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Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back Audiobook
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(3.01) - 4,910 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The unflinching true account of a teenage girl's descent into society's underbelly -- and her mother's desperate and ultimately successful attempts to bring her back.
How does an honor student at one of Los Angeles's finest prep schools -- a bright, beautiful girl from a loving home -- trade school uniforms and afternoons at the beach for shooting up in the back of a van in rural Indiana? How does her devoted mother emerge from the shock of finding that her daughter has not only disappeared but had been living a secret life for more than a year?
Mother and daughter tell their parallel stories in mesmerizing first-person accounts. Claire Fontaine's story is a parent's worst nightmare, a cautionary tale chronicling her daughter Mia's drug-fueled manipulation of everyone around her as she sought refuge in the seedy underworld of criminals and heroin addicts, the painful childhood secrets that led up to it, and the healing that followed. Her search for Mia was brutal for both mother and daughter, a dizzying series of dead ends, incredible coincidences and, at times, miracles. Ultimately, Mia was forced into harsh-but-loving boot camp schools on two continents while Claire entered a painful but life-changing program of her own. Mia's story includes the jarring culture shock of the extreme and controversial behavior modification school she was in for nearly two years, which helped her overcome depression and self-hatred to emerge a powerful young woman with self-esteem and courage.
An unforgettable story of love and transformation, Come Back is a heart-wrenching and humorous portrayal of the primal bond between mother and daughter that will resonate with women everywhere.
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"This book is so good. Every chapter seems to get more in depth and interesting. At the beginning, Mia is a young girl who is in love with her mother and despises her father. For no reason her dad did things to her and her mother that traumatized both of their lives. Throughout the book Mia chooses to run away several times but by the time you reach the end of the book, she is back in love with her mother, stepfather, and most importantly her life. The story is very inspiring and I would definitely read it again and again to learn how to love life even more than I already do."
— Ashley (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Come Back is a testament to the power of the love between a mother and a daughter.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“A powerful and moving story of two brave women who struggled through darkness into the light.”
— Susan Forward, Ph.D., author of Toxic Parents -
“A rare, visceral reading experience....Offering lessons in living, loving, and accepting responsibility that could benefit every reader.”
— Edwin John Wintle, author of Breakfast with Tiffany: An Uncle’s Memoir -
“One of those rare books I could hardly put down until I finished…Brilliant-and often funny, too!”
— Leah Komaiko, author of Am I Old Yet?
Come Back Listener Reviews
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" This book is absolutely incredibly. Only if you like books about mother-daughter struggle and addiction memoirs "
— Melissa, 2/8/2014 -
" this book also made me realize alot of what i put my mother through. this story is great(; "
— Tyla, 2/7/2014 -
" A harrowing book of drug abuse and how a mother's love will enable to go to hell to retrieve her daughter. "
— Mom, 2/5/2014 -
" I was a nice story and I liked the outcome, however I would have liked to hear more of the dirty stuff....It was much better than "a million little pieces" This book focused more on the recovery than the addiction itself. Great book if you need a lift! "
— Jessica, 2/3/2014 -
" Loved this book!! Tear jerker...Amazing story. "
— Victoria, 2/2/2014 -
" I could not put this book down - it's an amazing story. "
— Beth, 2/2/2014 -
" This is a book that continues to haunt me. The mother/daughter relationship is at the center of this book and although not perfect, it certainly is real. A book that I consistently recommend when asked if I've read anything good lately. "
— Stephanie, 2/1/2014 -
" Just finished, recommending highly.. i think everyone has a little something carried over from childhood to adulthood that this may help them to understand themselves a little bit better.. even if we haven't experienced a journey like theirs, we probably know someone who has.. "
— Dawn, 1/26/2014 -
" I liked the story, I didn't like how it seemed to drag at times. "
— Nina, 1/19/2014 -
" Although the details in the beginning are excrutiating and disturbing, I was hooked pretty quickly having to know how these people came out of the situation. It made me feel really bad about being such a jerk of a teenager and really anxious about having a teenager in the future. "
— Laura, 1/12/2014 -
" Interesting and heart-wrenching story, but a bit too much "psycho-babble" for my taste. "
— Deborah, 1/11/2014 -
" This book is a page-turner and edge of your seat reading in the first half but I was really disappointed with the second half. It was bordering on boring and I really had to make myself push through it to get to the end. I did get something out of it - even from the dull, therapy filled parts. "
— Margaret, 1/9/2014 -
" Powerful and emotional. I didn't expect that I would cry at the end of this book, but I wound up crying just a bit. Loved it. "
— Kate, 12/18/2013 -
" It took me a little time to get into this but I'm glad I stayed with it. Very insightful and honest portrayal of a mother and daughters journey to reclaim their lives and their relationship. These two woman are very inspiring. "
— Michelle, 12/14/2013 -
" I bought this book to see it's structure -- it's a memoir told through two voices, mother/daughter. The beginning is the weakest part of the book, I nearly stopped reading it. Once you get through the setup of the problem, it settles down and is much more interesting. "
— Ruth, 12/8/2013 -
" Overall this was a good book -- parts of the book were disturbing and parts were very thought provoking! "
— Wendi, 11/24/2013 -
" A tough read, especially as the mother of daughters, though I dare any parent to read this without judgment. It'll raise a few discussions, to say the least. "
— Mindy, 11/1/2013 -
" I hope to never go through this with my daughter! Decent story, but became very "same old, same old" in many parts. "
— Kelly, 9/20/2013 -
" This was like reading about my life. So thought-provoking and powerful. "
— Ms., 8/14/2013 -
" Wow! Gut wrenching at times, but what a mother won't do for her child. "
— Michelle, 5/20/2013 -
" I could not put this book down! Memoir intertwined between a mother and daughter as they went through a unbelievable journey. Very raw and really eye opening. Made me look at addiction, at mothering, and at myself differently. "
— Nicole, 1/23/2013 -
" This is the second of two books I read this month about drug addicted children and their parents. Oh the horror! "
— Judy, 7/23/2012 -
" amazing, loved it so much, learned a lot about the way we can interact with each other in a more real way... "
— Jamie, 6/17/2012 -
" I cried my eyes out. This book was very upsetting and unfortunately, it was real. "
— Libbie, 6/12/2012 -
" I loved this book. An amazing story of transformation from the perspective of mother and daughter. I am not usually moved emotionally when reading but happy tears came to my eyes a few times while reading this book. "
— Lori, 6/9/2012 -
" The relationship between a mother and a daughter can be one of the hardest relationships there is! This book us so accurate at depicting this! Excellent book, I highly recommend it! "
— Angie, 6/6/2012 -
" This book really makes you think about how others perceive you and how accurately do you see yourself, especially as a mother. "
— Julie, 10/3/2011 -
" This was eye-opening. My daughter is now 13 but when I read this she was only 10 or 11. Scared me to death! Quite a story and I applaud both mother and daughter for their strength. "
— Stef, 6/21/2011 -
" I really was affected by this mom's resilience/dedication/love. Shows us how are children are the heart of our hearts. "
— Debra, 6/9/2011 -
" I liked this book--it was so different but good, I thought; was very interested in all the insights the mother (and daughter) received from their counseling. Especially like Mike--the counselor at Spring Creek "
— Barbara, 5/28/2011 -
" i read this last year. i must say it was extremely disturbing but also enlightening. it made me think a lot about how i communicate with my children and how i want to improve. i have so much respect for those that suffer with drug addictions and are able to beat it. "
— Karajayne, 2/1/2011 -
" A look into the minds of a teen and her mother as the teen struggles with drug addiction was fascinating. It was heartbreaking to read about the teen's emotional state and the mother's tough love decisions. We had a great discussion about it during book club. "
— Karen, 1/28/2011 -
" Overall, I really liked this book. But it did get a bit long and drawn out. Found myself skimming alot of pages. The beginnging and end are really good - it is the middle that gets a bit drawn out. Overall, I would recommend it. "
— Laura, 1/16/2011 -
" Interesting and heart-wrenching story, but a bit too much "psycho-babble" for my taste. "
— Deborah, 12/12/2010 -
" This was a really well-written story of a mother and daughter who go through the unthinkable- incest, rape and then drug addiction. It's heartbreaking and honest and gives hope to the rest of us dealing with less. "
— Courtney, 11/24/2010 -
" Tough to get through the first section. I liked the psychology aspect of the book and thinking about our role as parents, i.e. we're still individuals with our own foibles, yet we're supposed to do everything we can for our children. "
— Cass, 11/1/2010
About the Authors
Claire Fontaine worked as a screenwriter with award-winning directors and producers for several years, until she came home one cold January night to find her daughter, Mia, missing. Her life changed in an instant, both personally and professionally. After she and Mia healed their once-shattered relationship, Claire turned her focus to sharing what they learned from their experience. Three years later, Come Back was published. She and Mia are popular public speakers, sharing their story as well as addressing topics such as triumph over adversity, the mother/daughter relationship, and substance abuse.
About the Narrators
Anne Twomey is an accomplished actress of both stage and screen. Her Broadway credits include Orpheus Descending with Vanessa Redgrave, To Grandmother’s House We Go, and Nuts, for which she received a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award. Her many television appearances include guest roles on Seinfeld, Law & Order: SVU, Spin City, and the Christopher Reeves’ movie-of-the-week Rear Window. She has also appeared in the films Picture Perfect and Orpheus Descending. Her audiobook narrations have won her five AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Anne Twomey is an accomplished actress of both stage and screen. Her Broadway credits include Orpheus Descending with Vanessa Redgrave, To Grandmother’s House We Go, and Nuts, for which she received a Tony nomination and a Theatre World Award. Her many television appearances include guest roles on Seinfeld, Law & Order: SVU, Spin City, and the Christopher Reeves’ movie-of-the-week Rear Window. She has also appeared in the films Picture Perfect and Orpheus Descending. Her audiobook narrations have won her five AudioFile Earphones Awards.