Things I Wish I Told My Mother: A Novel

Book on CD narrated by Ellen Archer

Just when executive Laurie Margolis is about to go into an important pitch meeting for a potential new major account when she gets a call from her mother, who is in the hospital. Seems Dr Elizabeth Ormson, “ob-gyn to the stars,” has had a heart attack and needs to rest. So, Laurie proposes they take a trip together. Her mother suggests Paris; Laurie suggest they visit Elizabeth’s homeland, Norway. They decide to do both.

The story follows the adventures, misadventures, arguments, tours, feasts and friends they make during the two-week journey. They get to know each other better – not just as mother and daughter, but as women. Each with their own desires, obligations, heartaches and triumphs. Do show more they fight? You betcha. Do they make up? Also, yes. And Elizabeth shares a deep secret with her daughter that explains much about her demeanor over the years.

It’s an enjoyable, quick, feel-good read – just the kind of book you want to take on a vacation.

So why does the title imply things left unsaid? Because the entire trip is made up. Elizabeth doesn’t survive her hospital stay, but Laurie HAD suggested the trip and her mother had written a note before dying wherein she told her daughter to take the trip anyway. And so, a few years later, and after therapy, Laurie did take the trip and wrote the journal imagining her mother along for this bonding experience. I admit I suspected something like this all along because of the title. But I still felt a little cheated and manipulated when my suspicions turned out to be accurate.

Ellen Archer does a fine job of narrating the audiobook. She has a lot of French and Norwegian words to content with and seems to do a very good job of both. (Though I wouldn’t actually know, not speaking either of those languages.) show less

This is a realistic account of a potential mother / daughter delicate relationship. They are good times, tense times, and frank discussions. The two adult women take a trip to France and Norway after the mother suffers a heart attack.
However, the entire trip is a series of discussions and back and forth between mother and daughter. Expectations and disappointments, stories of past loves and hopes for the future.
The ending was a bit of a surprise, but really beautiful. It made perfect sense to me.
Very enjoyable.

It was fun to listen to this book just before Mother's Day on May 14, 2023. Authors nicely contrast the characters of Dr. Liz and her grown-up daughter Laurie and as a result - some of their interactions are hysterical. The twist at the end of the book turns this special mother-daughter trip into a very unusual journey for Laurie.

Although many daughters might want to read this book, I highly recommend it to mothers, too - both need to share more real journeys, laughter, and stories before it is too late.

I wish some of the settings were not so stereotypical - honey moon in Paris and nice guy with a British accent in the hotel bar:)

Some books stay poignantly with you long after you read the last page and Things I Wish I Told My Mother was one of those for me. The authors have crafted a compelling book that I binged in one reading. The book moves quickly and is very interesting to its memorable end. The mother and daughter talk, experience, love, argue, share, enjoy, dread and treasure special moments - or do they? A treasure for parents and children to read…

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for the opportunity to read this engaging ARC.

Great Book - the relationship between Mother and Daughter is tense, but the twist at the end made me Cry.