Ranging from the tragic to the comic, from the loving to the enraged, this book contains 15 accounts of the mother/daughter tie. What is it that makes the mother/daughter relationship one of the most discussed, examined, fraught, close, loving and potentially mine-strewn? Why do women long to love their mothers, but so frequently fail? Why do mothers feel the need to control their daughters, even though those daughters may be fully grown, capable people? Why are women who are able to live in uncomplicated harmony with their mothers the envy of all their friends? How is it that the bond between mother and daughter never slackens, regardless of distance, age or estrangement? Contributions are from: Nina Bawden, Margaret Busby, Gabrielle Donnelly, Mira Hamermesh, Georgina Hammick, Zoe Heller, Jasmin Kureishi, Anne Leaton, Jeanine McMullen, Julia Neuberger, Sophie Parkin, Carole Stone, Marianne and Hester Velmans and Harriet Walter.