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Rating: 
Summary: Empathetic, not sympathetic
Review: I am 19 years old and lost my mother to a brain tumor on March 27, 1997. Hope's "Motherless Daughters" was the third bereavement-help book I had read, and by far surpassed my expectations. Without this book, I would have never known that all the feelings I have been consumed by since her death--guilt, anger, sadness and an incredible sense of loss (not only of her, but of my family altogether)--were normal. This past year has been incredibly difficult since my father remarried in June, one year and three months after Mom died. Hope's book addressed this and other issues that my family, friends, and even those I feel closest to do not dare to confront. This is a book you will want close to you during those endless nights of sadness, tears and hopelessness. It is a book that justified the burning anger I feel every time I think of all the moments in my life my mother and I would have shared if she had not died so young. "Motherless Daughters& quot; is a comforting presence--written by one who knows what it's like just as well as anybody. Thank you, Hope. If you had not written the book, I know I would have later in life!I love you, Mom. Kathy Louise Laird O'Brien November 19, 1952 - March 27, 1997
Rating:
Summary: incredibly moving
Review: I am 29 and lost my mother to cancer 13 years ago. Until I read Hope's first book I did not fully understand that deep empty feeling that I have carried with me all these years. It was touching to read letters from so many other women that feel the loss as long as I have and now have a way to justify what we are feeling. Thank you to all the woman who wrote your letters and to you Hope for sharing them with me. To cry with others after all this time has been a sort of catharsis for me. I miss and love you mom.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-help
Review: I lost my mother at age nine to cancer and spent the years after looking for a way to communicate with others who felt the same pain I did. When I was 16, I decided to look for books on the subject. I came across this book, amongst a few others; this was by far the most helpful. The way the book is organized by how many years have passed since the death is very helpful...I could see where I WAS, where I AM, and where I MAY be in a few years. It is interesting to see how your grief is or is not like that of the women in the book. Check this book out, it may really help you...I only wished it were longer!
Rating:
Summary: Self-help
Review: I think that the book offered many perspectives on what motherless daughters are going through, and a lot of these I could relate to in some way. Some of the letters just hit too close to home so to speak and made me really sad. I missed my mom more while reading the book, but after I felt relieved. It's a must read for motherless girls/women; very therapeutic.
Rating:
Summary: Good book.
Review: Several years ago, Hope Edelman wrote a book that was supposed to help women deal with the loss of a mother. She did this so that other women would not have to go through the ordeal she did. Specifically, the ordeal of not having an adequate reference for dealing with such a tragedy. Her efforts resulted in the widely popular Motherless Daughters. With the publication of the book came a flood of letters from women who wanted to share their own experiences with Edelman. In response, Edelman has compiled many of these letters into the compact Letters from Motherless Daughters. The purpose of this book is to show the many ways in which women have come to deal with their tragic losses. After reading letter upon letter, I too realized something that she claimed she was at first unaware of: one never gets over the loss of an important person. All one can do is either choose to mourn and dwell on the past, or choose to grow from the loss and continue on with life. Many of the letters are poignant, while others are heart-wrenching. Yet others display a true sense of courage, while some reflect the confusion and agony that has invaded the daughter's life. Reading such letters is beneficial to a certain degree--they open one's eyes to the bitter reality of dealing with death, and they allow one to see that others have also experiences similar feelings. Although these letters do serve a crucial purpose, they are only letters. Nothing can truly dissipate the trauma of enduring the loss of a mother--it is something that no one can ever be fully prepaired for. Letters from Motherless Daughters is a book whose value has to be discovered by the person reading it.
Rating:
Summary: Cathartic
Review: This book allowed me to work through much of my grief after my mother unexpectedly died. The raw pain of many of these women coming through the pages made me profoundly sad, yet grateful that there were so many others feeling like me. I feel like all of us motherless daughters share a life-altering experience, and the connections I have made with strangers (from the woman on customer service line of my mother's insurance provider to the florist) bolster that feeling. The letters written by women who lost their mothers many years prior were particularly helpful to me. I am relieved to know what to expect.
Rating:
Summary: Required reading for motherless daughters but flawed.
Review: This book did not meet my needs for comfort or answers as to how to deal with my feelings. My mother died nine weeks ago, and I was hoping to find letters from other women feeling the same things that I am right now. Most of these letters seemed to be from women whose mothers had died many years ago and alot of them sounded as if they didn't get along with their mother. I would not recommend this book to other women dealing with new loss of a much-loved mother.
Rating:
Summary: Trying to pick up the pieces after a loss...
Review: When my mom died, I could not function. I was
in shock. I spent days staring out a window
thinking about all of the "what if's", and
playing the whole scene over and over in my
head torturing myself. I had a family to take
care of, but when my mom died, I could not
think of anything but my best friend, my mom.
I knew my family needed me, so I tried to get
some information on people who are grieving
after losing a parent. I went to a six week
grief program/ support group for help and, I read many books. But the one that helped me the
most was "Motherless Daughters". It comforted me to read about others who have
gone through a simalar loss.
It has been 10 months since my mom has died. I
still miss and think about her every single
day, but I am able to take care of my family
and slowly enjoy life again. It will take a
long time to heal I am sure, but when I am
feeling blue, I take out my book and start
reading. I love you Mom, Love Diana
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