I finally ended up ordering it from Amazon since it hadn't shown up in either of the local bookstores.

I just finished it, and I'm not sure what to say about it. This series always seems to need reflection, rather than a quick and easy reaction.

I understand what you mean about the mother issues, but I think they're being dealt with in a realistic way. At least, I don't feel like motherhood is being idealized for Mine at all, but rather I think every woman ends up confronting motherhood issues at some point in her life, no matter how she feels about the institution in the abstract, and if ES is showing that ambivalence, it seems to be doing it better than a lot of series would.

I know that the reason I decided not to have children was at least mostly the fear of passing on my own dysfunctional mother/daughter history, but it still hasn't kept me from hearing the biological clock or feeling the baby lust. And I'm starting to hit the age where even if I changed my mind, my body might not be able to manage it. And that's okay. I like that Mine is shown as being self aware, even if that self awareness is sometimes paralyzing.