Elizabeth Noble

Reader Comments about THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW

William Morrow
ISBN: 9780061122194
(April 8, 2008)

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Here are comments from our group of Advance Readers about Elizabeth Noble's THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW.

Janice from Springfield, MO

Have you previously read a book by Elizabeth Noble?
No, I haven't read anything else by her.

What other authors do you usually read?
I read Barbara Kingsolver, Nevada Barr, Ivan Doig, Tony Hillerman, C. J. Box, Giles Blunt, Sarah Dunant, Geraldine Brooks, Sheri Reynolds, Mary Lawson, Barbara Hodgson, Lorna Landvik, Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller, Anne George, Carolyn Haines, Stephen White, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Elizabeth Moon and Sheri S. Tepper.

What did you think of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW?
I have enjoyed reading it. There is good character development, and the story kept me interested. Having lost my own mother a few years ago, and also having sisters, I really enjoyed how the relationships among all these women were portrayed and grew through life experiences. I am very drawn to books that delve into how people deal with loss, and this book did that without being too melancholy.

Would you ever read a future book by Elizabeth Noble?
Yes.

Martha from Marianna, FL

Have you previously read a book by Elizabeth Noble?
No.

What other authors do you usually read?
Lots! But especially historical romance (Balogh, Dodd, Joyce and Quinn among others) and romantic suspense (Coulter, Cameron, Garwood, Graham, Johansen, and Lovelace, among others). I also like forensic science and have read all of the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs and the Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson. Some male authors I like are Baldacci, Child and Preston (the Pendergast books), Deaver (the Lincoln Ryme books), Grisham and Woods.

What did you think of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW?
I found this book a very easy, flowing read full of good humor and realistic emotional struggles. I enjoyed the British “flavor” of the book --- I’m not sure if that is the word I want, but haven’t thought of another word yet. (I kept looking to see if the author was from England but the short bio didn’t say --- I went online to her own website to confirm that!)

Both my husband and my 21-year-old daughter looked the book over and said that they thought it sounded interesting. I would recommend it to my lady friends and might suggest it to my church ladies reading group, although I don’t know about the very little bit of swearing.

Would you ever read a future book by Elizabeth Noble?
Yes, I would certainly consider future (and existing) books.

Sandra from Macon, GA

Have you previously read a book by Elizabeth Noble?
No, I haven't read any of her works.

What other authors do you usually read?
Lots of variety. I like Anne Rivers Siddons, Elizabeth George, Robert Goddard, Dan Brown and Steve Berry. I also keep fairly current on the recent bestsellers and enjoy discussing a wide variety of books with my book club.

What did you think of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW?
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I found the book to be very poignant, as I am approaching my 60th birthday and wonder what things I need to tell my children. Ms. Noble reminded me that there are many things that I assume my children know that they might not. Even before I read this book, I had been trying to write an "autobiography" just for them and my grandchildren. No bombshells to be revealed, however! It's very timely material for me.

I was particularly interested in the use of different voices in the novel. The different personalities of the daughters and their mother came across well. I imagine that is fairly difficult to do!

Would you ever read a future book by Elizabeth Noble?
Yes, I would. I have spoken to a friend in the UK who is familiar with her work. I will be reading more!

Shawna from Pearland, TX

Have you previously read a book by Elizabeth Noble?
No.

What other authors do you usually read?
I read Amy Tan, Sandra Dallas, Lisa See, Gail Tsukiyama, Geraldine Brooks, Diane Setterfield, Jane Austen, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Daphne du Maurier and Shannon Hale.

What did you think of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW?
I liked getting to know Lisa, Jennifer, Amanda, and Hannah, and how they each handled the dying and death of their mother so differently. Enough background information on each daughter was provided so you knew how and why their current situations came to be. Their mother, Barbara, knew each of her daughters far better than they realized. Knowing someone who has left behind letters for their children, I know how much the journal meant to the daughters. I think something the book shows is how precious mother-daughter relationships are, and that we should foster relationships that are honest and open. I realize the relationship I want to have with my own daughters when they are teenagers and young adults starts now while they are young.

Would you ever read a future book by Elizabeth Noble?
Yes.

Valerie from Secaucus, NJ

Have you previously read a book by Elizabeth Noble?
THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW was my first novel by Elizabeth Noble.

What did you think of THINGS I WANT MY DAUGHTERS TO KNOW?
I am a mother of four daughters so the attraction was there. Upon reading the novel I found that I could put the book down and forget about it. This was a disappointment to me because I had high expectation for it. I thought I would complete this book in no time at all, but I found it difficult to make time. I would not say that I didn't like it, just that it did not captivate me the way I thought it would.

Would you ever read a future book by Elizabeth Noble?
I am trying THE READING GROUP next so I can give Elizabeth a fair shot.

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