Reviews, Interviews & Cool Mentions

"..."Mothers of Sparta" offers exquisite writing and storytelling craft. Davies, it seems, can bring to life just about anything with her writing.

― The Associated Press

Jo Ann Beard

Esteemed essayist, Jo Ann Beard, mentioned Mothers of Sparta in her latest interview with the New York Times. Check out the interview here.

Alaska Quarterly

Dawn's essay "Sinkhole," published in Alaska Quarterly, is a 2022 Best American Essays Notable!

Indie Next List

Mothers of Sparta was named one of the American Booksellers Association Winter/Spring 2018 Indies Introduces debut picks of the season, a February 2018 Indie Next List Pick, and a February 2019 Indie Next List Paperback, and a BookBrowse Best of the Year for 2018 here.

The Sunday Paper

Dawn was interviewed by journalist Meghan Rabbitt for Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper. Read the interview here.

The Florida Book Award

Dawn won the 2019 Florida Book Award Gold Medal in General Nonfiction. Check it out here.

The Megyn Kelly Show

Dawn was a guest on The Megyn Kelly Show

February 7, 2018

March 22, 2018

The Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writer Award

Dawn won the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award for 2019. For official details on this thrilling piece of news, and for book tour deets, click here. For a trilling, over-the-top blog post on it, click here.

A Few Selected Highlights

“A superbly written book, at times gently poetic, at times devastating. I was spellbound from start to finish.” —TIM O'BRIEN

“Beautiful and painful all at once. A heartbreakingly honest book that I couldn’t put down.” —JENNY LAWSON, #1 NYT bestselling author

“In her debut memoir, Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces, Dawn Davies’s voice is so unique and strong, I felt like I was in the company of a straight-shooting best friend—one who tells it like it is, never withholding the often messy, terrifying experiences women and mothers must face. Davies takes on all subjects—spirituality, desire and dreams, divorce, children in peril—and she invites you into her private meditation on life and her search for answers to the experiences she has endured. Often gritty and raw, Davies’s essays have the feisty gravitas of works by Roxanne Gay. For readers faced with keeping up appearances and hiding the complexity and difficulties in their lives, Mothers of Sparta will be liberating, helping many feel less alone. You can’t help but have tremendous compassion for Davies as she processes her past, present and future. Davies inspires the reader to set aside pretense in order to save one’s spirit. Mothers of Sparta stays with you for weeks, months, likely years because of Davies’s ability to dig and deliver. I will be passionately promoting this spectacular debut. It is the most powerful memoir I have read in years.”

-JANINE DE BOISBLANC, Orinda Books (Orinda, CA)

“This stunning memoir in the form of a collection of essays—each a vignette in itself—introduces an exciting new writing talent. In Mothers of Sparta Dawn Davies shares pivotal moments of her life through lyrical prose and a wry sense of humor. Titles such as “Field Manual—Divorce and Remarriage: Suburban Ops” and “Foster Dog” hint of the wide variety of subjects covered. Her life seems to fall apart when the family must deal with their youngest son’s sometimes unfathomable behavior issues. Davies shares her roller coaster of life; we are lucky enough to be along for the ride. Many lively book discussion groups will result from this gem. Highly recommended!”

—NANCY SIMPSON-BRICE Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA

"In Mothers of Sparta, Dawn Davies writes like an avenging angel. Her stories are poetic, moving, provocative, and bracingly honest as she trains her lucid gaze on some of life’s deepest complexities: In the face of terror, betrayal, and impending loss, how do we love? And what does that love cost us? I’ve never read a book quite like this one, shot through with the light of an extraordinary talent and spirit.”

—DANI SHAPIRO, author of Inheritance

“A powerful debut…startling, tragic, and ultimately redemptive…. Whether perceptively exploring joy or anguish, Davies digs deeply.”

—PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY

“Dawn Davies gives what one always wants from a memoir—a beautiful, stark honesty. That Mothers of Sparta also includes a poetic voice and an often heartbreaking, gentle, and even humorous portrayal [of] motherhood[,] that makes it a standout.”

—JUSTIN SOUTHER, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, Asheville, NC

"In the kaleidoscopic array of experiences she has chosen to share, readers will feel the depth and breadth of this woman's life. Forthright, entertaining essays that portray all the love, struggle, and anguish of being a woman and a mother."

―KIRKUS REVIEWS

“Funny, insightful…Davies uses her oodles of talent to remind readers that human beings are never just one thing…Her writing jumps from the page as Davies bares her soul, holding nothing back. Readers will laugh and cry, probably at the same time.”

—Booklist

“It has been many years since I can recall encountering such a moving collection.”

— Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, MN

“Breaks my heart in the best way…I’ve been missing the voice of Dawn Davies—her humor and her scars, her tenderness and resilience, and her truly staggering ability to stun you with the emotional precision and beauty of her writing—all my life as a woman and a mother and a reader.” —-

— Kate Moses, author of Cakewalk

Kveller.com "Five Books That Even Crazy Busy Moms Will Enjoy"

American Booksellers Association - Interview

Ampersand Interview Series, Arts & Letters Magazine