Here is an urgent examination of the modern institution of motherhood, which seeks to unshackle all parents from oppressive social norms. Jones's lyrical, compassionate exploration of the ever-shifting boundaries of selfhood that evolved within our interconnected biosphere, confronts today's societal demands for individual autonomy, culminating in a passionate and powerful maternal roar for change. This book is the kind of book we must ensure every one of us reads; every single person sharing this earth side by side with our kin of every form.

For, as Lucy shows us so tenderly and luminously; we are more finely interwoven than we've been led to believe; more animal than we might ordinarily take ourselves for. We meet eels that endure five life stages and multiple habitats before breeding once and then dying, and black lace-weaver mother spiders who feed their living bodies to their infants.The literary touches – lists and word clouds, verse-like meditations and flash vignettes about natural phenomena – are not always successful, but there is a thrill to seeing Jones experimenting. However, even if you've had a straightforward birth and received support for childcare, every woman (not just mothers) can relate to the stories in this book. By exploring matrescence – the physical, physiological and psychological process of becoming a mother – within this wider context of the natural world, Jones recalibrates ideas of how women are meant to exist and behave during these fast-changing years. We don't talk about the hidden realities of the biological, social and psychological effects of matrescence nearly enough. It goes to the very foundational values of our society and how we perceive and value the vital work of raising the next generation.

Lucy Jones's book is a much needed cold shower, a removal of the pink colored lenses through which we are taught to look at motherhood. A slight tangent, I work in higher education and am watching so many young people struggle with their mental health. the connection between mental health and the natural world turns out to be strong and deep - which is good news in that it offers those feeling soul-sick the possibility that falling in love with the world around them might be remarkably helpful.BUt moving beyond this close personal group, you are bombarded with sights and sounds and advices on mothers whose bodies bounced back, mothers who are climbing the corporate ladder AND mothering, mothers who are excelling at work and also helping their school going kids excel.

There were times when I found it nearly impossible to read, and other times I found it impossible to put down. Speaking about motherhood as anything other than a pastel-hued dream remains, for the most part, taboo.As it deepens our understanding of matrescence, it raises vital questions about motherhood and femininity; interdependence and individual identity; as well as about our relationships with each other and the living world. For starters, brief passages that lay out the machinations of nature, and many of its horrors, sit around its chapters. Not long into her pregnancy with her first child, a daughter, she realised the extent to which outdated and sexist expectations still govern motherhood: concepts like “natural childbirth” and “maternal instinct,” the judgemental requirement for exclusive breastfeeding, the idea that a parent should “enjoy every minute” of their offspring’s babyhood rather than admitting depression or overwhelm.

A part of me deeply aches that almost every facet of western society is designed to erase and sweep childbirth under the carpet. A take-no-prisoners tour-de-force, providing insightful criticism of every social/cultural paradigm surrounding pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding/motherhood in the West. The author’s raw, honest and open memoirs gave me a sense of peace, that I wasn’t alone in many of the experiences I’ve been presented with in transitioning to motherhood. Radical, questioning and profound, it urges us to recognise and honour the many transformations of motherhood.Lucy’s ability to put words to experiences that I’ve been unable to describe myself is both incredible and the greatest gift. Initially I felt they jarred with the body of the work, which follows Jones’s journey into motherhood and is divided according to a series of themes, including birth, the brain, sleep and society. This book should be given to every mother going through matresence, to every midwife, health visitor, doctor and anyone who is interested in how we make the world a bit more equal.