Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite

Dena Clayton, editor of "Mother-Daughter Memories: Love Revealed", has come up with an anthology that consists of stories that will surely tug at anyone's heart. Nine women authors share their unique and inspiring memories about their mothers. The stories are varied, ranging from a beautiful yet long distance relationship, unforgettable playful moments, and a mother lost to Alzheimer disease, to a confrontation with a painful past. 'Listening for My Mother' is like a poignant letter of a daughter asking her mother all the questions she probably must have wanted to ask her for a long time. 'Words Unspoken', on the other hand, is a difficult mother and daughter relationship where the daughter finally utters the words she has always wanted to say to her mother.

The nine stories in this anthology may have different plots and formats but they are united in one theme: love. As these daughters recollect memories of their mothers, it is evident that such relationships can never be that simple. It can be loving yet resentful, and terrifying yet loving. The honesty of the authors here is compelling because it makes the relationship so real that it reminds me of my own relationship with my mother. There is joy and sadness, failure and hope, and above all, courage. A mother daughter relationship is maybe one of the most difficult in the world but it is surprising how it endures. After reading the book, I believe that any one of the stories in this anthology can be mine or yours and this is what makes the book close to our hearts.