Motherless Daughters

Ask any woman whose mother has died, and she will tell you that she is irrevocably altered, as deeply changed by her mother’s death as she was by her mother’s life.

Although a mother’s mortality is inevitable, no book had discussed the profound, lasting and far-reaching effects of this loss – until Motherless Daughters, which became in instant classic. Over twenty years later, it is still the book that women of all ages look to for comfort and understanding when their mothers die, and the book that they continue to press into each other’s hands.

Building on interviews with hundreds of mother-loss survivors, the author’s personal story of losing her mother and recent research in grief and psychology, Motherless Daughters reveals the shared experiences and core identity issues of motherless women.

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‘Motherless Daughters is a timeless source of consolation and information for all who grieve the death of their mother. It highlights that we bear this loss by remembering, not forgetting our mother.’
JULIA SAMUEL, author of Grief Works

‘Anyone who has lost their mother should read this remarkable, tender book, full of insight and consolation. This is one of those exceptional books that has the power to change your life.’
CLOVER STROUD, author of The Wild Other

‘Nothing has helped me make more sense of myself than Motherless Daughters; it’s the book I go back to again and again, and find something new in it every time.’
DECCA AITKENHEAD

‘Intelligent, brave, consoling and wise . . . an essential and illuminating must-read for anyone who has lost a mother or loves someone who did.’
CHERYL STRAYED, author of Wild

‘This book has helped me heal my heart. Finding myself in the stories of other motherless daughters let me know I was not alone. If you have lost your mom – this book is essential.’
ROSIE O’DONNELL

‘Absorbing . . . insightful . . . a moving and valuable treatment of a neglected subject.’
NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Author Biography

Hope Edelman is a graduate of the Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program and lives in New York. Her mother died when she was seventeen. Motherless Daughters was her first book and has sold over 750,000 copies to date.