Description:
Clinical psychologist Martha Manning skillfully pieces together the many "squares" that make up mother-daughter relationships, with empathy as the common thread that binds them all. The result is an elaborate, expansive quilt, rich with facts, anecdotes, and her own compelling stories from daughterhood and motherhood. While chapter titles ("Pregnancy and Childbirth," "Infancy," "Childhood," and so on) suggest a clear progression, Manning's tendency is to travel whatever fascinating allegorical "back roads" she spots. Thus, her young adulthood chapter wonderfully dissects the elements of change, autonomy, and the new roles mothers assume as their daughters enter this stage; yet along the route, readers will find gems in Manning's references to Venn diagrams, passports, many contemporary books and plays, and a sitcom-worthy transcript from a visit to her elderly parents, titled, "You Can Never Have Too Much Heat and Light." All reference details park at the back of the book, leaving plenty of room for the heavy flow of Manning's analyses, insights, and musings. Not surprisingly, she lists author Andrew Solomon (The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression) as an inspiration: Manning's own work--while not as exhaustive as Solomon's--similarly weaves, bends, and takes the occasional untrod mental path, with truly laudable results. --Liane Thomas
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