This study explores important factors operating in the father-daughter relationship. Sue Sharpe uses the words and experiences of daughters and fathers to draw out the complexities, contradictions and conflicts of this relationship. The research covers all stages from childhood to old age, and highlights the most consistent and important aspects that emerge from these experiences. It looks at daughters who wish to please, and fathers who withhold their approval; and at the complex range of reactions involved in the father's reaction to teenage sexuality and the effects that this might have on women later in life. A common complaint from the women in the book centres on the inability of fathers to express feelings and emotions.