The letter written by the mother of a 15 yr. old is her attempt to explain her parenting style as a result of growing up in the 1960's. It brings up first love, beliefs different from your parents and doing your own thing to establish your identity. Surprisingly the author is male yet captures many of the issues of being female. ( )

I was a little iffy about picking up this book. I wasn't too sure that a male author could really write a book based from a female's point of view and make me want to read it.
I was completely surprised to find that Mr. Bishop did exactly that. From the moment I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. As a mother, with a soon to be teen, I felt an instant connection with Laura. I too always said that I would be a better mother to my children than my mother was to me, and have caught myself saying and doing some of the exact things that my mother did when I was a child.
The book is about Laura and her daughter Liz, there is a fight at the beginning of the book, and Liz takes off. Laura is worried about her, and sits down to write a letter to her daughter. The letter is the whole book, with a few present day things thrown in. I laughed and cried while Laura was writing the letter that started in her freshman year of high school and went on to her senior year. From first loves, to catholic school; tattoos and heartache, I was entranced and even ordered dinner for the kids because I couldn't pull myself away.
I am so happy that I didn't let the fact that Mr. Bishop was a man stop me from reading! ( )

This was an interesting story told in the form of a letter. The narrator's daughter runs away after an argument with her mother, and what results is a lovely retelling of the mother's past and how it shaped her into the person she is today.

A simply complicated love story set in Louisana during the 70's but the lessons certainly apply to today's world.

I also found this surprisingly heartfelt and detailed, which is not something I had expected, given that this was written by a man, but from a mother's perspective. ( )

A very quick read. After finishing I spent some time wondering..... ( )

Written by a man, the book is actually a letter from a mother to her runaway daughter. The mother is telling the daughter about her own teen years and her struggles with her own parents. I liked the mother's story; I found it harder to understand why she felt it applicable and buying into the idea that this is the way a mother would spend the hours that her daughter was missing. ( )