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The Other Mother

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The Other Mother

By: Jen Brister
Narrated by: Jen Brister
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

I'm Jen Brister, stand-up comedian, middle-aged adolescent and, more recently, a mum. But not that mum – I'm the other one. Confused? Let’s back up a bit. Two years ago, my partner (a woman – we're not solicitors) gave birth to twins. Yes. Yes. Already there’s a lot to take in here: gay mums, twins, solicitors… (I know! Believe me, I’m still reeling myself.)

Like every new parent, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. Add ‘gay’ and ‘non-biological’ to the mix and what do you get? Not a weird box of detergent, but a panicked beige lesbian desperately googling, ‘Will my babies love me?’ at 3 a.m.

This is a book for any parent who feels they don’t fit the mould of a traditional 2.4 family. Stand-up comedian Jen Brister takes a very funny, very honest look at life as a parent: from IVF awfulness to crying over the pages of sleep training manuals.

As ‘the other mother’ she has the perfect vantage point for us to laugh and cry alongside her.

©2019 Jen Brister (P)2019 Penguin Audio LGBTQIA+ Creators Motherhood Parenting & Families Physical Illness & Disease Relationships Comedy Funny

Critic Reviews

"Hysterical, important, moving, wonderful." (Sara Pascoe)
All stars
Most relevant  
Very entertaining as well as informative. Pleased to have listened to this audio version. I was already a Jen fan so I'm sure I would have heard her voice in my head if I had read the book instead, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been the same. I love Jen's relaxed non-judgemental take on parenthood. You will find this funny even if you don't have kids.

LOL

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Loved it. Entertaining, very funny and truthful. Jen covers a range of topics all mothers will appreciate but more importantly all readers will gain an education and appreciation for LGBTQ families.

Entertaining, funny, truthful

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I listened to this just a few weeks before becoming the "other mother" and found it so relatable, funny and honest. It's a unique position being the other mother and Jen gave us all a great voice.

So relatable

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Engaging audiobook read by the delightful comedic talent, Jen Brister. Very relatable, hilarious and insightful.

Absolute must-listen

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Loved this book. It is as Jen said. Worth the read and the laughter. There are lots of mothers out there that will relate to Jen and her experience. Thanks Jen for the honesty and sharing your truth.

Lol so true !

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Jen Brister shines a light on the perils of everyday life as a parent, but also describes her immense love for her boys and her gratitude to have them in her life. This is relatable to most parents, I would think! From funny anecdotes to cheerleading for the reader / listener and their own parenting, this is a comforting book, read in Jen Brister's own, soothing voice. Loved it, binged it across two days, felt sad it was over.

Funny, warm, and relatable

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I really like Jen Brister as a comedian.
Great jokes and typical British humour, which is why I thought I'd try her book. I didn't read about the contents carefully enough beforehand. The book is essentially more of an autobiography, about being gay, the stresses and difficulties of IVF and having kids with a partner. There was a lot of angst and negativity throughout (fair enough, given the topics), with some occasional funny remarks between. But I was looking for a clever and funny book to listen to so I unfortunately just couldn’t finish it.

More of an autobiography about motherhood, not so much about comedy

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As the other mother myself I felt seen and there is some good insight and advice, but I was hoping it would be funnier.

Good insight and advice but not very funny

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