First, let me say that I will read anything that Nikki May writes. I enjoy her storytelling immensely. I also admire her for taking on a Mansfield Park retelling, as it is often one of Austen’s least-appreciated novels. Mansfield Park has always intrigued me, and is a novel that reveals more with each re-reading. With that said, I would call This Motherless Land more of a Mansfield Park-inspired story. It is not an exact parallel. In fact, it seems to me to be inspired by a combination of Mansfield Park and the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle. Though, it does examine many of the same themes in Mansfield Park, such as family, greed, love, retribution, and forgiveness. One does not need to have read Mansfield Park to enjoy this novel. May creates empathetic characters, an engaging plot, and just the right amount of suspense.
This Motherless Land by Nikki May, (List Price: $30, Mariner Books, 9780063084292, October 2024)
Reviewed by Krista Roach, E. Shaver Bookseller in Savannah, Georgia