The Making of Her

A Novel

By: Bernadette Jiwa

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

Chosen as one of New York Post's Best Books of 2022

People were forever telling her how lucky she was. But what did people know?’

Dublin 1966. When Joan Quinn, a factory girl from the Cranmore Estate, marries Martin Egan, it looks like her dreams have come true. But Joan lives in the shadow of a secret–the couple’s decision to give up their first daughter for adoption only months before.

Then one day in 1996, a letter arrives from their eldest daughter. Emma needs her birth parents’ help; it’s a matter of life and death. And the fragile facade of Joan’s life finally begins to crack.

Spanning the nineties and the sixties, with Dublin as its backdrop, The Making of Her is the tender and binge-worthy story of marriage, motherhood, a culture that would not allow a woman to find true happiness—and her journey to finally claim it.

©2022 Bernadette Jiwa (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"“Bernadette Jiwa’s powerful debut serves as a tribute to motherhood and the strength of women.”—Veranda

"Memorable insights are quotable and the ending is satisfyingly true to the ups and downs experienced by Joan’s extended family. Fans of Maeve Binchey, Cathy Kelly, or Adriana Trigiani may find a new favorite author here.”—Booklist (starred)

"Tightly crafted women's fiction, with a sensitive look at love, conscience, and loyalty."—New York Journal of Books

A mother-daughter story in more ways than one

This is another story of a teenage mother forced to give up her child. This occurred in the mid-60’s which was pre Roe v Wade but is not relevant anyway as it takes place in Ireland. I’ve read and listened to some similar stories in the last few years. Including this one, they have all been somewhat interesting but the redundancy of the similar plot lines has gotten a bit tiresome for me. Thus the 4 star review. A nasty mother-in-law and an unsympathetic birth father/husband did add some spice.

Great story

Well written. Well produced. Well delivered in Audio. I hope she writes more stories soon.

Wow, really touching, incredible story.

Wonderful story. I enjoyed the seamless moves through time. The pain of the mother giving up her child. The big differences of her desires, and what HAS to be done. All put together in a touching, tear jerking and potent story. The lovely details of scenery buttoned up the story into a lovely package. This is an incredible work of art.

Relatable relevant enjoyable

The voice artist did a beautiful job. She was a pleasure to hear and I marveled at her skill. The story was solid and thought-provoking but not so much that I couldn’t simply enjoy.

I LOVED this book. Thank you for suggesting.

This book was suggested by Audible and I loved it. I wish I could listen to the continued lives of these characters after the story had ended. I wanted to meet each character and either comfort them, or, chastise them for being selfish and unkind.. I'm still miffed at some of them and have an urge to dope slap them. A really wonderful read. Thank you.

No one really knows what makes a person

An amazing well written book about love lost and rebuilding a family bond that so delicate. I really enjoyed the book and getting to know them

It was ok

It was just ok. Bought it at a 2:1 so glad I didn't use a full credit. It was what I would call "finishable" but nothing outstanding.