Knott artfully weaves together these 'shards and nuggets of evidence' into a larger story about the lives and trials of mothers through the ages ... The book’s memoiristic structure organizes a narrative that otherwise careens through space and time ... full of details that are enlightening, humbling and occasionally amusing ... Ms. Knott proves a trustworthy guide through centuries of baby-making and baby-tending, yet the book’s most poetic moments come when she lets her gaze rest upon herself.
... a fresh and surprisingly personal look at three centuries of mothering in Europe and North America ... Knott... has reached deep into archival material for stories of how mothers of the past spent their days ... Knott combines anecdote, close observation, imagination, and her own experience for a window into the often mundane, frustrating and bewildering job of mothering.
