Dear Elizabeth,
It's early morning and I'm sitting here wondering where you are, hoping you're all right.
A fight, ended by a slap, sends Elizabeth out the door of her Baton Rouge home on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Her mother, Laura, is left to fret and worry—and remember. Wracked with guilt as she awaits Liz's return, Laura begins a letter to her daughter, hoping to convey "everything I've always meant to tell you but never have."
In her painfully candid confession, Laura shares memories of her own troubled adolescence in rural Louisiana, growing up in an intensely conservative household. She recounts her relationship with a boy she loved despite her parents' disapproval, the fateful events that led to her being sent away to a strict Catholic boarding school, the personal tragedy brought upon her by the Vietnam War, and, finally, the meaning of the enigmatic tattoo below her right hip.
Absorbing and affirming, George Bishop's magnificent debut brilliantly captures a sense of time and place with a distinct and inviting voice. Letter to My Daughter is a heartwrenching novel of mothers, daughters, and the lessons we all learn when we come of age.
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"I won this as a first reads. It is a very quick read. One very long letter to a daughter from a mother following a fight. George Bishop did a good job of capturing the relationship between a mother and a daughter. I was easily drawn into the mother's story of her highschool years. I fell out of the story a couple of times when the mother would come back to the present but over all a good book."
— Jaclyn (4 out of 5 stars)
You will be pulled into every paragraph of Letter to My Daughter, especially if you've ever been a parent or a teenager.
— Clyde Edgerton, author of Lunch at the Piccadilly" Short read. Good time waster. "
— Susy, 2/15/2014" Really enjoyed it. Reminds a mother of what teenage life is like. Brought back a few memories for me. "
— Sharon, 2/14/2014" I really liked it and kept wanting to read more. I found it to be a interesting book. "
— Peggy, 1/8/2014" After I ditched the latest Irving book, I decided to read this....and I read it last night while Brett watched the Notre Dame game...couldn't put it down. It is a incredibly poignant book about that ever-so-delicate relationship between a mother and daughter. "
— Kelly, 12/26/2013" Mom's letter about life to her adolescent daughter told with truthful honesty and realism. "
— Doris, 12/16/2013" I thought it was a good book especially with the way it portrays a true relationship between a daughter and mother. Very inspirational and a quick read. "
— Amanda, 12/3/2013" A mother pours her story of rebellious adolescence into a letter for her mission rebellious 15-year-old daughter. Growing up is hard. Loving is harder still. Very moving. "
— Nancy, 11/29/2013" After the daughter runs away, the mom sits down and writes a letter to her daughter explaining her life. Shows how we never lose where we came from and that we never really know our parents. "
— Carol, 8/26/2013" omg!! best book ever, makes me proud to be a woman... or teenage girl. "
— Kayla, 8/18/2013" This was pretty good..... "
— Cassandra, 2/4/2013" Bishop does a terrific job of portraying the voice of the mother. It is a book you just can't put down, heartfelt and moving. "
— Debbie, 1/29/2013" Great story...hard to put down. At first I thought the author must be a woman named Goerge, but maybe not. He must be a father, though. Very insightful. Highly recommend. "
— Pam, 1/4/2013" Thoroughly enjoyed this book after having two friends (you know who you are!!) recommend it. This was a quick read and was very touching. The ending was not cut and dry and can be taken a couple ways. Read it to find out how you believe the story ends....or does it? "
— Patty, 11/3/2012" A really good book. Once you start it, you cannot put it down. Very likable characters that draw you into their lives. "
— Rene, 9/4/2012" Really liked this book although it's not about the daughter at all. Engaging story and I liked the protaganist. "
— Liz, 5/21/2011" it was all right, nothing special, but an easy one or two day read. "
— Wendy, 5/7/2011" If we could all impart the wisdom of our lives to our children (and they would listen). I think writing a "letter" like this to our children to read or leave to them it would be an awesome legacy. That this is a work of fiction and by a man is amazing. "
— Perkimom, 4/8/2011" I really like the way it was written, but wish there would have been more closure in the end. It was okay... "
— Sandra, 3/1/2011" As a mother of three daughters I loved this book. There is no time like the present to be talking to your daughter (or son). And write letter to them! This book was written by a man but in the voice of a woman - a mother. Outstanding. "
— Madeline, 2/28/2011" love love love love love love. ? favorite book of ALL TIME! finished it in one day. "
— Erin, 2/5/2011" Very enjoyable book that I read in less than a day. Loved seeing how the mother could relate her own experiences as a daughter to her experiences as a mother.. Great book and I will look for future books by Bishop. "
— Melissa, 1/24/2011" it was a good, quick book but i felt it was left unfinished "
— Tina, 1/20/2011George Bishop holds an MFA from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he won the department’s Award of Excellence for a collection of stories. He has spent most of the past decade living and teaching overseas in Slovakia, Turkey, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, India, and Japan. He now lives in New Orleans.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.