“The Mother Gene is a well-written, gripping, and intense story with well-developed characters and a strong storyline. The narrative is well-researched and well-told, and most importantly, the narration makes it impossible for the reader to not empathize with the characters and their lifestyles. …The book’s strongest point is the quiet acceptance of different choices, lives, and loves without judgment.”
“Lynne Bryant has penned my favorite sort of novel: good people doing their best to negotiate the heart-rending challenges that life throws at them. In The Mother Gene, three generations of women are touched by their different experiences as they deal with the dependency of aging, uncertainty at the end of a working life, and the excitement of starting down the path to motherhood. This tender story of women helping women takes unexpected turns but never loses its heart.”
“Once again, Lynne Bryant weaves an emotionally compelling story—this one diving deep into the intricacies of cross-generational relationships and the complexities of becoming a parent. Word by word, she shows us how to see one another through a more compassionate lens. In the end, readers are gifted an impactful and timely read that sticks with us long after the last page has been turned. Perfect for book clubs, this novel makes us reexamine not only what it means to be a mother, but what it means to be an open-hearted human being.”
“The ambitious cross-generational novel addresses compelling social issues such as class, health care, and women’s reproductive rights without taking a heavy-handed approach…Bryant’s empathy and understanding shines throughout…The Mother Gene employs three points of view—Miriam, Lillian, and Olivia—to good effect as it explores the theme of what it means to be a mother…The full truth about Lillian and Miriam’s past delivers an emotional punch thanks to Bryant’s perceptive, humane characterization and abiding sense of what matters most. Great for fans of Diane Chamberlain and Jodi Picoult.”
“Set in a picturesque Mississippi town, Alligator Lake is a powerful and compassionate portrait of love, secrets, prejudice, and redemption in the intertwined histories of four generations of southern women. Bryant deftly weaves a tale steeped in the atmosphere, charm and complex racial relationships of an evolving South. Alligator Lake is a compelling and memorable read.”
“Lynne Bryant’s Alligator Lake is a gutsy examination of southern race relations. Bryant is provocative and unflinching as she reveals her characters’ private hopes and fears. Her abiding love for Mississippi shines through as she wrestles with its troubled history. Ultimately, Alligator Lake is a commentary on the redemptive power of love and friendship.”
“Poignant and redemptive, Alligator Lake immerses us in the murky waters of a shifting southern current, where the push and pull of racial boundaries redefine love, loyalty, and heart wrenching pride. Lynne Bryant writes beautifully about the challenges and choices that divide a family in a predominantly segregated Mississippi town, yet delivers us the promise that hope and forgiveness can be found where we least expect them.”
“A lyrical, gorgeous novel about fractured family, racial tensions, and the way the past flows right up through the present. Bryant’s eloquent tale may be Southern at heart, but it’s universal in its powerful message.”
“Catfish Alley is a bittersweet love song to the union of women, and a heartfelt meditation on the old and new wounds of a South that still must tiptoe, still doesn’t always know how to move forward, but is determined to try. Lynne Bryant writes honorably and earnestly about women facing each other and themselves.”
“In the tradition of The Help, Lynne Bryant’s Catfish Alley tackles the racial divide of both 1920s and current-day Mississippi in a page-turning narrative that has, at its heart, the search for personal connections as the path to both survival and understanding.”