20190719_122903.jpgWelcome to my stop on the The Nine blog tour sponsored by Suzy Approved Book Tours! Thank you to Suzy for the invitation! The Nine will be published by She Writes Press on August 20, 2019.

About the Book:

Hannah Webber fears she will never be a mother, but her prayers are finally answered when she gives birth to a son. In an era of high-stakes parenting, nurturing Sam’s intellect becomes Hannah’s life purpose. She invests body and soul into his development, much to the detriment of her marriage. She convinces herself, however, that Sam’s acceptance at age fourteen to the most prestigious of New England boarding schools overseen by an illustrious headmaster, justifies her choices.

When he arrives at Dunning, Sam is glad to be out from under his mother’s close watch. And he enjoys his newfound freedom―until, late one night, he stumbles upon evidence of sexual misconduct at the school and is unable to shake the discovery.

Both a coming-of-age novel and a portrait of an evolving mother-son relationship, The Nine is the story of a young man who chooses to expose a corrupt world operating under its own set of rules―even if it means jeopardizing his mother’s hopes and dreams.

My Thoughts:

Hannah Webber cherishes her only son. She becomes consumed with making sure Sam gets everything he needs, even if it means harming her marriage in the process. 

Sam is accepted to a high ranked boarding school, Dunning, and Hannah feels all her hard work and sacrifice has been worth it. 

Sam loves the freedom of boarding school and spreads his wings out from under his mother’s watchful eye. In doing so, he finds out about something sinister at the school involving sexual misconduct, and he doesn’t turn the other way. 

The Nine is such a special rendering of the mother-son relationship. I’ve not read many books focusing on this specific dynamic. It’s also about Sam coming-of-age and standing up for what’s right, even if he could lose something precious in the process. 

Overall, The Nine is a beautifully-written powerful read with complex characters. Hannah wasn’t always easy to like, but she was always easy to understand as a mother looking out for her son. 

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

About the Author:

Jeanne Blasberg is the author of EDEN: A Novel. The winner of the Beverly Hills Book Awards for Women’s Fiction, and finalist for the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice in Fiction, and Sarton Women’s Book Award for Historical Fiction. EDEN was released in May 2017 by She Writes Press. Jeanne’s second novel, The Nine, will be released by She Writes Press in August 2019.

After graduating from Smith College, Jeanne embarked on a career in finance. Even as she worked primarily with numbers, she always had an interest in writing. She has been an avid journaler throughout her life, eventually taking inspiration from her childhood writings to pen EDEN. She is a student and board member of Grub Street, one of the country’s pre-eminent creative writing centers, where she is working on her third novel. Jeanne is also a board member of the Boston Book Festival. Jeanne and her husband split their time between Boston, MA and Westerly, RI. She loves to travel, play squash, ski, and enjoy the sunset over Little Narragansett Bay.

Jeanne’s writing has appeared in The Sun Literary Magazine’s Reader’s Write, Squash Magazine, InterfaithFamily.com, DeadDarlings.com, BreakingMatzo.com, The Huffington Post, Women Writers Women’s Books, and Adoptimist.com.

Have you read The Nine, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR