I found a balance of alternative ideas and options to push me to think more critically. It’s a great experience, and one we should all have when reading a book about something different than our own knowledge.
A great find, and something that would be a benefit for all readers with an open mind, a curiosity about life outside their own culture, and a small glimpse into the world that many know from the outside but little know from the inside.
Blurb:
Scottish-born midwife, Miriam loves working at a health clinic in rural Afghanistan but she can no longer ignore the cracks appearing in her marriage. Her doctor husband has changed from the loving, easy-going man she married. When an old friend appears, urging her to visit the village where once she and her first husband had been so happy, Miriam finds herself travelling on a journey into her past, searching for answers to why her marriage is going so wrong.
Buy No More Mulberries Here:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Smart Url
Author Mary Smith
Author, poet and freelance journalist, Mary Smith lives in South West Scotland.
She lived in Pakistan and Afghanistan for ten years, working for a leprosy control programme and establishing a mother and child care programme providing skills and knowledge to women health volunteers. On her return to Scotland she obtained a liberal arts degree followed by a Masters in Creative Writing at Glasgow University.
Mary has worked as senior reporter on a local paper and as a feature writer for an award-winning lifestyle magazine before going freelance to focus on her own writing. Her poems have been widely published in poetry magazines and anthologies and a full length poetry collection, Thousands Pass Here Every Day, was published by Indigo Dreams.
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is a memoir of her time in Afghanistan and the country also provides the setting for her novel No More Mulberries.
In collaboration with photographers Allan Devlin and Keith Kirk she has worked on three local history books for Amberley Publishing: Dumfries Through Time, Castle Douglas Through Time and Secret Dumfries. A fourth title, Dumfries A-Z will be published in 2019.
Reach Mary on Social Media Here:
Blogs:
MarySmith’sPlace
My Dad’s a Goldfish
Email: mary@stewartry.co.uk
This is a lovely review to share. Thanks, Marcia. Best of luck with everything, Mary. Tweeting this around now 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Harmony, and thanks on Mary’s behalf, too, in case it takes her a bit longer than usual to respond. (She’s up to all kinds of good stuff right now!) 🙂 Glad you enjoyed this one. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m here now, Marcia after putting in a day at the museum. Thanks so much for sharing James` review.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always happy to share such a good review for such a super nice person! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Harmony for your good wishes and for sharing the post.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A fab review. This is one of my favourite books. Mary does such a great job of pulling the reader into Miriam’s life.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Glad you enjoyed the review, Darlene, AND Mary’s book! It’s on my TBR pile, for sure, but that’s going down so very, very slowly! 😦 I’m eager to read it, so I may have to bump it up a bit. 😀 ) Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Darlene.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much for sharing the review. I really enjoyed Mary’s work, and this helped me get to know you better too. -j
LikeLiked by 3 people
It was my pleasure to share your amazing review, James, and I’m so glad you stopped by. Hope you’ll visit often, so we can all get to know you better, as well. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely. I thought I was following, but it looks like I might not have been. It’s been corrected. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s such a great review, James, it deserves to be shared! Thank you.
LikeLiked by 3 people
A lovely review of this book, Mary.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I agree, Robbie. Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Robbie. I’ll be replying to your email this evening 🙂 So excited to think we’ll meet in a couple of weeks!
LikeLiked by 2 people
James always writes thoughtful reviews. Congratulations to Mary.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I can tell that by the way he approached this one, and by the insights he shared. And Mary deserves to have this one shared all over the place. She’ll be happy when she’s able to respond to you all. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Mae! ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Mae Clair. I was delighted when I read James’ review and so pleased Marica’s sharing it here.
LikeLiked by 3 people
That’s a fantastic review. All the best to Mary.
Thanks, Marcia.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I agree, Staci! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by this morning, too! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Staci. It is a great review – I admit to doing a little happy dance round my desk when I read it 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
I would have, too. It wouldn’t have been pretty, but it would have been necessary. 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
A wonderful review to share, Marcia. Congrats to Mary!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Glad you enjoyed it, Teri! It was well worth passing along, for sure! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Terri.
LikeLiked by 3 people
This is wonderful review of what I’m sure is a wonderful book. I shall have to risk adding another literary treasure to my precariously tottering TBR pile… Congratulations, Mary, and many thanks for sharing, Marcia. ❤
LikeLiked by 3 people
My pleasure to share, Trish, especially such a lovely review as this one! Thanks for stopping by today, and for risking life and limb by adding this one to your teetering pile! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Trish. Delighted you are adding No More Mulberries to your TBR pile – hope it doesn’t make the pile topple over entirely – and that you enjoy it when you finally get to it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Great review. It has my interest!
Like
Glad you enjoyed it, Denise, and happy it intrigued you! Thanks for letting us know, too. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you enjoyed the review, Denise.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great review Mary and lovely share Marcia. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Marje. I was delighted when James first posted his review and it’s great of Marcia to share it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved James’s review Mary and great one to share.. thanks Marcia..hugsx
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, Sally. I loved James’s review, too and delighted Marcia has shared it. I’m hoping to be able to re-join the blogosphere soon – the book is with the publisher and I’m over half way through the museum season. I’ve been missing everyone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Fabulous Mary, a productive time then. We have missed you too but know in a good cause.. look forward to seeing you soon.. hugs xx
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really enjoyed passing this one along, Sally! Glad you liked it. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
This sounds like a very interesting book. Fabulous review. Mary, I have friends who lived in Afghanistan for almost twenty years.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Joan. I am sure your friends must have lots of stories to tell you about Afghanistan. It’s a country that somehow gets under the skin and won’t let go!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pingback: #ShareAReviewDay at The Write Stuff ~ James J. Cudney reviews No More Mulberries by Mary Smith | Sue Vincent's Daily Echo
Shared around Marsh. Congrats Mary! WP is still not friendly to me, I’m not seeing the ‘like’ here or Twitter 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
If you are on this page (where you can comment) they aren’t always here. But they are usually on the Home Page with the other posts. Most of the time. And I know of no way around it to make it better. 😦 But at least you can comment here. Most days, I can’t even access your blog at all. I try to respond from FB when I can, instead. *sigh*
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, it’s getting ridiculous where it seems the functions on many blogs are becoming handicapped because of WP! 😦
LikeLike