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Learning to Fly
In this delightful new novel, popular author Roxanne Henke (the Coming Home to Brewster series, "The Secret of Us"), offers readers a wonderful story of mothers and daughters.
Susan Schaffer is a new mom filled with doubt as she and her husband, Seth, welcome little Lily into their lives. Each time Susan thinks she just might have a handle on this "mothering thing," Lily discovers a new stage of growth and testing and Susan tries her best to keep up.
A chance meeting of a high school acquaintance, JoJo, also a new mom, in the grocery store gives both Susan and her daughter friends to learn and grow with. Parenting their girls from toddler-through-teen years is a constant challenge for the two mothers...and their daughters. As high school graduation approaches, all four of these women face new territory. Are the young women ready for life on their own? Are the mothers ready to let their girls go?
"Learning to Fly" is a story of life, love, and letting go.
"Fiction that finds blessing in the broken"
..".a CBA novelist to watch." --"Publishers Weekly"
Susan Schaffer is a new mom filled with doubt as she and her husband, Seth, welcome little Lily into their lives. Each time Susan thinks she just might have a handle on this "mothering thing," Lily discovers a new stage of growth and testing and Susan tries her best to keep up.
A chance meeting of a high school acquaintance, JoJo, also a new mom, in the grocery store gives both Susan and her daughter friends to learn and grow with. Parenting their girls from toddler-through-teen years is a constant challenge for the two mothers...and their daughters. As high school graduation approaches, all four of these women face new territory. Are the young women ready for life on their own? Are the mothers ready to let their girls go?
"Learning to Fly" is a story of life, love, and letting go.
"Fiction that finds blessing in the broken"
..".a CBA novelist to watch." --"Publishers Weekly"
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 4, 2022
I LOVED this book!! I read it physically for the most part and I couldn't put it down. This book is about 2 moms who knew each other way back when. Now they have baby girls and they run into each other in the grocery store and restart their friendship. Jojo married into a really wealthy family and has a toddler son, Will, and a young daughter, Tiffany. She's very into appearances and as the book goes on we see how much she wants to be her kids' friends and also keep up with the Jones'. Susan has a more humble life and doesn't care as much about what others think, but is very strong in her faith and raises her daughter, Lily, with strict but loving boundaries. We quickly start to see how Tiffany (Jojo's daughter) starts to get out of control, even in the toddler years. Jojo is scared of rocking the boat with her kids so she's very permissive and lets Tiffany run the show. The girls (Lily and Tiffany) continue to be really close all through high school, but Tiffany's money and privilege start getting her into the cool crowd, while Lily is sort of left on the outside. There are a lot of times when Lily feels very hurt and excluded, but she's also firm in her morality and knows she doesn't want to be doing what her friends are doing. We follow the girls after high school and see how each's lives end up. While this did feel like a made for TV movie at times, I couldn't get enough and I didn't feel like it was very judgy of either parenting style. It said more about the girls' temperaments and what our role is as parenting, regardless of child type (or at least thats what I got out of it). This is my perfect kind of Christian fiction-- theres not scripture at the start of every chapter or anything, but the characters do mention God's role in their life as they go through hard times. LOVE IT!
July 20, 2008
This engrossing novel is better than a parenting book! And if you you see a frustrated, self-conscious mom in the store with a kid having a conniption fit, do her a favor and tell her about this book. Seriously. You may just save her some heartache.
Learning to Fly is about parenting and the heart of a mother. But it's even more than that. It's about marriage and friendship and peer pressure. It's about the consequences of not speaking up and of letting your child get what they want all the time. It's about the dysfunction of reliving your childhood through your child and the damage it can do. It's about so many things. And the most exciting part of this book is it's every mother. There is a bit of Susan and Jo Jo in all moms, so everyone can relate.
I love reading about dysfunction when the authors have deep insight into the situation and wisdom that shows up in their characterization. Roxanne Henke nails so many things in the process of telling you this story that will grip your heart in many, many ways. In fact, this is the perfect gift for a parent with little ones. Readers can't help but see just how much it hurts your child to give in to them. It's not a pretty sight and only gets worse as they get older. The takeaway value of this book is that it's worth it to be consistent and to listen to your child and not make excuses for their bad behavior. Plus, the characters are so well done it's hard not to love them and understand them by book's end. I highly recommend this book!
Learning to Fly is about parenting and the heart of a mother. But it's even more than that. It's about marriage and friendship and peer pressure. It's about the consequences of not speaking up and of letting your child get what they want all the time. It's about the dysfunction of reliving your childhood through your child and the damage it can do. It's about so many things. And the most exciting part of this book is it's every mother. There is a bit of Susan and Jo Jo in all moms, so everyone can relate.
I love reading about dysfunction when the authors have deep insight into the situation and wisdom that shows up in their characterization. Roxanne Henke nails so many things in the process of telling you this story that will grip your heart in many, many ways. In fact, this is the perfect gift for a parent with little ones. Readers can't help but see just how much it hurts your child to give in to them. It's not a pretty sight and only gets worse as they get older. The takeaway value of this book is that it's worth it to be consistent and to listen to your child and not make excuses for their bad behavior. Plus, the characters are so well done it's hard not to love them and understand them by book's end. I highly recommend this book!
July 16, 2008
I learned that some moms are good, and some are clueless. One of the moms, I just wanted to smack up side the head for all the ridiculous things she did (and didn't do) while raising her kids. It also helps you see that to be a good mom, you don't really have to be a perfect mom.
May 15, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, even though I did have to put it down at times because I was feeling choked up. There were many things I could relate to in my upbringing through the story of Susan and Lily.
April 2, 2011
I thought this book was a great parenting manual! Henke did a superb job in showing the results and consequences of parenting styles - namely being a parent or being a friend. And the truth is you cannot be both. Children need a parent not a friend. They can, and should, get their friends elsewhere. Two parenting styles are represented in the book and the one made me so angry and so disturbed and frankly so disgusted that I almost had to put down the book! What I also loved about the book was Henke's portrayal of being an adult/parent. I have never quite felt like I was either and one of the Mom's in the book was always wondering when she would feel like an adult and parent! I related closely with her journey as a Mom on several levels. The other point this book highlighted was this unspoken competition that all Mom's feel in the "game" of motherhood. We constantly compare and set out to impress and usually it ends up backfiring on us if we don't realize what we are doing. There is no competition, there is only the mandate by God that we train up our kids in the way they should go. And if you are a parent to your child there will be rewards to that but if you are a friend to your child there will be consequences.
May 19, 2008
I just started this book, and I already know it will be a favorite. It is about a mother raising a daughter and her reflections as her daughter grows up.
From the very first page, I could relate to her and her feelings of suddenly being a mother. Reading this has been like traveling back in time to when I was suddenly a mother to a baby girl and feeling again all the overwhelming love and fear that I felt when she was first handed to me. And then I am reminded of how quickly the time has flown, and now suddenly my daughter is nearly an adult.
This is a great read for anyone who has had, or been a daughter, or a mother.
From the very first page, I could relate to her and her feelings of suddenly being a mother. Reading this has been like traveling back in time to when I was suddenly a mother to a baby girl and feeling again all the overwhelming love and fear that I felt when she was first handed to me. And then I am reminded of how quickly the time has flown, and now suddenly my daughter is nearly an adult.
This is a great read for anyone who has had, or been a daughter, or a mother.
September 30, 2013
I'm remembering just why I really enjoy Roxanne Henke's work. She writes well, and isn't afraid to tackle sensitive subjects. This book dealt with underage drinking, drug use, and other challenges that youth face, but it dealt with it in a way that was honest, yet clear on what God wants of those who have chosen to follow Him.
I also really loved the way the characters were written. Lily was my favourite, but I loved Susie too, and hoped that JoJo and Tiffany would eventually figure things out. I loved that Darla and her wisdom were woven throughout the book, though she was 'merely' a secondary character.
4.5 stars
I also really loved the way the characters were written. Lily was my favourite, but I loved Susie too, and hoped that JoJo and Tiffany would eventually figure things out. I loved that Darla and her wisdom were woven throughout the book, though she was 'merely' a secondary character.
4.5 stars
April 7, 2008
I absolutely loved this book! Any one with daughters should read it. It is about two mothers and their daughters it follows them from birth to graduation. The one mother is very lenient with her daughter and lets her do what she wants. She has money so she buys her daugthter anything she wants and is more of a friend then a mother the other mother gives her daughter guidelines and values to follow but also gives her lots of love. It shows the different ways these girls lives go because of the way they were raised. It is a very sweet story about mothers and daughters but also very sad.
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September 25, 2010I'm giving this book 4 stars....although I'd really like to give it 3.5. The plot was like reading stereotyped characters from 2 extreme viewpoints....making the story rather predictable and not too gripping. However, the plot did keep my interest enough, was very CLEAN, and most importantly made me think more about the way I parent and areas that I should improve upon. It also made me want to enjoy my own children so much more!
February 2, 2009
Roxanne Henke's books are all easy reads with a positive message and always clean. I keep reading Henke's books in hopes that she'll write another one as good as her first book (After Anne), but that hasn't happened yet. This book tells of two mothers and their journey through motherhood. The two mothers are friends but have very different parenting styles.
June 7, 2009
This was a quick, sweet, book that really re-affirmed my commitment to raise my children the way God teaches us to. (Well I am trying my hardest anyway). I enjoyed the format of the book, it changes who tells the story each chapter. It is a fiction book but I almost forgot that. I think any mother would enjoy this book.
August 20, 2008
I loved this book! A parenting book and great novel in one! Prompted a lot of self reflection about the way I parent. I really enjoyed the two women's very different parenting styles and experiences. It was a really good thought-provoking read!
September 12, 2008
A good Christian book that stresses laying a strong foundation for your child so that they can grow into successful adults. It also helped me realize that having girls means that you should not only save up for their college years but also for their "fashion fund" for junior high and high school!
October 4, 2009
I loved this book as it follows two moms and daughters from infancy to college. One girl goes one way and the other goes another way. It was interesting to see the struggles each girl goes through and how they related to my own daughter.
January 7, 2015
One of my favorite books and the best book I have read on parenting bar none. It is encouraging, uplifting and has great advice. I cannot recommend it to highly! I love this author! Her books are real and have wonderful, relatable characters.
March 4, 2008
A little preachy about the right way to parent, but overall sweet story about 18 years of parenting and learning to let go.
October 22, 2008
A perfect book for moms everywhere, very touching story...
June 10, 2008
This was a pretty good book on parenting..what to do and what not IMO. I learned a thing or two.
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July 31, 2008Good reminder to me to set limits for my son now, it only gets harder as he gets older. Really enjoyed this uplifting book.
January 1, 2009
The book was decent but there were too many points in general. I didn't like the parts when Lily wrote. It was not a great read for me.
June 8, 2009
An absolutely amazing book, yet again, from Roxy!!
August 24, 2009
A really interesting book that contrast 2 styles of parenting. It is a little too black and white, but I still enjoyed reading it.
June 26, 2012
Although this is a fictional story, it has much wisdom for parenting and faith throughout. I like how it was told from multiple perspectives as well.
September 9, 2013
ND author.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews