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Her Mother's Daughter
From best-selling author Lesley Crewe comes a poignant and moving novel. Sisters Bay and Tansy are complete opposites. Widowed mother Bay has never lived anywhere but Louisbourg; restless Tansy left the town as a a teenager and stayed away for years. And now, Tansy is home. Home, and unwittingly falling in love with her sister's almost-boyfriend. Home, and befriending Ashley when all Bay can do is fight with her teenaged daughter. Home, and desperately hiding the real reason she fled all those years ago. When crisis hits the family, the sisters draw closer. But the closer they are, the more explosive their relationship, and soon their troubled history threatens to shatter what's left of their family forever. Complex and heartwarming, Her Mother's Daughter is an exploration of family and friends and the tangled skeins of love, mistakes, and secrets twisting between us all.
290 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2010
23 people are currently reading
468 people want to read
About the author
Lesley Crewe
19 books722 followersLesley grew up in Montreal, PQ. After graduating from Concordia University with a degree in English and Education, she and her hubby settled down in Homeville, Cape Breton and raised a family.
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
From 2000-2005, Lesley was a features writer and columnist (Home Fires) for Cape Bretoner Magazine, and from 2005-2009, a columnist (Lesley's Letters) with the on-line magazine, Cahoots.
In 2005 her first novel, Relative Happiness, was published by Vagrant Press, the fiction imprint of Nimbus Publishing. It was an instant bestseller, and was shortlisted for the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has since written nine other novels.
In 2012, Relative Happiness was optioned for film, and in 2014, Lesley's characters came to life on the big screen. The movie was produced by Wreckhouse Productions, directed by Deanne Foley, and stars Australian Melissa Bergland (Winners and Losers), and homegrown Canadian talent like Susan Kent (This Hour has 22 Minutes), Jonathan Torrens (Mr. D, Trailer Park Boys), and Rob Welles (Trailer Park Boys).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
February 11, 2018
I have to wonder what is in the water in Nova Scotia because their resident writers know how to create compelling and creatively crafted stories that I greatly enjoy. Her Mother's Daughter is a contemporary family story about female relationships nestled in the Cape Breton community of Louisbourg. If you have never been to Canada's Cape Breton Island, you just have to go. It's beautiful!
I absolutely loved all the characters in this story even though I had an inkling of what rabbit hole I was being taken down. Gertie, Matthew and Dermot might have been secondary characters, but their love for Bay, Tansy and Ashley showed just how powerful a story can be when readers can connect with more than the main protagonists.
I absolutely loved all the characters in this story even though I had an inkling of what rabbit hole I was being taken down. Gertie, Matthew and Dermot might have been secondary characters, but their love for Bay, Tansy and Ashley showed just how powerful a story can be when readers can connect with more than the main protagonists.
December 25, 2021
I love this author’s writing. This is the 4th book of hers that I have read this year and it is another great read. The characters are so real and I got very invested in their story. There is love of many kinds….parental, romantic and friendship. There is loss……through death, through secrets, through mistakes. There is forgiveness and reconciliation. This is just a great story. #indigoemployee
September 12, 2024
4.5⭐️ I’ll read anything this woman writes. I adore her books, each one different from the other with such wonderfully, rich characters. One of my favourite authors.
October 15, 2022
Often when reading books by the same author, I find that by the 7th book you can finish it for them, because you already know how they roll and what they’re going to do with their characters. Well, this was my 7th book by Lesley Crewe, and each and every one was completely different from the other, except for the fact that they were all emotional tugging books. I would definitely rank Her Mother's Daughter in my top 3 Crewe books so far.
December 6, 2019
This was disappointing to me, as I have enjoyed many of Crewe's books, they really speak to the complexity of family relationships, the love, the hate, and are something to pick up and feel good about. For this one, I just felt the story was too predictable and the characters were not sympathetic at all.
May 21, 2024
I'm a huge Lesley Crewe fan, and this book was definitely enjoyable. I will say, I had a hard time liking one of the main characters and it probably wasn't until the very end that I softened towards them somewhat. But the themes of families and secrets and sisters was well done, though without surprises. I think it was clear where the story was going, but that's not a bad thing in my opinion. The secondary characters (I'm looking at you Peter and Flo) added such colour and were one of my favourite parts of the book. While not one of my favourite Lesley Crewe books, I will say it surprised me in the sense that I disliked one of the main characters enough that I was ready to set the book down in the first quarter, but because it was Lesley Crewe I had faith. And while I didn't end up liking the character in the end, I did end up having empathy and understanding for them. And that, in my mind, shows what a master Ms. Crewe is when it comes to creating a cast of characters and crafting a story around them.
May 30, 2025
I love Lesley's writing. This book did not disappoint. Couldn't stop reading. Loved the characters and their shenanigans.
July 31, 2022
I loved this book so much that I didn't want it to end. For anyone who said the plot was too predictable, I think they need to remind themselves that this book was never supposed to be a mystery. A Lesley Crewe book is about the characters, their growth, and their community. How sometimes family members do rotten things to each other but that it is usually possible to get past that with honesty and effort, and forgiveness.
The only negative thing I want to say, and the reason this book rated a 4 instead of 5 stars for me, is that I did not appreciate how the plus-sized characters (who were really not even that heavy, especially the man who's exact weight is mentioned), were spoken of as if their weight was a character flaw that had to be overcome, that a special effort was needed to show they have redeeming qualities to be seen if a person could overlook their weight. They were also made the butt of most jokes. NOT cool!
The only negative thing I want to say, and the reason this book rated a 4 instead of 5 stars for me, is that I did not appreciate how the plus-sized characters (who were really not even that heavy, especially the man who's exact weight is mentioned), were spoken of as if their weight was a character flaw that had to be overcome, that a special effort was needed to show they have redeeming qualities to be seen if a person could overlook their weight. They were also made the butt of most jokes. NOT cool!
January 25, 2024
Once I hit the twists I couldn’t put this one down!
January 13, 2020
I'll read anything Lesley Crewe writes. As usual she has captured small town life and dysfunctional families with ease.
May 26, 2023
Breezing through crewe because I love her books! This one was a 3.5 for me.
January 23, 2024
I loved this book! Sisters!
Happy reading. 📖
Happy reading. 📖
September 16, 2019
A great book and a very easy read. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the fact that it was quite predictable and I had the plot line figured out fairly quickly.
February 26, 2012
This is the fourth book I've read by Lesley Crewe and I am really impressed by her work .She has bit of everything with a good laugh at times and some love ,joy, a little sadness which makes for a very interesting book and makes you want to look for more of her work.
December 14, 2020
This is a heartwarming tale of a Cape Breton family plagued by untimely death, dark secrets and the trials of everyday life. As a Cape Bretoner, I appreciated the sentiment and tradition that shines through each character. Reading this made me feel closer to home. Thanks Lesley Crewe.
August 26, 2014
Fast easy read. Third Lesley Crewe book I've read. Enjoy her story-telling ability.
April 25, 2019
Not a bad story but I found it fairly predictable.
August 17, 2023
Best-selling Cape Breton author Lesley Crewe turns out another compelling story featuring her Nova Scotian home and the people who live there. This time she shares the story of two sisters, Bay and Tansy, who are close, but complete opposites. Tansy, feeling confined in a small community, followed her wonder lust, left her Louisburg home fifteen years ago and never returned. Bay on the other hand, always more of a homebody, stayed home and continues to live in the house in which she grew up, now sharing it with her daughter Ashley after she lost the love of her life eighteen years ago.
When Tansy’s has a life crisis which leaves her homeless and uncertain what to do next, she gets in her Porshe and heads for home. She finds her sister Bay still mourning the loss of their mother who died a year earlier. Ashley, Bay’s daughter is almost a grown woman and about to graduate high school.
Tansey quickly grows close to Ashley, who like most teenage girls, always seems to be at war with her mother. It worries Bay, as does Tansy’s growing attraction to Dermot, Bay’s “almost boyfriend”, one of the few men who have paid her attention in the last years.
Bay and Tansy begin to clash not long after her arrival and Tansy is reminded why she left home in the firs place when her behavior starts the inevitable gossip that always arises in small towns. As the sisters confront their present lives and their relationship, a crisis arises, and in those moments, secrets kept hidden for years begin to surface.
This is a compelling novel about the complex relationships between family members, the comfort of home, the boundaries it creates and the love it extends to those who are a part of it.
Lesley Crew is an expert story teller, unfolding her tale in easy to read, enjoyable prose and quickly drawing her reader into this unique setting and her expertly crafted characters. She maintains her focus on the Canadians Maritimes, the world and the people she knows best, an environment of close-knit families living in communities where surviving life’s crisis is often dependent on friendship and close ties. Children often leave home, finding that closeness stifling, a place where everyone knows your business and the rumour mill churns relentlessly and never stops. But those same children often find their way back home, driven by a crisis, loneliness and a desire for comfort. Lesley Crew has managed to describe these communities and the people in them, crafting moving and original stories that everyone can relate to. They include many funny scenes as well as sad ones, and remind readers about the truths that govern relationships and home wherever you find them.
When Tansy’s has a life crisis which leaves her homeless and uncertain what to do next, she gets in her Porshe and heads for home. She finds her sister Bay still mourning the loss of their mother who died a year earlier. Ashley, Bay’s daughter is almost a grown woman and about to graduate high school.
Tansey quickly grows close to Ashley, who like most teenage girls, always seems to be at war with her mother. It worries Bay, as does Tansy’s growing attraction to Dermot, Bay’s “almost boyfriend”, one of the few men who have paid her attention in the last years.
Bay and Tansy begin to clash not long after her arrival and Tansy is reminded why she left home in the firs place when her behavior starts the inevitable gossip that always arises in small towns. As the sisters confront their present lives and their relationship, a crisis arises, and in those moments, secrets kept hidden for years begin to surface.
This is a compelling novel about the complex relationships between family members, the comfort of home, the boundaries it creates and the love it extends to those who are a part of it.
Lesley Crew is an expert story teller, unfolding her tale in easy to read, enjoyable prose and quickly drawing her reader into this unique setting and her expertly crafted characters. She maintains her focus on the Canadians Maritimes, the world and the people she knows best, an environment of close-knit families living in communities where surviving life’s crisis is often dependent on friendship and close ties. Children often leave home, finding that closeness stifling, a place where everyone knows your business and the rumour mill churns relentlessly and never stops. But those same children often find their way back home, driven by a crisis, loneliness and a desire for comfort. Lesley Crew has managed to describe these communities and the people in them, crafting moving and original stories that everyone can relate to. They include many funny scenes as well as sad ones, and remind readers about the truths that govern relationships and home wherever you find them.
January 27, 2022
Ms Crewe always crafts a story that leaves me feeling like I've said good-bye to friends when I'm finished. While I would not put this story at the top of my favorite LC books, I would certainly recommend it to friends and family.
This story ultimately is about owning up to your past and the mistakes made along the way. It's about forgiveness and finding your true self, allowing yourself to forgive yourself too. In some small part, it's about taking chances and overcoming mental health struggles.
I always connect with LC books because she writes such beautiful characters. I found myself in Gertie, the best friend. She has her own struggles, but she is always there for those she loves. If you need her, for anything at all, she will be there for you, no questions asked except for how can I help?
I am not going to deep dive this review. I will just say, if you are an East Coast kid from Nova Scotia, you'll likely enjoy this book. I always feel like I'm coming home for a while.
This story ultimately is about owning up to your past and the mistakes made along the way. It's about forgiveness and finding your true self, allowing yourself to forgive yourself too. In some small part, it's about taking chances and overcoming mental health struggles.
I always connect with LC books because she writes such beautiful characters. I found myself in Gertie, the best friend. She has her own struggles, but she is always there for those she loves. If you need her, for anything at all, she will be there for you, no questions asked except for how can I help?
I am not going to deep dive this review. I will just say, if you are an East Coast kid from Nova Scotia, you'll likely enjoy this book. I always feel like I'm coming home for a while.
October 24, 2024
The hardest part of reading is starting a book. Except a Lesley Crewe book. There is something special about her writing that is welcoming and warm from the very first page. Though I’m only rating this book three stars, I don’t have any criticism, it just wasn’t my favourite.
The characters were loveable and complicated, funny and charming.
The most impactful part of the book was the flash back, where I found the tone changed from more lighthearted to deeply sad.
A final thought, I have been unable to untangle to puzzle of who is ‘her mother’ and who is her ‘daughter’, which is maybe the point, that it could be any of them, Tansy, Ashley or Bay. But is it less about a character and more about a general idea of where we come from as daughters, or mothers? I’d love to ask Lesley.
Xoxo
The characters were loveable and complicated, funny and charming.
The most impactful part of the book was the flash back, where I found the tone changed from more lighthearted to deeply sad.
A final thought, I have been unable to untangle to puzzle of who is ‘her mother’ and who is her ‘daughter’, which is maybe the point, that it could be any of them, Tansy, Ashley or Bay. But is it less about a character and more about a general idea of where we come from as daughters, or mothers? I’d love to ask Lesley.
Xoxo
June 18, 2025
I enjoy books by Lesley Crewe - I would say that, for me, they are cozy reads - ones that I can expect will make me laugh a little, be upset a little and generally end how I would like them to end. So, this one lived up to my expectations. I couldn't put it down once I was 2/3rds in - it had quite a tangled web of mystique regarding Tansy, the sister who had gone off to Toronto and never returned until she shows up out of the blue. I'm pretty sure you weren't meant to like her at first and I didn't. And then there's a surprise revealed which makes you dislike her even more (purposefully, I think) but, then I believe Crewe intends you to understand her more and like her... but I couldn't forgive her so nah!
But, another very readable book by Lesley Crewe with very human and enjoyable characters - I loved Gertie and Peter!! I'll definitely read more by Lesley Crewe
But, another very readable book by Lesley Crewe with very human and enjoyable characters - I loved Gertie and Peter!! I'll definitely read more by Lesley Crewe
June 21, 2022
I loved this book--- I couldn't put it down! It's a well-crafted story about a family, with struggles, half-truths, lies, heart-ache... Lesley Crewe has captured her characters with such depth, I felt like I knew them personally.
Bay and Tansy- sisters who really don't know each other, and who together must face incredible pain as they come to terms with lies told years ago.
Dermott, Ashley, Gertie, Peter... each one contributes so much to the story.
Crewe knows her characters, their emotions, their deep feelings and brings the reader through all the twists and turns of their lives.
I can't wait to read another book by Lesley Crewe!
Bay and Tansy- sisters who really don't know each other, and who together must face incredible pain as they come to terms with lies told years ago.
Dermott, Ashley, Gertie, Peter... each one contributes so much to the story.
Crewe knows her characters, their emotions, their deep feelings and brings the reader through all the twists and turns of their lives.
I can't wait to read another book by Lesley Crewe!
December 8, 2021
Another wonderful character driven story that revolves around the women of Cape Breton. This book has less characters and covers less years that some of the author’s other books but still has her signature tales of young love and deep family secrets that you can see coming a mile away. This book has no detestable characters like most of her books do but like the others has those that you absolutely love; in this case it’s Gertie. Wonderful, dependable, loving Gertie!
December 19, 2025
I always like to read stories set in Nova Scotia. Lesley Crewe has a way of exploring difficult topics in a way that doesn’t bring g the reader down. This feels like a true representation of Cape Breton from what I know. An Island, not unfamiliar with hardship but always coming together in community and finding the humour wherever they can. If you’ve loved Lesley Crewe’s other books you should read this one too.
February 1, 2025
Seriously, I don’t think I have ever given one of Lesley’s books less than 5 stars. And if I have, I need to change them! Her stories are achingly familiar; about home, family and all of the crazy complexities that come along with family. Almost always set in the gorgeous East coast of Canada, her stories just make me feel good. And this one was no exception. ❤️
March 26, 2021
This story drew me in and had me thinking about my own childhood and teen years. The family complexities were so real. The supportive relationships of the characters were very surprising in some ways. The simplicity of life in a small town was well re-created. Very entertaining.
June 21, 2022
A lovely read about a family of women (and women friends) who triumph over the hardships life has thrown at them.
I loved the bond between Bay and Gertie. Such a wonderful friendship.
Death, romance, love, children and secrets - so many themes are explored in this book.
I loved the bond between Bay and Gertie. Such a wonderful friendship.
Death, romance, love, children and secrets - so many themes are explored in this book.
May 27, 2024
Every time I read a Lesley Crewe🇨🇦 book I think the next can't be better but this one I loved just as much.
A book about Peter and Gertie would be fantastic!!
I've been getting her books through the library interloan and can't wait to read Beholden next.
A book about Peter and Gertie would be fantastic!!
I've been getting her books through the library interloan and can't wait to read Beholden next.
August 9, 2025
Loved this book. Characters and plot line were so real and easy to follow and or to fall in love with. The language makes me nostalgic for my childhood! I cannot wait to read another book by Lesley Crewe. She never disappoints
April 28, 2018
I truly enjoy Lesley Crewe’s writing......sad moments, laugh-out-loud moments, touching moments.....all around great read! Please keep writing Lesley!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews