Did She Sacrifice Her Daughter’s Happiness for a Better World?

Dear Writer Unboxed Community,

What if a mother’s idealism, her fight for justice, collides with her daughter’s craving for normalcy?

If The Big Chill, Forrest Gump, and This Is Us brought forth a book child, it would be The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone.

Annabel’s journey begins in 1964 when she heads to Mississippi for Freedom Summer. There, the disappearance of her first love sparks a relentless fight for justice that will define her life. Years later, she, her husband, and four other couples—and their growing families— create a political collective, sharing a sprawling Boston house they name Puddingstone.

As social upheaval reaches a boiling point, the group relocates their children to the safety of rural Vermont, far from the chaos. The parents continue their activism, rotating visits to Vermont to care for the kids.

But not all threats come from the outside. Annabel’s daughter, Ivy, longs for something more than the patchouli-scented, organic world of Vermont. She craves normalcy, but most of all, she craves Annabel’s attention. When a cataclysmic event shatters their world, Ivy must reckon with the limits of her many mothers and fathers.

Since early childhood, reading has been my escape, my sanctuary, and my comfort. I devoured page-turning escape and lost myself in books grappling with human nature, the struggle for justice, and resistance to wrongs. Above all, I cherished stories that intertwined both.

I wrote this novel infused with the spirit of Marge Piercy, Tayari Jones, Rosellen Brown, John Sayles, Liane Moriarty, Marge Piercy, Jodi Picoult, & Alice Walker—all of whom walk on the side of justice while stapling us to the couch to finish just one more page.

Warmest,
Randy

Order Your Copy Today!

 

Praise for The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone 

“With realistic, hard-hitting prose and a well-researched and startling setting, Meyers delivers another deeply felt, beautiful novel.”—Booklist, American Library Association

“A new Randy Susan Meyers novel is always a cause for celebration! Her novels are beautifully written and full of warmth, wit, and wisdom. I’m a devoted fan!” —Liane Moriarty, NYT bestselling author of Big Little Lies

“Rarely has a novel touched me so deeply. . .Meyers moves the story with urgency and grace between Freedom Summer and 9/11 and beyond, reminding the reader of the complicated political stew of race, class, and gender that has simmered in the past half-century.”
—MER Review, Ellen Meeropol

The Many Moth­ers of Ivy Pud­ding­stone sug­gests that hav­ing par­ents who want to save the world can be lone­ly. Sometimes, a child must compete with that world for anything more than glanc­ing atten­tion. With a com­pas­sion­ate hand, Mey­ers explores the many man­i­fes­ta­tions of love in a flawed but eter­nal­ly hopeful universe.
—Jewish Book Council

“Randy Susan Meyers returns with a timely and exciting story of womanhood, family, and coming of age set against the turbulent background of the 1960s moving through to the present. Meyers delves into the untold strength of mothers and the unfathomable choices they face—and will have readers whipping through these pages.”
—Pam Jenoff, NYT bestselling author of The Diplomat’s Wife

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International bestselling author Randy Susan Meyers’ novels have been featured in publications such as People, the NYT, the LA Times, Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and the Miami Herald, earning an Indie Next Pick and being highlighted by Kirkus as one of the ‘10 Best Books of the Year. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages

Meyers’ novels explore domestic drama, societal issues, and cultural nuances, informed by her years working with troubled youth, community centers, governmental agencies, and criminals and their families. She probably gained the most insight into family and other politics during her four years as a bartender in a small Boston neighborhood bar.

Meyers is a Brooklyn-Boston hybrid who believes happiness requires family, friends, books, and an occasional NY bagel. She lives in Boston with her husband and teaches at the Grub Street Writer’s Center.