GBC Sunday Book Review

What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr

Reviewed by Maggie Marr

An unsettling, emotional and suspenseful novel of the unshakable bonds of motherhood, in which Michelle Mason not only loses her memory after a deadly car crash, but can't find her 16-year-old daughter, the one person who may know what happened that day. But the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of everyone, even herself. A dramatic portrayal of the fragile skin of memory, What a Mother Knows is about finding the truth that can set love free.

One of the great perks of being an author is that I get the opportunity to read books before they officially publish. I am especially thankful for this authorial benefit because I had the opportunity to read What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr before the book releases May 1, 2013.

My recommendation--pre-order your copy now.

What A Mother Knows, delves into the most deep-seated fear of every mother--losing a child. The characters face both the loss of a child through death as well as the loss of a child through running away. Michelle Mason, the lead character must confront not only her physical wounds and scars but her emotional ones as well. In confronting her losses as a mother, she also confronts her losses as a child and the losses that her own mother, Elyse, suffered as a woman and a mother.

This multi-generational story is pitch-perfect in describing the delicate intricacy of mother and daughter. Lehr, captures the tightrope walked by mother and daughter in the razor sharp push-pull that is the turbulent and changing sea of this most foundational relationship. The ending--well it is very much worth the read.

I recommend What A Mother Knows by Leslie Lehr to all lovers of Women's Fiction and Book Club Fiction, whether they be mothers or daughters or both.


Maggie Marr is an author, an attorney, and an independent producer. Her first book Hollywood Girls Club debuted to fantastic reviews and a multitude of comparisons to the most amazing Jackie Collins. Maggie also wrote Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club, Can't Buy Me Love and her latest book Courting Trouble. She has ghost-written for more than one celebrity-type and written for film and tv. She lives in Los Angeles with her outrageously-good-looking husband and her fabulous children.