Study Guide for Push (Precious) Push (also known as Precious in its film version) study guide contains a biography of Sapphire, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. A powerful exploration of grief that combines memoir, reportage, and lessons in how to heal. which stays with her even after, becoming her life motto for surviving her extremely difficult life. Genre: Thrillers Just $12 for 3 months or Soon, she starts to resents Fox for seeing her solely as Violet's caregiver, and Fox thinks Blythe is deficient as a mother. The Pushcart War Summary. Great review! Do you think Violet could have turned out differently at all? To what extent do you think each aspect came into play when it comes to Violet. Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism. Audrain's astute portrayal of motherhood was unsettling in its insights, yet highly entertaining on the page. Blythe learns they had another son, Jet. As Blythe grieves, Blythe and Fox's marriage disintegrates, ending with Fox's infidelity. Push is an emotionally powerful, disturbing novel written from the perspective of a young and poor black woman whose life has been defined by sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. - Booklist I don’t want to give any spoilers by going into detail on specifics, but suffice to say that there’s a lot of unfortunate events throughout the book. What did you think about the author’s portrayal of the “other mothers” in the book, for example as with the women Blythe meets at her prenatal class? - Kirkus Reviews In most cases, the reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. Posted in Education and Book Summaries, ... while two nurses argued over whether she should push or resist while someone else placed an oxygen mask over her face and instructed her to breathe, only it wasn’t oxygen it was general anesthesia. What did you think of the end of the book? Donna Freitas has published novels for teens as well as nonfiction works of memoir and social ... After years of feeling like an outcast, Deka wants nothing more than to pass through the Ritual of ... What makes humans human? The Push is a really well-crafted novel, and it would be so perfect as a book club read. Precious Jones lives in Harlem, New York with her mother, who is an overweight shut-in. Your email address will not be published. Why do you think Audrain shifts POVs (from first person to third person) for the epilogue? What do you think of Violet’s reactions to things? A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family--and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for--and everything she feared. Exhausted and depressed, she can’t connect with her child the way her husband does. Author Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. Plot Summary When Blythe meets the husband of her dreams she’s excited to marry him and rewrite her dark past. Precious's mother beats her and sexually molests her. I’m also surprised that this is Audrain’s debut novel, because the pacing, structure and voice of the book feel so confident and intentional. - Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone Like, not every comment from a child needs to have a 24-hour reaction time. In December, I saw The Push announced as one of the most promising debuts of the upcoming year. Push Summary Push is an emotionally powerful, disturbing novel written from the perspective of a young and poor black woman whose life has been defined by sexual, emotional, and physical abuse. It wasn’t a book I was expecting to like, much less one that I’d be eager to recommend to others. “The Push” begins with a prologue, in which an unidentified narrator, a woman, watches through the front window as a family enjoys the Christmas season. "With its riveting prose and deep convictions, Ashley Audrain's The Push had me in its clutches from the first page. How reliable of a narrator do you think Blythe was? Types of powers: Watchers are able to see the future in quick flashes and scenes. If you are expecting constant plot twists and a hundred miles per hour plot pacing, you might want to shift those expectations before getting into this book. Then, in the final lines, she learns from Gemma that something has happened to Jet (with the implication that it was Violet's fault.). Blythe struggles with Violet from the beginning, Blythe is exhausted, and motherhood proves far tougher than she anticipated. Cecilia grows up and meets a man named Seb. When Blythe and Fox have their second child, a boy named Sam, Blythe's connection with him is immediate, and she adores him. Push was named by the Village Voice and Time Out New York as one of the top ten books of 1996. Blythe is convinced she saw Violet push the stroller. Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published. The difficult circumstance that Blythe finds herself in is her inability to know what a good mother is or how to become a good mother. The Push turbo-charges maternal anxieties with a fierce gothic energy that comes in part from the dark stories of Blythe’s antecedents and … Or is it all in Blythe's head? Throughout the book, it's not clear if Violet is innately bad, if Blythe is a bad mother (Blythe comes from a line of bad mothers) or if it's all in Blythe's head. Etta eventually hangs herself. 320 pages The book ends a year and a half after that point. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. I was really impressed by The Push by Ashley Audrain. I keep going back and forth about whether I want to read this one because it has such mixed reviews, but after this, I think I will give it a try. As Violet gets older, Violet continues to be antagonistic and even violent towards Blythe. In The Push, Blythe Connor is a woman who is trying desperately to be the perfect mother that everyone else seems to be, but she's struggling. Even Violet seems to love her little brother. Book review and synopsis for The Push by Ashley Audrain, A tense domestic drama slash thriller about motherhood and a woman who is struggling under the pressure to be a "good mother". The Push is her first novel. What do you think of the portrayals of the men and fathers in this novel in general? Jan 2021 The Push: A Novel, Ashley Audrain, author; Narin Ireland, narrator When the book opens, a woman is watching a house, locking eyes with a … Reviews | - Kim Edwards, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Not to be missed." The premise sounded compelling and I was in the mood to read a suspenseful psychological thriller, so I got it when I saw it at the book shop. Ashley Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. For example, when Blythe grabs her arm, she narrates that Violet looks “satisfied”? Doctors feared he wouldn’t survive, but he thrived … Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Plot Summary of “The Pushcart War” by Jean Merrill. Would you feel differently about this book or these characters if there was no epilogue (the “a year and a half later” part)? If I’m being realistic, I imagine the readership will be largely women and especially women with children. Seb insists they have the baby (Blythe). Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting, supportive mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. Why do you think he is reluctant to send Violet to day care initially? As someone without children, motherhood is not something I spend a lot of time thinking about, and to be totally honest, I generally avoid books that are focused on things like that because they don’t tend to grab my attention. Raw, visceral, and often disturbing, this is an intense psychological drama that will be embraced by serious book clubs and fans of Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk about Kevin." The Push by Ashley Audrain ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Book Summary: A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family—and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for—and everything she feared Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting mother to her new baby … Why do you think Cecilia dislikes Mrs. Ellington? The Push is an addictive, gripping and compulsive read that asks what happens when women are not believed – and what if motherhood isn’t everything you hoped for but everything you always feared? In terms of the thriller aspects of it, be forewarned that The Push is not genre fiction, if that’s what you’re looking for. Discussion of themes and motifs in Sapphire's Push: A Novel. The Push is an arresting story of focus, drive, motivation, endurance, and transformation, a book that will appeal to anyone seeking to overcome fear and doubt, cultivate perseverance, turn failure into growth, and find connection with family and with the natural world. It has all been done before and this rather mundane rendition did not add anything new. "The Push was a poetic, propulsive read that set my nerves jangling in both horror and recognition. Otherwise, I feel very comfortable giving this a strong recommendation. - Karma Brown, bestselling author of Recipe for a Perfect Wife Pushers can "push" people into believing that certain things are or aren't true (like hypnosis). Etta suffered from moods and needed sedatives to calm her down. Blythe and Fox Connor are a couple who meet in college and get married at 25. And how big of an impact do you think Mrs. Ellington had on Blythe’s life? Blythe ends up watching their house to catch glimpses of her. Book Summary/Review of: Pushed by Jennifer Block. Search String: Summary | The child is born with Down Syndrome and goes to live with Precious's grandmother to be raised by her there. This sort of hand-wringing, at its most extreme, is at the center of Ashley Audrain’s taut, chilling debut novel, “The Push.” Blythe Connor is reluctant to become a parent — understandably so. "A finely wrought psychological study of motherhood and inherited trauma...not for the faint of heart; it offers no easy answers." What do you think of their expectations of their wives in terms of the types of mothers they expected them to be? As the story unfolds in this gripping and suspenseful domestic drama, Audrain explores motherhood, the limits of unconditional love, and how the consequences of our actions can travel across generations. Were your initial assumptions correct or not? A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter--she doesn't behave like most children do. Push is a 2009 American superhero thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by David Bourla. Sapphire Booklist Sapphire Message Board. She senses Violet prefers Fox, but Fox insists it's all in her head. Violet lies to make Blythe look bad, and she runs away while Blythe is watching her. Blythe and Gemma become close, but eventually Fox finds out Blythe has been pretending to be someone else to get close to Gemma. Hear a sample of The Push on Audiobook on Libro.fm. Did the ending change your assessment of her reliability as a narrator? Do you think things could have turned out differently if Blythe had done things differently? The Push is a simplistic mix of The Bad Seed and We Need to Talk about Kevin with a hash of other themes stirred in - the legacy of maternal abuse, the difficulties of motherhood, infidelity. Article When Cecilia (Blythe's mother) is born, Etta marries her second husband Henry, but Etta struggles with motherhood and is often intentionally cruel to Cecilia. Do you think Fox’s mother handled things well? The Push, which is a debut novel is a psychological thriller that tells the story of three generations of women who have been abused and are passing on their traumas through these generations. Rights have already been sold to 34 different countries. The audiobook for The Push is good. After Fox leaves, Blythe secretly uses a fake name to befriend Fox's girlfriend, Gemma, to learn about their life. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. Search: Is there a clear conclusion that can even be drawn? But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter—she doesn't behave like most children do. - Publishers Weekly (starred review) If you are the publisher or author and feel that the reviews shown do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, please send us a message with the mainstream media reviews that you would like to see added. (This is literally a visual skill, which is shown to be a weakness). Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email. I hope you enjoy it if you end up reading it :). Then their son Sam is born--and with him, Blythe has the blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child. When a boy falls off a playset and dies, Blythe suspects Violet tripped him on purpose. The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed. Blythe continues to look for acknowledgement from others that there is something wrong with Violet, until she finally starts to doubt herself. Blythe and Violet's relationship is still fraught. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. But men with children would probably benefit a lot from reading this, and I have no kids but thought it was gripping and very worth my time. Books to Movies & TV 2022: Adaptations Coming Soon, Books Like The Midnight Library: 9 Great Books to Read Next. How so and why do you think things turned out differently for her? Spam Free: Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time. What do you make of that statement? Do you think he was a good husband and/or a good father? Author interviews, book reviews and lively book commentary are found here. The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed. Blythe has started therapy to try to move on. But for the big things, I think Audrain does a good job with aspects of the book that really matter like the plotting of it or the substance in digging deep into the difficulties and uncertainties of motherhood. A spellbinding tour-de-force about the beauty between naïveté and cruelty, artist and muse. In her feisty debut book, Oluo, essayist, blogger, and editor at large at the Establishment magazine, writes from the perspective of a black, queer, middle-class, college-educated woman living in a “white supremacist country.” The daughter of a white single mother, brought up in largely white … Precious is a sixteen-year old teen who is abused psychologically and sexually by her parents. ...more. What did you think of Seb as a husband and a father? This information about The Push shown above was first featured Blythe thinks Violet is violent and lacks empathy, but Fox thinks Blythe's insufficient love for Violet is the problem. Do you think Blythe is like the women who came before her? It has a thriller vibe in terms of a suspenseful and tense atmosphere, it’s relatively quickly paced, and there are even some shifts in perspective or new pieces of information introduced that feel something like twists, but to be clear, the book still doesn’t read like genre fiction if you read lots of thrillers. Precious's mother beats her and sexually molests her. And why do you think he brushes off Blythe’s suggestion to send Violet to a child psychologist? If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ($1, $2, or $4) or joining the Patreon! $39 for a year. - Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author In addition to being a book about being a mother, Audrain’s novel also looks at the ways behaviors and the effects of those various behaviors get passed down through the generations. (The Detailed Plot Summary is also available, below). Blythe's kind neighbor Mrs. Ellington instead acts as a maternal figure to her. The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian, "Remarkable debut...a nearly flawless tale of loss...and redemption. Did this story make you reflect on your personal experiences, and if so how? Synopsis In The Push , Blythe Connor is a woman who is trying desperately to be the perfect mother that everyone else seems to be, but she's struggling. Push Book Summary and Study Guide. Book review and synopsis for The Push by Ashley Audrain, A tense domestic drama slash thriller about motherhood and a woman who is struggling under the pressure to be a "good mother". Title Do you think the portrayal is fair and/or plausible? Everything We Know About the 'The Push' Adaptation. It’s one of those books that is massively hyped. However, one day as Blythe crosses the street, Sam's stroller rolls into the intersection and he is killed. Soon, they have their first child, a girl named Violet. All rights reserved. Fox has a son, Jet, with his new wife, Gemma. Cecilia dislikes being a mother, and she leaves permanently when Blythe is 12. in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. The only demographic I probably wouldn’t recommend this to is adolescents, since I do think it probably takes a higher level of maturity to understand and appreciate a lot of the concerns or issues that this book deals with. Or is it all in Blythe's head? The one-paragraph summary of this book: Blythe and Fox have a daughter, Violet. The Push manages the difficult feat of being genuinely satisfying in terms of substance and telling a compelling (and multi-generational) story, all while maintaining a “thriller”-type atmosphere without feeling like genre fiction. But The Push was consistently engrossing nonetheless and made me reconsider in some ways my own relationship with my mother, who I’ve not always had the smoothest relationship with (and who, in turn, had very difficult relationships with her own parents). Complex, nuanced, and unflinching, I inhaled this debut in one sitting." The Push A Novel (Book) : Audrain, Ashley : "A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, about a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for--and everything she feared. Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. that’s awesome to hear! What did you think of Blythe’s relationship with Fox’s mother? Do you think the portrayal is accurate, and do you think the way other mothers act toward each other has changed over the years? She later cheats on him and wants to leave him, but then they find out she is pregnant. Soon, she begins to wonder if there's something genuinely wrong with her daughter, Violet, though her husband insists it isn't true. Starring Chris Evans , Dakota Fanning , Camilla Belle , and Djimon Hounsou , the film centers on a group of people born with various superhuman abilities who band together in order to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in … What did you think about Fox’s handling of things that came up in the book? The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed. It''s impossible to put down and impossible to forget. BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

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