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Book Summary and Reviews of Have Mother, Will Travel by Claire & Mia Fontaine

Have Mother, Will Travel by Claire & Mia Fontaine

Have Mother, Will Travel

A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other, and the World

by Claire & Mia Fontaine

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  • Jul 2012, 288 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In their bestselling memoir, Come Back, readers were moved and inspired by the story of Mia Fontaine's harrowing drug addiction and her mother, Claire's, desperate and ultimately successful attempts to save her. Now, it is a decade later, and Claire and Mia, each facing a defining moment in their lives, are determined to transform themselves and their relationship again.

At fifty-one, Claire wants to shed her identity as her daughter's savior. Mia, twenty-five, needs to grow beyond her role as recovery's poster child and learn to navigate the world. To accomplish their goals, the pair embarks on a six-month, around-the-world adventure, hoping the trip with help them evolve as women, remember to live intentionally, and bring them together as friends. An amazing journey awaits: a sixteen-city twelve-country tour that will include mishaps, mayhem, laughter, and unexpected joys, from a passport-eating elephant to a calamitous camel ride around the pyramids.

As they examine the mother/daughter relationship in other cultures, Mia comes to know her mother as Claire has always known Mia - as all mothers know their daughters: better than anyone else, and often better than themselves. At the end of the journey, each returns with a deepened sense of who they are and where they want to go - and both joyously embrace the profound friendship they have discovered and the abiding love they share.

Told in alternating voices, Have Mother, Will Travel is a moving testament to the amazing power of the mother-daughter relationship and shows us the possibilities available in our own lives.

Reading Guide

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Have Mother, Will Travel" is filled with what I would have given anything to experience and treasure with my own mother - the inner workings of our hearts and thoughts. I love these women!" - Leah Komaiko, author of Am I Old Yet?

"A beautiful, funny, and oh-so-representative peek into how complicated - and wonderful - a mother-daughter relationship can be… I could feel, as a mother and a daughter, every struggle and bump in the road… the love between a mother and daughter, while not always sunshine and daisies, will never end." - Ree Drummond, author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks

"Finally, a book that celebrates the complexities of the mother-daughter bond with humor and depth. Both authors come to terms with who they are as women - together and apart - as they traverse twenty countries. Their relationship is an inspiration; you'll want to travel every step of the journey with them." - Maureen Murdock, author of The Heroine's Journey and Unreliable Truth

"Nobody writes with as much honesty, bravery, and humor as Claire and Mia Fontaine when it comes to the dynamic of the complex, baffling, nurturing, infuriating, comforting labyrinth known as the mother/daughter relationship. No matter how far we travel or what we do, we will always be one." - Tracey Jackson, author of Between a Rock and a Hot Place: Why Fifty Is Not the New Thirty

"An extremely insightful and inspiring look at how we relate, with our loved ones, with ourselves, and the world… Their courage in examining themselves, and their relationship, reminds us how important it is to stay mindful and proactive in all of our relationships, especially with our family." - Janice Croze, Founder of 5minutesformom.com

"As a mother of young daughters, I finished this book with such anticipation for the future, inspired by the relationship that Claire and Mia have formed through challenges and triumphs… I found myself falling deeper in love with the soul–transforming journey of both loving a mother and raising a child." - Kelle Hampton, author of Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected

This information about Have Mother, Will Travel was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Ann S. (Shenandoah, Iowa)

Opportunity of a lifetime
Perhaps some mothers would not give a thought to spending such a prolonged and concentrated time with their daughter; I would love it.

I found this memoir filled with honest observations and instances which touched my very soul. I would cherish even a few days of time with my daughter, away from our different lives. A longer time would be a dream.

It is not that Claire and Mia are always on the same page, but that they are not and yet respect and give credibility to each others' thoughts and opinions. Their descriptions of both the physical surroundings and incidents give the reader insight into their individuality. A great read!

I now plan to read their earlier book.

Janice C. (Hayward, CA)

Have Mother Will Travel
I truly enjoyed this book. It was honest and insightful.
I am not the daughter of a narcissistic mother nor do I believe I am a narcissistic mother myself. I do have a few friends who I know will benefit from reading this book. I will be sure to pass my copy on and recommend it to others. Because I did not consider this a self-help book, it was simply an excellent read.

Eileen L. (Danvers, MA)

A great journey
I LOVED this book, and I do not often say that. The relationship between mother and daughter is so finely drawn, and so natural, I felt as though I knew them. Having lost my mother young I could live through Mia as she grew to know her Mother as a person and a woman , as well as a Mom. Their shared experiences on their trip dovetailed perfectly with the journey they were on as a family. As they discover more and more about each other you can feel the relationship deepening and shifting. The writing is memorizing and the descriptions of the trip are so rich. Great , great read!

Margaret H. (Springfield, VA)

Have Mother will Travel
Continuing their joint memoir, Come Back, Claire and Mia travel to Asia with a scavenger hunt and then spend time in Avignon and Budapest, visiting old memories for both of them. Told in two voices this is a study of the connections between mothers and daughters. As they visit and talk about places together and their feelings, the reader learns why they react to events as they do. Humor and pathos share space in the book as Mia swims with elephants and Claire rides camels. It is when they travel to France that they begin to understand each other better and give each other the space and the support that they each need. This is a very moving account of their relationship as well as a guide for other mothers and daughters facing questions of their own.

Jennifer F. (Saratoga, CA)

Insightful journey with mother and daughter
Have Mother will Travel is a thoroughly enjoyable read, especially as a mother of an adult daughter myself. I found myself smiling as this mother daughter team negotiated through their travels and their relationship. The writing felt true and honest.

Terry D. (AMITYVILLE, NEW YORK)

DELIGHTFUL!
I choose this book because I have two grown daughters and I do love to travel. However, I never expected it to have such wisdom. Claire and Mia learn so much about themselves and each other that it was very inspiring.

...14 more reader reviews

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More Information

Together, Claire and Mia Fontaine have also penned the memoir Come Back: A Mother and Daughter's Journey Through Hell and Back. Visit them online at www.facebook.com/HaveMotherWillTravel.

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