Rating: 
Summary: The best
Review: A very compelling story, a well written book. I thought it was one of the best books I have ever read; I might even read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Perfect...
Review: I loved this book, couldn't put it down. It's a wonderful family saga. The story is told from a few different point of views, but mainly by Martha Clair and her adoptive daughter Cissy. Spanning 3 generations, there's so much to tell.
Martha Clair and her sister Justine have grown up in the idyllic little town of Columbus Texas. Her new husband Grayson went off to fight in WWII, and it chronicles the family's life thereafter. The deaths, family life, unspeakable heartbreak and betrayal, and ultimately forgiveness. There is so much story in this book that I don't know where to start. All I can do is recommend this book HIGHLY!!!
I only gave it 4 stars for two reasons, the first being that it's very difficult to decipher time. At the beginning of each chapter a couple months to a couple years may have gone by, you're never really sure until about half-way through a chapter when an age or event is mentioned, and then your trying to figure out in your head exactly what year it is, and just when you figure it out, another chapter begins and your lost again. I overlooked this though and focused on the story itself.
The second thing was the hostility Martha Claire possessed. At first you expect it and understand it. But as the years drag on I started to get annoyed. Either DO something about the situation or shut-up and get over it...that's how I felt. By the end I was thinking "Enough is enough!!!'
But overall, this was an excellent book! As I said...almost perfect! I definitely recommend to any woman to give this book a try!!
Rating:
Summary: The ties that bind
Review: I was drawn to the story of two sisters in Columbus, Texas....beginning as the second world war winds down to its end. Justine Mayfield, the free spirited sister, hell-bent on getting away from the confines of small town life. Martha Claire, waiting for her husband to come home and for the two of them to embark on the life they had always talked about, nestled in Columbus, surrounded by children. Life does not always bring what you hope for. The two sisters are forced to deal with the realities. Each sister on her chosen path, facing the many twists and turns those paths bring. Life brings hurt and loss and betrayal and heartbreak along with the joys and love and accomplishment. This book captures life in Columbus....I visited the town many times as a child, climbing the steps of the gingerbread trimmed house of my Aunt Daisy Lee. In my mind's eye, I could see the Mayfield house, hear the stories of how the original wrought iron fence had been donated to the scrap metal drive for the war effort. The characters are true to life, almost too heartbreakingly so. The book captures the feel of small town Texas, the urge some have to break free , the drive others have to remain forever in its embrace. None of the choices come without a cost...My Mother's Daughter is a wonderful tale of those choices and the price paid, and the redemptive power of love and forgiveness.
Rating:
Summary: The ties that bind
Review: I was drawn to the story of two sisters in Columbus, Texas....beginning as the second world war winds down to its end. Justine Mayfield, the free spirited sister, hell-bent on getting away from the confines of small town life. Martha Claire, waiting for her husband to come home and for the two of them to embark on the life they had always talked about, nestled in Columbus, surrounded by children. Life does not always bring what you hope for. The two sisters are forced to deal with the realities. Each sister on her chosen path, facing the many twists and turns those paths bring. Life brings hurt and loss and betrayal and heartbreak along with the joys and love and accomplishment. This book captures life in Columbus....I visited the town many times as a child, climbing the steps of the gingerbread trimmed house of my Aunt Daisy Lee. In my mind's eye, I could see the Mayfield house, hear the stories of how the original wrought iron fence had been donated to the scrap metal drive for the war effort. The characters are true to life, almost too heartbreakingly so. The book captures the feel of small town Texas, the urge some have to break free , the drive others have to remain forever in its embrace. None of the choices come without a cost...My Mother's Daughter is a wonderful tale of those choices and the price paid, and the redemptive power of love and forgiveness.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Family Sagas of Our Day
Review: Judith Henry Wall tells a spell-binding story of three generations of Texas women. The middle generation comes of age during WWII and illustrates the changing times. One sister, Martha Claire, dreams of a happy home life and having babies as she waits for her soldier/husband to return from Europe. Meanwhile, her beloved and career-minded sister Justine joins the WACS and sees first-hand the horrors of war. The free-spirited Justine returns home unwed and pregnant and gives birth to Iris. Martha Claire and her husband adopt Cissy and Buddy, orphan siblings, and they all live together in their happy, family home until a horrible secret shatters their world and drives them painfully apart. The younger generation, devastated by what has happened to their once-loving family, struggles to learn the secret. Only Cissy does and is able to bring some degree of healing to her destroyed family through her own troubles. You will never forget these mothers and daughters and will delight in their joys and cry over their heartbreaks. This is the first novel I've ever read by this author, but I now intend to read all her work. She is a master story-teller.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Family Sagas of Our Day
Review: Judith Henry Wall tells a spell-binding story of three generations of Texas women. The middle generation comes of age during WWII and illustrates the changing times. One sister, Martha Claire, dreams of a happy home life and having babies as she waits for her soldier/husband to return from Europe. Meanwhile, her beloved and career-minded sister Justine joins the WACS and sees first-hand the horrors of war. The free-spirited Justine returns home unwed and pregnant and gives birth to Iris. Martha Claire and her husband adopt Cissy and Buddy, orphan siblings, and they all live together in their happy, family home until a horrible secret shatters their world and drives them painfully apart. The younger generation, devastated by what has happened to their once-loving family, struggles to learn the secret. Only Cissy does and is able to bring some degree of healing to her destroyed family through her own troubles. You will never forget these mothers and daughters and will delight in their joys and cry over their heartbreaks. This is the first novel I've ever read by this author, but I now intend to read all her work. She is a master story-teller.
Rating:
Summary: A touching generational story about a family in torment.
Review: Judith Henry Wall's novel, "My Mother's Daughter," is the poignant story of two sisters, Justine and Martha Claire Mayfield, who live in a small Texas town. After Justine goes off to serve in World War II, she comes back a changed woman, and the entire Mayfield family undergoes a series of shocks which alter their lives forever. The book is a little melodramatic at times, and it has some unfortunate soap opera elements. However, Wall's book has strong redeeming features. She describes the Texas town of Columbus lovingly and in great detail. Wall has a deft touch with dialogue and the narrative flows smoothly throughout the book, as the author describes the joys and the tragedies in the lives of the sisters and their loved ones. I was drawn into the story of Justine, Marie Claire and their children, and I found Wall's old-fashioned storytelling effective and moving. She shows how fallible human beings make serious mistakes and hurt themselves and the people whom they love the most. Above all, this book shows how the nuclear family is the most bloody battleground of all. The family can be a source of great happiness or of great pain. Wall makes the reader care about her characters and sympathize with their anguish. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy generational stories.
Rating:
Summary: The best
Review: Judith Henry Wall's novel, "My Mother's Daughter," is the poignant story of two sisters, Justine and Martha Claire Mayfield, who live in a small Texas town. After Justine goes off to serve in World War II, she comes back a changed woman, and the entire Mayfield family undergoes a series of shocks which alter their lives forever. The book is a little melodramatic at times, and it has some unfortunate soap opera elements. However, Wall's book has strong redeeming features. She describes the Texas town of Columbus lovingly and in great detail. Wall has a deft touch with dialogue and the narrative flows smoothly throughout the book, as the author describes the joys and the tragedies in the lives of the sisters and their loved ones. I was drawn into the story of Justine, Marie Claire and their children, and I found Wall's old-fashioned storytelling effective and moving. She shows how fallible human beings make serious mistakes and hurt themselves and the people whom they love the most. Above all, this book shows how the nuclear family is the most bloody battleground of all. The family can be a source of great happiness or of great pain. Wall makes the reader care about her characters and sympathize with their anguish. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy generational stories.
Rating:
Summary: A touching generational story about a family in torment.
Review: Judith Henry Wall's novel, "My Mother's Daughter," is the poignant story of two sisters, Justine and Martha Claire Mayfield, who live in a small Texas town. After Justine goes off to serve in World War II, she comes back a changed woman, and the entire Mayfield family undergoes a series of shocks which alter their lives forever. The book is a little melodramatic at times, and it has some unfortunate soap opera elements. However, Wall's book has strong redeeming features. She describes the Texas town of Columbus lovingly and in great detail. Wall has a deft touch with dialogue and the narrative flows smoothly throughout the book, as the author describes the joys and the tragedies in the lives of the sisters and their loved ones. I was drawn into the story of Justine, Marie Claire and their children, and I found Wall's old-fashioned storytelling effective and moving. She shows how fallible human beings make serious mistakes and hurt themselves and the people whom they love the most. Above all, this book shows how the nuclear family is the most bloody battleground of all. The family can be a source of great happiness or of great pain. Wall makes the reader care about her characters and sympathize with their anguish. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy generational stories.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect relationship drama
Review: Martha Claire has waited patiently for her husband Grayson to return from the European front so they can settle into married life in her hometown of Columbus, Texas. Unlike her sister Justine who worked overseas on the war effort and always eagerly wanted to leave their small town for the big city. Grayson is expected to help his family run their dry goods store and make a life with his wife although in his heart he wants to be a career military man seeing the world. Justine returns home pregnant, but determined to become a famous and respected photographer. Martha Claire raises her sibling's daughter Iris as if the lass were hers. Martha Claire and Grayson also adopt orphans, Cissy and Buddy, making their family complete. Martha Claire is contented until she uncovers the shocking news that Grayson and Justine share. The devastating secret causes a rift and turns a loving family dysfunctional. MY MOTHER'S DAUGHTER is an exciting, fulfilling relationship drama that spans four decades of American life. The characters are well developed and multi-dimensional and feel like the neighbors next door. Readers are fully drawn into their lives and are able to feel and understand the choices and paths chosen. Judith Henry Wall is a brilliant storyteller who will appeal to fans of Delinsky and Vale Allen. Harriet Klausner
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