Preview
  • The School for Good Mothers

  • A Novel
  • By: Jessamine Chan
  • Narrated by: Catherine Ho
  • Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (1,261 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The School for Good Mothers

By: Jessamine Chan
Narrated by: Catherine Ho
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.24

Buy for $20.24

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction 2022 First Novel Prize
Selected as One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022!

In this New York Times bestseller and Today show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, one lapse in judgement lands a young mother in a government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance, in this “surreal” (People), “remarkable” (Vogue), and “infuriatingly timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut novel.

Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. She can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with Harriet, their cherubic daughter, does Frida finally attain the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she is just enough.

Until Frida has a very bad day.

The state has its eye on mothers like Frida. The ones who check their phones, letting their children get injured on the playground; who let their children walk home alone. Because of one moment of poor judgement, a host of government officials will now determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion.

Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that a bad mother can be redeemed. That she can learn to be good.

An “intense” (Oprah Daily), “captivating” (Today) page-turner that is also a transgressive novel of ideas about the perils of “perfect” upper-middle class parenting; the violence enacted upon women by both the state and, at times, one another; the systems that separate families; and the boundlessness of love, The School for Good Mothers introduces, in Frida, an everywoman for the ages. Using dark wit to explore the pains and joys of the deepest ties that bind us, Chan has written a modern literary classic.

©2022 Jessamine Chan. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"Ho holds the listener captive as she narrates this deeply engrossing portrait of the boundless depth of a mother’s love. Her exquisite narration channels a heartbreaking, terrifying, and prescient story that leaves the listener gutted." (AudioFile Magazine)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks to Give and Hear This Mother's Day


Moms are some of the most resourceful, hardworking, and amazing people on this earth. And as anyone who is or loves a mom knows, they need more than a day of celebration—they deserve a supportive culture all year round. Whatever motherhood means to you, we put together a list of our favorite listens that reflect the beautiful spectrum of this foundational relationship and show appreciation to all the different moms of the world.

What listeners say about The School for Good Mothers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    473
  • 4 Stars
    318
  • 3 Stars
    226
  • 2 Stars
    125
  • 1 Stars
    119
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    582
  • 4 Stars
    267
  • 3 Stars
    140
  • 2 Stars
    57
  • 1 Stars
    44
Story
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    407
  • 4 Stars
    259
  • 3 Stars
    192
  • 2 Stars
    104
  • 1 Stars
    132

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A lot of unnecessary messaging

The book is really great especially if you love dystopian story set in close modern times. Some of these things you can actually see happening today. I would have given the book a five star review but they were so much for messaging that had literally nothing to do with the book. It was really distracting. But otherwise the story was great and I couldn’t put it down.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow, but captivating. The descriptions and detail paint a perfect picture.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good concept, mediocre execution, despicable main character

I have to make myself keep listening because I HATE the main character and the story is not compelling. I am hating myself for my finish every hook started self.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Overall pretty unique perspective

I wouldn’t recommend this novel to many people, but I did enjoy another perspective on the judgement of women and particularly one whose behavior concerning parenting is less than pristine.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

More of a sci-fi novel than was advertised

Story is a little too slow for my taste. It also has a sci-fi twist, when Freda reaches the school, that was not very believable. Unfortunately the storyline was not very interesting to me personally.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting and Gripping

Only complaint is the cliffhanger it leaves on! I wanted more! I listened to this on the drive from LA to CO and was completely hooked the whole time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Engaging and scary

This highly believable story about government overreach re: correct parenting was well written and engaging. The narrator was very good. Certainly a provocative discussion starter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I thought it was great

Rich, dark, satire. In this story, any mother should be able to see the crazy things they expect themselves to be, and the even more crazy things that the world expects them to be. Impossible expectations. here they come to terms with being human and being a mother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Dark and emotional

This was a dark book that stirred my emotions. There were quite a few moments that will stick with me for awhile, but it was a bit of a slog at times. One of those books that I didn't necessarily enjoy but felt compelled to finish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

heart breaking.

broke my heart. the ending feels incomplete. as a lawyer, I kept helping thinking all the ways this violates human rights and would never happen. but that's not the point, I know. but what is the lesson here? I don't know.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!