Good Intentions Collection Series by Etaf Rum, Ariana Delawari

A mother-to-be is awed by her own mother’s chaotic and unknowable approach to life and its natural mysteries in a smart, witty, and whimsical story by the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer.Growing up with an eccentric but loving mother who levitates for a living, Charlie always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood... moreA mother-to-be is awed by her own mother’s chaotic and unknowable approach to life and its natural mysteries in a smart, witty, and whimsical story by the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer.Growing up with an eccentric but loving mother who levitates for a living, Charlie always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood. Now that her mother is leaving New York for bigger skies in New Mexico, it’s a new stage in life for both of them in an ever-evolving relationship that reveals the true magic of being a mother.Rebecca Serle’s The Magician is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

In 1962 Virginia, with the world teetering on the brink, a schoolteacher searches for strength and hope in this moving tale by the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday.Poppy Turner has spent more than a decade teaching children grammar and arithmetic. Suddenly her days are steeped in fears that reach well beyond a classroom filled with air-raid drills and anxious young faces. As a mother-to-be, she worries about bringing a child into a time of such turmoil... moreIn 1962 Virginia, with the world teetering on the brink, a schoolteacher searches for strength and hope in this moving tale by the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday.Poppy Turner has spent more than a decade teaching children grammar and arithmetic. Suddenly her days are steeped in fears that reach well beyond a classroom filled with air-raid drills and anxious young faces. As a mother-to-be, she worries about bringing a child into a time of such turmoil. To find stability, she will have to decide if she’s willing to look more closely at her own past.Kristina McMorris’s Poppy’s Story is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

A woman’s impression of her family is dismantled by revelations of the past in a haunting story about identity, memories, and the power of secrets by the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake.One year after her mother’s death, a woman prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Digging through a trunk in the attic, looking for keepsakes for the occasion, she discovers photographs that call into question everything she believed about her life... moreA woman’s impression of her family is dismantled by revelations of the past in a haunting story about identity, memories, and the power of secrets by the New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake.One year after her mother’s death, a woman prepares to celebrate her fortieth birthday. Digging through a trunk in the attic, looking for keepsakes for the occasion, she discovers photographs that call into question everything she believed about her life. The truth is a different story—one of a little girl in danger, a lie, and a mother’s love so fierce it led her to do the unimaginable.Charmaine Wilkerson’s Deluge is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

A mother makes a heartbreaking choice in this unforgettable story about devotion and sacrifice in World War II–era France by the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names.Marie Vachon experiences firsthand the devastation of the German invasion when she takes in a Jewish refugee named Josiane. A loving, if temporary, home for the displaced child. A second chance at motherhood for Marie. After three years, an inseparable bond is created... moreA mother makes a heartbreaking choice in this unforgettable story about devotion and sacrifice in World War II–era France by the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Lost Names.Marie Vachon experiences firsthand the devastation of the German invasion when she takes in a Jewish refugee named Josiane. A loving, if temporary, home for the displaced child. A second chance at motherhood for Marie. After three years, an inseparable bond is created. It’s one that leads Marie and Josiane to an inevitable but surprising reckoning that calls into question what motherhood means—and where it ends.Kristin Harmel’s The Road Home is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

A young Palestinian American woman comes to terms with the lessons imparted by her mother in an evocative story about sacrifice, resilience, and reinvention by the New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man.A daughter and mother: two women miles, years, and dreams apart. One defies traditions and expectations. The other conforms to them, even in a new land... moreA young Palestinian American woman comes to terms with the lessons imparted by her mother in an evocative story about sacrifice, resilience, and reinvention by the New York Times bestselling author of A Woman Is No Man.A daughter and mother: two women miles, years, and dreams apart. One defies traditions and expectations. The other conforms to them, even in a new land. Their emotional distance grows while the daughter, now a wife and mother herself, comes to better understand the woman she’s become and why, as she ruminates on inherited trauma, the need to forgive, and the lengths she’ll go to free herself from the past.Etaf Rum’s Mother Country is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

A woman strives to overcome the traumas of her past to bring a new family together in an uplifting story about love, promise, and second chances by a Washington Post, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestselling author.Autumn, a mother-to-be, has an unsteady grip on the meaning of family. Her father abandoned her. She hasn’t seen her estranged mother in more than twelve years. And her marriage is crumbling... moreA woman strives to overcome the traumas of her past to bring a new family together in an uplifting story about love, promise, and second chances by a Washington Post, USA Today, and Amazon Charts bestselling author.Autumn, a mother-to-be, has an unsteady grip on the meaning of family. Her father abandoned her. She hasn’t seen her estranged mother in more than twelve years. And her marriage is crumbling. As Autumn struggles with painful memories of her childhood and fosters hopes for her own baby’s future, she must come to terms with the past to be the mother she and her child need her to be.Sejal Badani’s The Days Before Us is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting. less

A surprising gift brings closure for an elderly widow in a poignant story about grief, memory, and the persistence of love by the acclaimed, award-winning author of Miracle Creek.Korean immigrant Mina Pak Johnson is clearing out the last of her husband’s things when she finds a picnic basket in his closet—a long-forgotten wedding present from her mother... moreA surprising gift brings closure for an elderly widow in a poignant story about grief, memory, and the persistence of love by the acclaimed, award-winning author of Miracle Creek.Korean immigrant Mina Pak Johnson is clearing out the last of her husband’s things when she finds a picnic basket in his closet—a long-forgotten wedding present from her mother. With it comes decades of memories—of her mother’s wishes for her to be happy and her own shattered hopes for her first child—and regret at never having used it. Pushing her husband’s ashes and a bottle of wine in a rusty old stroller, Mina is determined to re-create the picnic they never had. But with it comes something Mina never expected, illuminating a loving gesture her husband made years ago. less