Letter to My Daughter - George Bishop (Received via Shelf Awareness)ABOUT THIS BOOK (From Random House website)
Dear Elizabeth,
It’s early morning and I’m sitting here wondering where you are, hoping you’re all right.
A fight, ended by a slap, sends Elizabeth out the door of her Baton Rouge home on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Her mother, Laura, is left to fret and worry—and remember. Wracked with guilt as she awaits Liz’s return, Laura begins a letter to her daughter, hoping to convey “everything I’ve always meant to tell you but never have.”
In her painfully candid confession, Laura shares memories of her own troubled adolescence in rural Louisiana, growing up in an intensely conservative household. She recounts her relationship with a boy she loved despite her parents’ disapproval, the fateful events that led to her being sent away to a strict Catholic boarding school, the personal tragedy brought upon her by the Vietnam War, and, finally, the meaning of the enigmatic tattoo below her right hip.
My Thoughts:
This is just a small book, just over 120 pages, but boy does it pack a punch! I picked this up and figured I would browse the first few pages before bed and get a feel for the book. I read 3/4 of it in one sitting and would've finished it if my eyes would've let me.
As a parent this book struck such a chord with me. I related so well to the mother, I felt her worries for her child and her fears for her daughters safety and whereabouts. I could feel her wondering if she was being a good enough parent or if she was failing her child. A worry I often have in my own life.
On the flip side of the coin, the book also struck a chord with the wild child I once was. Listening to her mom tell the story of her adolescence brought back so many memories and all those feelings from my own teenage years. The joys and heartaches that we all go through when were growing up, they all came racing back to me.
This little book really made an impression on me and I have a feeling it will stay with me for a long time to come. I would highly recommend it.
8 comments:
I really liked this book too and was amazed at how well the author could write from the female point of view.
I reviewed this book for today as well!!
I LOVED this book! I reviewed it a few weeks ago and immediately mailed my copy to my mom... who sent it to a friend. Bermudaonion, I'm with you -- I can't believe that this male author captured so perfectly the feelings and voice of both a mother and a rebellious teenage daughter.
I read this book on Saturday and was blown away by the fact it was writen by a man. He captured the mother/daughter relationship to a tee! Great review!
I am going to pick this one up, thanks for a graet review. I enjoy ones that make me think from a mom's point of view also.
Thanks for the recommendation, it's always wonderful when an author can impart that sort of feeling in so few pages!
Wow...I think this book is a read for me. Mother/daughter relationships can be full varying emotions. The fact that impacted your emotions has me sold as well.
This books sounds so good! I really want to read it.
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