The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

The language and prose were gorgeous, the plot was interesting and the characters believable, but what really drew me into this book was the relationships between mother and daughters, and sisters and sisters. This definitely seemed like a "woman's" book without being condescendingly so.

Bryce, thanks. That's a great start to the list. And your description brings up a great point. If you take the time to say what makes the book so good (and please do so) try to work in a bit about the "mother" aspect of the book.

Peter
(The guy who runs Flashlight Worthy)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943). Young Francie Nolan is the protagonist of the novel which spans from her preteen years until young adulthood. She and her family live in poverty in a tenement in Brooklyn, but they are closeknit and reasonably happy despite their many hardships. The light of Francie's life is Jphnny, her talented, alcoholic father who is a dreamer like herself, but it's Francie's mother, practical, hardworking Katie Nolan, who literally holds her family together, and whom Francie comes to know and finally appreciate as she matures into young womanhood. Memorable characters in a strong, realistic story, particularly Francie and Katie and their sometimes difficult mother-daughter relationship.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Poignant, touching and just all around wonderful.

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. The story involves two families, the Hamleys and the Gibsons, and the relationships--sometimes open, often secretive--between children and parents. The fulcrum of the action is the protagonist's new stepmother, Hyacinthe, one of the most amusing characters in Victorian fiction, whose relationship with her own real daughter is as fractious and full of conflict is the one she has with her stepdaughter.

Summer of my Amazing Luck by Miriam Toews
A book about a couple of single mothers living in a low-income housing complex. I irritated many people in the library when I was reading this because I could barely keep from laughing out loud.

divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood

A Mother and Two Daughters by Gail Godwin

Things I Want My Daughters To Know by Elizabeth Noble. an intense look into mother daughter relationships, an emotional rollercoaster that every woman should read

Missing Mom by Joyce Carol Oates

The Color of Water- can't think of author's name at this minute. Wonderful book by child of an interracial marraige.

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout. An up close, unflinching look at the conflict inherent in mother-daughter relationships.

a soft place to land by susan rebecca white. sisters on opposite sides of the country, both dealing with the death of their mother and the new "mother figures" in their lives.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult, Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts and One True Thing by Anna Quindlen.

My Stolen Son by Susan Markowitz and Jenna Glatzer
All I ever wanted to be was a mom.
To lose my son the way I did~ all I ask is that you give your child an extra hug for me. My thinking was just as yours..."this always happens to someone else."

It is the true story behind the movie Alpha Dog.
5 defendants, 7 trials, 32 witnesses. 10 years later I can speak without gag orders from the court.

((Hugs))
Nick's Mom
Susan Markowitz

I hope it is okay to put my newly released book. I am new to this great site.

Unless - Carol Sheilds