Review - The Mother-Daughter Book Club

 

The Mother-Daughter Book Club

James Patterson; Susan Patterson

PublisherLittle, Brown and Company

GenreMemoir

FormatAudiobook

NarratorEllen Archer, et al

Length7 hrs 35 mins

Pages352

Pub. DateA;ril 20, 2027

Rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

DESCRIPTION

Secrets, spritzes, and second chances

“An entertaining book ... As friends talk books, hopes, dreams … and dishy revelations … it’s romantic love—both old and new … that drive[s] the story forward.” —Kirkus Review

Between their busy lives and their far-flung residences, the Mother-Daughter Book Club—four longtime college friends and their five daughters—more often discuss the books on their nightstands via 2 a.m. texts than in-person meetings. And maybe it’s just as well, after what happened at their last get-together ... 

So it’s an emotional reunion when they finally gather again, this time on the spectacular shores of Italy’s Lake Como. Sightseeing excursions, reminiscing fueled by “Como-politans,” and a hint of vacation romance all build toward the book club’s trademark “Night of Secrets.” 

These friends, and sometime rivals, are close readers—of novels, memoirs, and of each other. But as the years and the distance cast shadows and doubt, confidences and sympathies turn into surprising revelations.

MY THOUGHTS

Earlier this year, I read James and Susan Patterson’s Things I Wish I Told My Mother, and I was glad to be able to read another book that focused on the mother-daughter dynamic.  This story centers around four college friends who have worked hard over the years to maintain their relationships and make time for regular gatherings. It wasn’t just the four friends who came together - their five daughters were also part of these reunions.

Sadly, three years earlier, as one of those gatherings was coming to an end, Meg and Kathleen, the twin daughters of one of the women, were involved in a devastating accident. The aftermath fractured the friendships among the women and daughters and even damaged the once-close bond between the twin sisters.

Now, they all reunite and attempt to mend old wounds. Between them are secrets, unresolved feelings, and plenty of emotional baggage. The question is whether they can rebuild the relationships that once meant so much to them.

This is a warm, second-chance story that explores friendship, forgiveness, grief, and even romance. Using the framework of a book club, the women and their daughters are given an opportunity to confront the past and perhaps repair what was broken. While books bring everyone together, they definitely come second to the relationships explored throughout this story.

There is a bonus at the end of the book - delicious recipes.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Susan Solie Patterson has a Bachelor of Science/Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was also an All-American swimmer. She is the author of Things I Wish I Told My Mother and Big Words for Little Geniuses, which was a New York Times bestseller.

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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, Michael Crichton, and Viola Davis, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Robin Loves Reading