Things I Want My Daughters To Know by Elizabeth Noble

No. of pages: 454
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis: 'My beautiful girls. If you've read this, you'll know it contains some - not all, but some - of the things I want my daughters to know. And the greatest of these is love ...' How would you say goodbye to those you love most in the world? Barbara must say a final farewell to her four daughters. But how can she find the words? And how can she leave them when they each have so much growing up to do? There's commitment-phobic Lisa. Brittle, unhappily married Jennifer. Free-spirited traveller Amanda. And teenage Hannah, stumbling her way towards adulthood. Barbara's answer is to write each daughter a letter, finally expressing the hopes, fears, dreams and secrets she couldn't always voice. These words will touch the girls in different - sometimes shocking - ways, unlocking emotions and passions to set them on their own journey of discovery through life.

Review: A well told story about life after death. When Barbara dies, she leaves each of her daughters a letter, hoping it will help them to figure out and move on with their lives. Each daughter has a slightly different problem but it all comes down to love and acceptance. For her husband Mark, he has to cope with losing his beloved wife and helping the four girls through it too. The book chronicles the months after her death, as each tries to move forward.

Very sad, but incredibly well told and enjoyable to read. I enjoyed how it changed narrative between each of the girls and Mark, and also the letters and journal entries from Barbara. The stories were developed well for each girl, showing how different each was from the others. It was very easy to read and the story flowed well. The ending was a little predictable, but it was a good ending despite that. I will be sure to keep my eyes open for other books by this author.