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jlscrombie's review against another edition
Perhaps most helpful to those who lost their mothers as children or teens. I did not find this particularly helpful or comforting, rather it spiked my anxiety about disease and all the ways I could die and mess up my own children for the rest of their lives.
lauramead94's review against another edition
5.0
My Mother died suddenly in the July of this year in a tragic car accident. Having never been built or prepared to expect such a loss; I was thrown into an instant world of loneliness and fear. I am only at the very beginning stages of grief, but this book landed in my lap when it really was necessary to find a healthy coping mechanism. I feel as though I can be friends and FINALLY relate to all of the Women in this book even though we’ve never met. Hope Edelman comprises interviews, studies and her own personal accounts into a work which somehow pieces together how a Daughter continues a legacy and survival without her Mother here guiding her hand. It is a book of transparency, grief and, ultimately, hope, and a consistent reminder that whilst a Mother may not be with her Daughter physically; she is part of everything her Daughter continues to do and become.
lesleynr's review against another edition
3.0
So far, very good. I particularly benefitted from her straightforward description of her mother's actual death. It is awful... but I need to know that awful is normal.
Part 2:
Well... that's pretty much what I got from the book. Most of this book is for and about women who lost their mothers when they were children or teens themselves. It's full of descriptions of all the developmental difficulties these girls face as they mature. Pretty interesting... and I gotta say, it always helps to read about someone who had it harder (or differently hard) than you. I got 41 years with my mom. It could have been worse.
Part 2:
Well... that's pretty much what I got from the book. Most of this book is for and about women who lost their mothers when they were children or teens themselves. It's full of descriptions of all the developmental difficulties these girls face as they mature. Pretty interesting... and I gotta say, it always helps to read about someone who had it harder (or differently hard) than you. I got 41 years with my mom. It could have been worse.
ellie_perry's review against another edition
5.0
Reading 'Motherless Daughters' was an incredibly moving experience, hitting close to home as someone who lost their mother during my teenage years. The author's journey resonated deeply, and the stories shared by others who also navigated mother loss felt like a lifeline. Despite my firm no-marking policy for books, I found myself unable to resist highlighting passages that encapsulated my emotions perfectly. This book acted as a guide through the complex landscape of grief, providing both illumination and solace. It gave me a profound understanding of my own journey and shed light on the diverse experiences of women who've lost their mothers under various circumstances. The shared similarities and unique differences among these stories created a tapestry of healing that I can always turn to in moments of struggle. 'Motherless Daughters' isn't just a book; it's a powerful companion for anyone who has suffered such a loss, offering empathy, validation, and a path toward healing.
mkemerling3's review against another edition
5.0
A week after my mom passed, a friend handed me this book and said “I wish I could change the title”, for obvious reasons it isn’t the most gentle. And although it’s been a little over a year since then, I needed all of my sweet time taking in every line of this book. No words to quite describe all it’s been for me, all it’s comforted me in, and strengthened in me— but I needed it, harsh title and all
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This is an important book for any woman who has lost her mother at any age, but especially before she turns twenty. I was lucky enough to have my mom until I was 36. She was only 57 when she died, still way too young, but I can’t imagine having lost her when I was still a child or a teenager. I can’t even bear thinking of it. This book was a very cathartic experience for me in many ways. It taught me that this profound loss isn’t something I get over or around, or something I let go of; rather, it is something I must learn to accommodate into my life, gradually making peace with it. It’s a part of me now, who I am, who I will become. Hope Edelman ends her book with this beautiful passage:
I am fooling myself when I say my mother exists now only in the photographs on my bulletin board or in the outline of my hand or in the armful of memories I still hold tight. She lives beneath everything I do. Her presence influenced who I was, and her absence influences who I am. Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide.
ashleysager's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Cancer
Moderate: Suicide, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Car accident, and Terminal illness