Of Men and Their Mothers by Mameve Medwed (A book review)

I was excited when Gather sent me this book, based on the premise of the book itself and the blurb I had read about it.  I couldn't wait to read it.  I had never read a Mameve Medwed book before but I will be going back and getting the ones I have missed.

 The story is about Maisie and her relationship with her overbearing, controlling, highly annoying ex-mother-in-law and the effect that relationship has on her relationships with everyone else in her life.  The mother-in-law broke up the marraige to her son's father.  The mother-in-law has money and holds it over everyone's heads.  Maisie is glad to be free of the family and living life as a successful business owner.  Her son comes home and announces not only is this totally unsuitable girl September his new girlfriend, but she is also moving in with them for a while.  Determined not to be as awful as her mother-in-law Maisie gives September a chance and tries to be accepting and loving and the results are wonderful.   She grows as a person while making a huge difference in a positive way in someone else's life. 

 There are other characters and Maisie also loses one boyfriend and gains a new one through the course of the story.  The secondary story line and characters are as well written and amusing as the primary one.  Her characters were likeable and believable and I enjoyed reading it every bit as much as I expected I would.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy humor, and reading about relationships and family issues.  It was a great read.

 On a personal note, I did find myself thinking several times about how blessed I am that my mother-in-law is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Ina.  My mother-in-law is as wonderful as Ina is horrible but in having had a not so great mother-in-law in my past I could relate and sympathise with Maisie, all the while appreciating the reminder of how blessed I truly am!