From Daughters to Mothers I've Always Meant to Tell You

By Constance Warloe

Book Overview

In this extraordinary collection of letters written especially for this volume, more than seventy-five distinguished daughters -- novelists, poets, essayists, cartoonists, journalists -- speak to their mothers, both living and deceased. From Joyce Carol Oates to Barbara Kingsolver, from Ntozake Shange to Hilma Wolitzer, these writers deliver messages straight from the heart....
Here are authors of different ages and cultures, many of them mothers and grandmothers themselves, each writing in her own distinctive voice, sharing her secret sorrows, joys, hurt, anger, and understanding. "What do I tell her? What do I not tell her? What do I wish I had said?"
Their thoughtful, provocative, funny, and sometimes painful letters hold revelations -- memories and confessions, poems and tales -- at once personal and universal, touching and profound.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671563254
• ISBN13: 9780671563257
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Very touching

I am in the middle of this book, and thoroughly enjoying it. To have such a diverse group of authors writing about their relationships with their mothers is simply amazing. As a daughter and a mother to two girls, I find something I can relate to in nearly every one of the letters. There are some references here and there that are a little personal and not clear to the reader, but isn't that a part of a mother-daughter relationship? We all have things we share only with a mother or a daughter. I bought this book when I returned a gift and couldn't really find anything else to get, but I have not regretted the purchase at all! This is a book I will share with my own mother and, eventually, my daughers.(I gave it 4 stars because I'm not all the way finished with it!)

What an interesting book!

This book really captured me. From the diverse ages and experiences of the authors to the pictures of mothers and daughters to the biographies of the mothers; I could not put this down! I thought it would be a light read; I could not have been more mistaken. Each author, and each mother, has a lifetime to tell (or be told about)in each letter. I passed this on to my mother, because there is so much "I've been meaning to tell". Thanks to all the authors and mothers who shared so much.

Daughters and Mothers

An excellent look at Mother and Daughter and the intracacies of their relationships. As in all anthologies, some pieces were well-written and others not so well- written. But all were poignant. The peices are thoughtful and insightful, focusing on memories and feelings as well as current relationships. I recommend this book for your favorite mother it will be sure to brighten her day. Asma