Good Daughters: Loving Our Mothers as They Age

by Patricia Beard

Adult daughters, even with the best intentions, can find the last years of their mothers lives heartbreaking, frustrating, and filled with anxiety and guilt. Yet in this compassionate, lyrical book, journalist Patricia Beard shows that the end of life is a crucial stage in the mother-daughter relationship and that it can be satisfying and fulfilling. Good Daughters explores what it means to be a good daughter to an aging mother, why it is so hard, and how daughters can neutralize, or at least recognize, the old feelings that interfere with making clear-headed, warm-hearted decisions.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was excellent! I loved the real life examples and how it expressed different relationships between mothers and daughters. The insight it gave to adult-adult relationships and caring for your aging mother in a dignified was practically helpful for my mindset. I was given a lot of things to think about, especially in how to approach building my relationships with my mom now and in the years to come.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some life lessons hit home :-) Worth one or two reads when you are in the mood to contemplate family relationships.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the first third of this book to be extremely helpful as it outlines just how to be a good daughter to an aging mother. After that it was a lot of profiles of mother-daughter pairs that weren't nearly so interesting. Well worth reading the first part though.

[Ellie Revert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think this is a good book, but I chose not to finish it. Think I'm ready for something a bit more fun.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. Though the theme is timeless, this book feels dated and not very helpful.