What a great story full of intrigue and sadness but happy times as well a real page turner that draws you in from the first page.
It follows Nigerian Funke/Kate who is sent to her home in England after Funke’s mother dies in Nigeria to live with her cousin Liv and her family, this story pulls at your heart strings as Funke/Kate struggles to be accepted and when she finally starts to settle her life is torn apart again and finds herself back in Nigeria and has to build a new life again especially with her father who rejected her years ago.
Beautifully written and loved the description of the different lives between Nigeria and England.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

I read and enjoyed Wahala so I was quite excited to read this! Overall I liked the book but it didn't have the same effect on me that Wahala did. Perhaps I went into it with too higher expectations which affected my enjoyment. I just found myself getting a bit bored in the second half and I didn't really connect to any of the characters.

I totally loved This Motherless Land by Nikky May. It is a story which pulls at the heartstrings. Full of intruigue, romance, sadness and happy times, The Motherless Land is a page turner. Until the reader gets to the last page, there is no telling how the story will end. What is fascinating is the intersectional nature of the narrative. As someone who has been educated in five different countries, I know it is hard to find a common denominator which brings people together. Nikky May has succeeded in bringing love to the fore and proving that love conquers all. I dare you to read this book and not laugh and cry!

I really loved Wahala, and I'm so pleased that I enjoyed this one just as much. Again, it's a classic tale of all types of love, romance, and lost and wasted opportunities, but in Ms May's capable hands it becomes so much more. She has a very easy to read style and effortlessly blends Nigerian and British life and cultures, not shying away from highlighting good and bad aspects of them both. Looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Having read the authors debut ‘Wahala’ I didn’t know what to expect from ‘This Motherless Land’.

One again there is the clash of Nigerian & English cultures but from a different perspective: Liv is the English cousin who welcomes Nigerian Funke/Kate to her home in England after Funke’s mother dies in Nigeria. Unfortunately the rest of Funke’s English family aren’t as welcoming and things are difficult for her at home as well as in trying to get used to school and life in England.

I don’t want to give spoilers, but I will day my mouth was open in shock at the plot. Everything was so unexpected and I felt so deeply for both of the cousins.

This book is heartwarming, heartbreaking and one I will remember. I can’t wait for more from this author!

What a gorgeous book this is. A kind of reimagining of Mansfield Park it is from the perspective of Funke/Kate from Nigeria, and her cousin Liv, who lives in Somerset. The lives of the two girls are beautifully told and the ending so satisfying.

Nikki May knows how to tell a good story and this is a good story of epic proportions, bringing together a clash of cultures - racism, sexism, addiction, hedonism, misunderstandings and just plain being mean.
I loved the vibrancy of the author's debut novel, Wahala, which works so well because of the shifting perspectives of the main characters and the fact that it's set over a relatively short time period in a richly-described, fast-paced setting.
This Motherless Land is different entirely and told by two very different cousins - Funke aka Kate and Liv - who have been brought together (and thrown apart again) by a family tragedy, It's set over several decades and, at times, jumps from scene to contrasting scene at a rapid rate, with new conflict arising before old conflicts are resolved.
It's well written, with a lot of dialogue which speeds the action along. The reader idenitifies with Funke/Kate and what drives her, although Liv is more difficult to get to know or understand what's making her tick.
As someone who lives in the area where the Somerset part is set, I found the geographical references baffling. For example, if you live near Crewkerne, why would you drive 40km to catch a train to Waterloo from Taunton when the Taunton trains go to Paddington and the Crewkerne station on your doorstep is on the Waterloo line? It's not important in the grand scheme of things or if you're not familiar with the area, but, for me, these references to specific places didn't make sense and were a niggling distraction which could have been solved by tighter editing.
I enjoyed the storytelling and being part of Funke/Kate and Liv's worlds but not as much as I revelled in Wahala.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an advance reader copy of this novel.

On finishing this book I immediately looked up the author and bought Wahala, her debut book. Which I am trying to save for the summer.

This Motherless Land, is billed as a retelling of Mansfield Park. Motherless Funke, was happy in Nigeria. After her mother and brother die she is sent to cold, grey England to live with her Mother’s cold and distant family.

Funke struggles to find echoes of her mother’s England as she grows up in the shadow of her cousins.

Beautifully written, I thoroughly enjoyed This Motherless Land. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced copy.

This Motherless Land by Nikki May

When nine year old Funke's mum and brother are killed in a car accident in Lagos she is sent to England to live with relatives she has never met and is forced to fit in with their culture, even down to being called by her middle name, Kate. But her cousin Liv befriends and protects her, and they become inseparable, until tragedy strikes again when Funke is eighteen.

This book is absolute perfection, I loved it so much. Wonderful characters, fabulous details of culture, food and sayings, so vibrant, funny and poignant.. I raced through it and didn't want it to end - one of my favourites of the year! Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

people-pleaser funke lives happily in nigeria with her parents and little brother. but when a tragic accident upends her life, the young girl moves to england to live with the family she's never met. her vivacious cousin liv takes funke under her wing, but the oppressive racism of england makes funke's assimilation impossible, and the cousins move in and out of each other's lives as they each seek peace and acceptance.

i haven't read mansfield park, but even without that context, this stands alone as a truly excellent novel. its strongest quality is its evocations of cultural clash: the british snobbery and unspoken class rules, as well as the very-spoken racism, but also the food, clothes, weather... both england and nigeria were incredibly vivid settings which felt like characters in their own rights. i was also completely gripped by funke's journey, as she is constantly rebuffed by racism and sexism, yet quietly pursues her dreams. the midpoint tragedy was so inevitable, but also so heartbreaking, that i had to take a break from the book to calm down. i loved her character. i did struggle with liv: she's so unrelentingly selfish, even though she doesn't mean to be, that i found her sections hard to read, and at times it felt like she barely changed. funke's story kept me going through liv's, but i wish i'd liked her more. i also struggled with the antagonist of the story - i won't say more to avoid spoilers - who was so completely awful that it felt slightly pantomime-y. for a story about family legacy, understanding her more might have helped. but the ending was so satisfying that i didn't mind this too much.

thank you netgalley for this review arc.

This Motherless Land alternates between Funke and Liv, cousins who, over the course of three decades, gradually discover they have as much in common as they do dividing them.

I was hooked from the very start of this book, and read most of it in one sitting. This Motherless Land is such a compelling story, with characters that you can’t help but care about. I found this one quite an emotional read, and the way it pulled on my heartstrings felt particularly appropriate for a Jane Austen retelling. I loved the way Nikki May puts her own spin on Mansfield Park, not just openly tackling the racism that lurks below the Jane Austen’s novel, but also questioning society’s double standards, and exploring character, romance, and family in a rich and nuanced way. I love a story about a dysfunctional family, and this one is a new favourite. I particularly appreciated the way it depicts realistic difficulties, while remaining positive and uplifting.

This Motherless Land is such a great title for this book that explores mother-child relationships and questions of national identity in such an incisive way. Highly recommended, and I can’t wait to see what Nikki May writes next.

The Motherless Land is the second novel I have read by Nikki May, the first being Wahala - which I really enjoyed so was really pleased to get a chance to read this and was looking forward to it.
This story starts with us meeting Funke living in Nigeria as a young girl, without giving spoilers away, her circumstances suddenly change and she finds herself living in England with her mums family - which doesn't go very well. This is a book about family, love, loss and adapting to the world. The book has some unsavoury characters who unfortunately for Funke are related to her, not very nice to her and doesn't make the transition easy. Funke as a character I absolutely loved and also adored Nikki's writing, the flow, the story line and how she is able to transition you from one country to a completely different one and still make you feel as if you were there living and breathing it too. The difference between Nigeria and England is a major topic as well as race/racism, whether micro or blatant, interracial relationships, money, family and greed. Along the way there is of course some laughter, love and betrayal. I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending. Hope to see some new stuff from Nikki again soon!

What an amazing book! I totally loved it! I was hooked straight away, though I cried through most of it 😅

May's ability to find the small details about people, places and emotions that really gets to their core is masterful. Her descriptions of England and Nigeria were rich and transporting, I cannot speak to the accuracy of her depiction of Lagos, but the English parts of the book were spot on. I loved the mix of cultures in Funke's chapters, particularly the descriptions of the Nigerian food, I am very keen to try some now for myself.

I loved the plot, it had elements that were expected and some that were not, which allowed me to enjoy pay off but also surprises. I was impressed by the way grief was dealt with and how it never truly leaves us, we just learn to live with it, it felt compassionate but also hopeful.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! I must say thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Nikki May for the ARC, it's been an absolute joy to read and review.

Wahala was amazing, brilliant and I read it twice! Now this… AMAZING, BRILLIANT, and I think I’m going to read it at least 3 times! Fantastic.
Sign me up for the series immediately!
Nikki May smashed her 2nd novel!

Because I had enjoyed this author’s first book Wahala I was really looking forward to this, her new one.

Funke lives with her English mother, Nigerian father and younger brother in Nigeria. She is happy and carefree, but her idyllic childhood comes to an abrupt end when her mother and brother are killed. Her father, unable to cope, packs her off the England to live with her mother’s sister. This is a woman Funke hasn’t met but who obviously has no time for children, not even her own. She immediately renames her Kate because a Nigerian name just will not do. The country is cold, the house is cold, her aunt is cold and the only bright spot is her cousin Liv who has desperately wanted a sister all her life.

I really enjoyed the first few chapters of this book with its vivid portrayal of life in Nigeria but, quite honestly, as soon as Funke meets Aunt Margot the gloom descended and I came to a stuttering stop. I found it all just too depressing and gave up about a third of the way in.

The writing can’t be faulted, as Ms May really does paint pictures with words, it’s just this time it’s too bleak. Having said that, I’m prepared to accept that maybe I was just wasn’t in the right mood, so I will go back to it sometime and see if I can settle into it. In the meantime, I can only give this a somewhat neutral rating at 3*

An enjoyable read that beautifully wove British and Nigerian heritages together. It highlighted how both could experience bigotry.

Amazing book. Accurately captures the multi-faceted dilemmas of fitting in and being true to yourself. Explores the meaning of belonging and home. A fabulous read, with relatable characters. I didn't want it to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

i quite enjoyed this but it didn't seem much like Mansfield Park to me,

The story is good, not too involved, fairly believable, there are difficulties and misunderstandings (some are huge) and some moments of tension, especially when Liv goes to Nigeria and keeps just missing the person she has come to find.. The characters are well drawn, you feel quite involved with them and invested in how it all works out. I felt that the ending was a bit pat and tidy though.

It is interesting to learn about Nigeria (I have read a few books recently with connexions to Nigeria and although the guidebook mentioned is fictional, I think many people might agree that it would not be a soothing place for a holiday! It is always interesting too to see that in other countries things like toxic masculinity, the patriarchy and racism are more commonplace and almost accepted than we might think.

It's a quick read with interesting characters and settings.

recently had the pleasure of reading an advanced copy of a brilliant book, and it was truly a wild and delightful ride. The writing was fantastic, and the storytelling was exceptional. The characters were beautifully crafted, and the way they evolved and integrated into their new home despite the challenges they faced as migrants was truly inspiring. I'm definitely purchasing a copy when the book is released. Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for providing the ARC.

I haven't devoured a book like I did with this one, in a really really long time. I finished it in two days!

This Motherless Land is a masterpiece. Nikki May knows how to tell a good story! Funke/Kate has a Nigerian dad and British mother, and has an idylli. childhood until she loses her mother and her little brother in a tragic accident.

She then goes to live with her mother's family in England and suffers untold horrors at the hand of her Aunt Margot. Her cousin, Liv is really kind to her though and they build a beautiful relationship that transcends decades and countries.

I really really loved the plot of this book. It had great twists and turns. It was also well written and quite enjoyable. The author really captured the spirit of Nigeria in the 70s, 80s and 90s masterfully well, even writing about canon events like the Olympics in Barcelona and the Nigerian relay team that won a gold medal.

It's written from the perspective of Funke/Kate & Liv, so the reader gets to enjoy two well written perspectives that add a great richness to the plot.

This book captures everything I think a book should be. Entertaining, well written and easy to read. I do think it ended a bit abruptly and the writer could have done a better job of introducing some characters/ giving them a bit of background. At some point it was difficult to keep track of certain names and remember who they were. I also think she did a great job of handing certain 'taboo' topics like the reality ofracism that even mixed race people experience and being gay in Nigeria in the 80s/90s.

I highly recommend this book.