Book Review: Mother-Daughter Duet

Summary: When a daughter is born, her mother has a thousand hopes and dreams for her, especially that they will be best friends one day. Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can go awry. There are so many challenges on the journey to adult friendship that the reality is fraught with friction and frustration. But a harmonious relationship is possible.

Award-winning author Cheri Fuller and her daughter, Ali Plum, have been there and have discovered the keys to a healthy relationship. In Mother-Daughter Duet they share their story—each from her own perspective—in which they have experienced distance and tension, growth and challenge, and, ultimately, acceptance and harmony. Filled with personal anecdotes and based on several basic principles (letting go; listening; respect; setting boundaries; and more), Mother-Daughter Duet helps moms repair the breach so that daughters want to draw close.

The mother-daughter dynamic is intense, personal, complex, and unique. But mothers and daughters can achieve mutual respect and learn to celebrate their differences when they learn the two-part harmony of the mother-daughter duet.

Authors Bio:
Cheri Fuller is a best-selling, award-winning author whose books have sold more than one million copies. She speaks to a wide range of women at women’s conferences and is a frequent guest on national radio and television programs.

Ali Plum is Cheri’s daughter, a writer and songwriter, a wife, and a mother to Noah and Luke. She and her mom have weathered the ups and downs of their relationship to find one of the most treasured, honest relationships of their lives. Ali has recorded background vocals for popular musicians, and Mother-Daughter Duet marks her debut into book publishing.

Review: My daughter and I have a wonderful, close relationship. However, we occasionally misunderstand each other and don’t always get along perfectly (we’re too much alike for our own good ). I desire to be a better mom and have a deeper & stronger relationship with her. This book helps prepare me for the near future when she steps into adulthood. I don’t agree with everything in the book but I still appreciate lots of valuable insights shared by both Cheri Fuller (the mother) and Ali Plum (the daughter). I will keep their warnings in mind; hopefully and prayerfully, by God’s grace…I won’t make the same mistakes that many moms have made.

Are you experiencing tension in your relationship, communication struggles, difficulty in letting go, etc.? I found learning from the different perspectives of a mother and a daughter very helpful. The authors share about the main ingredients in developing a stronger relationship between mother and daughter which include unconditional love, understanding, prayer, grace, space, prayer, kindness, patience, prayer, acceptance, respect, encouragement, and prayer. You probably get the point that prayer is so crucial . God is still in the business of relationship restoration. It's never too late to try to mend or improve or strengthen your relationship with your daughter or with your mother. I really like the discussion questions in the back of the book for each chapter. These are very good for mothers and daughters to discuss with each other and learn to understand each other better; they are good for mothers to ponder alone, too.

You can download and read the first chapter of Mother-Daughter Duet here.
Connect with Cheri Fuller at http://www.cherifuller.com/ .
Visit Cheri and Ali's blog at http://www.motherdaughterduet.wordpress.com/ .

~This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Please rate this review. Thanks so much!