I liked the concept of leaving thoughts and memories for the daughters and actually wished there had been more of them. They were written humorously with much incite about life. I loved her husband Mark and how he dealt with his daughters issues. The daughters emotions spanned all areas and overall rang pretty true to life. ( )

I read this a while back and did a reread last year, when I got this in greek for my mother to read.
Four sisters lose their mother (this is not a spoiler the novel starts with that). Every girl is different and their relationship with their mother was unique. It got emotional when with the opening of the will, the girls get letters from their deceased mother. They contain things she never got the chance to tell them. Through the letters we get the required exposition about the family.

Grab this one for a light reading with a touch of drama but expect a predicted plot.

P.S: After I finished this I went to hug my mom and told her how much I love her...
( )

Not a book I would have read on my own - or one I would have finished, were it not an Early Reviewers book (from long ago...). There's a heavy focus on marriage being the path to happiness, for both men and women - and children in marriage, for most of them. There's also a heck of a lot of angst, some of which seemed overdone to me. Still, it's a rich story, with a lot of people pushing through places where they were stuck and moving on to new (or back to old, but improved) stability. It was complicated to follow - multiple POVs, not (as far as I recall) including Barbara's (the mother), aside from the letters. The timeline was rather twisted up, too - something would happen, there would be reactions, then the next scene would be something after the event but before the reactions (in one case, it was how one daughter happened to be at the family home at the time to react). Overall, I'm glad I read it but I don't expect to reread, or to seek out more by this author. ( )

How do you cope in a world without your mother?

When Barbara realizes time is running out, she writes letters to her four daughters, aware that they'll be facing the trials and triumphs of life without her at their side. But how can she leave them when they still have so much growing up to do?

Take Lisa, in her midthirties but incapable of making a commitment; or Jennifer, trapped in a stale marriage and buttoned up so tight she could burst. Twentysomething Amanda, the traveler, has always distanced herself from the rest of the family; and then there's Hannah, a teenage girl on the verge of womanhood about to be parted from the mother she adores.

But by drawing on the wisdom in Barbara's letters, the girls might just find a way to cope with their loss. And in coming to terms with their bereavement, can they also set themselves free to enjoy their lives with all the passion and love each deserves?

This heartfelt novel by bestselling author Elizabeth Noble celebrates family, friends… and the glorious, endless possibilities of life.

This is one of those novels where there are no sweeping plot lines, but there is so much emotion and character that you feel like you know these people in real life. I loved the way that this family was so real but also there was so much love and genuineness. And that the growth that occurs as this family mourns the loss of their mother is so suffused with love. And I loved the British phrases and ways of saying things - fun for me though I'm sure totally normal for those living in Britain. ( )