In mothers & daughters, Rae Meadow’s tells a story of 3, (with bits and pieces of 5), generations of females. I liked the way she used multiple voices to interweave the story. The shifts between Violet, Iris, and Samantha were seamless. Violet’s mother, Lilibeth’s story needs to be told. I think a story of a much older Samantha, and her daughter Ella, needs to be told.
Meadow’s well written novel warms the heart and holds the reader spellbound to each woman’s different perspectives, story of life and struggles, plus she brings to light some important moral dilemmas to ponder.
Being the Family Historian, I delve into a lot of genealogy, and find that the stories of the women in the family are hard to find or nonexistent. It leaves me with such a longing to want to know what their lives, problems, and thoughts were. I, too, find there is ‘a sense of rightness in the simple continuum’ of shared lives.
Many of my ancestors were from, (and some still live), in New York. I’m interested in reading more about the orphan trains.
Mothers & Daughters brought it home for me.
I’m glad that you connected to this story, Debra. I agree that women’s stories are hard to find. My grandmother used to tell me her “stories” whenever I visited, of her immigration from Sweden at the age of 20, and how she did it all on her own.
There is much to be learned from the mothers and daughters. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Thank you for sharing the book with me. 🙂
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