When I Married My Mother
A Daughter's Search for What Really Matters - and How She Found It Caring for Mama Jo
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
When I Married My Mother
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Jo Maeder
-
By:
-
Jo Maeder
About this listen
A city-loving, single New York DJ braces for disaster when she reluctantly moves to the Bible Belt to care for her estranged, doll-obsessed, hoarder mother. What unfolds in this best-selling memoir is a hilarious, heartbreaking love story that sees eldercare and making peace with the past in a most unexpected way.
"This book is important to every mother and daughter, and to every woman who wants to be one." (Maya Angelou)
©2009, 2014 Jo Maeder (P)2016 Jo MaederListeners also enjoyed...
-
Why Didn't You Tell Me?
- A Memoir
- By: Carmen Rita Wong
- Narrated by: Carmen Rita Wong
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 346
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 307
Carmen Rita Wong has always craved a sense of belonging: First as a toddler in a warm room full of Black and brown Latina women, like her mother, Lupe, cheering her dancing during her childhood in Harlem. And in Chinatown, where her immigrant father, “Papi” Wong, a hustler, would show her and her older brother off in opulent restaurants decorated in red and gold. Then came the almost exclusively white playgrounds of New Hampshire after her mother married her stepfather, Marty, who seemed to be the ideal of the white American dad.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Why didn’t they tell me this was such a negative listen?
- By laurie on 09-24-22
By: Carmen Rita Wong
-
The Bridge Ladies
- A Memoir
- By: Betsy Lerner
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 183
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 167
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 166
After a lifetime defining herself in contrast to her mother's "don't ask, don't tell" generation, Lerner finds herself back in her childhood home, not five miles from the mother she spent decades avoiding. When Roz needs help after surgery, it falls to Betsy to take care of her. She expected a week of tense civility; what she gets instead are the Bridge Ladies. Impressed by their loyalty, she sees something her generation lacks. Facebook is great, but it won't deliver a pot roast.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Profound
- By DIANE on 06-05-17
By: Betsy Lerner
-
The Ugly Cry
- A Memoir
- By: Danielle Henderson
- Narrated by: Danielle Henderson
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 867
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 761
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 761
Abandoned at 10 years old by a mother who chose her drug-addicted, abusive boyfriend, Danielle was raised by grandparents who thought their child-rearing days had ended in the 1960s. She grew up Black, weird, and overwhelmingly uncool in a mostly white neighborhood in upstate New York, which created its own identity crises.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Both Funny & Heart Wrenching in the Perfect Ratio.
- By Lauren Fisher on 06-30-21
-
A Living Remedy
- A Memoir
- By: Nicole Chung
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 56
Nicole Chung couldn’t hightail it out of her overwhelmingly white Oregon hometown fast enough. As a scholarship student at a private university on the East Coast, no longer the only Korean she knew, she found community and a path to the life she'd long wanted. But the middle class world she begins to raise a family in–where there are big homes, college funds, nice vacations–looks very different from the middle class world she thought she grew up in, where paychecks have to stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is often lacking, and there are no safety nets.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful and heartfelt
- By Sandra on 04-23-23
By: Nicole Chung
-
If You Would Have Told Me
- A Memoir
- By: John Stamos
- Narrated by: John Stamos
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,819
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,721
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,720
If you would have told a young John Stamos flipping burgers at his dad’s fast-food joint that one day he’d be a household name and that, at the height of his success, he’d be living alone, divorced, with no kids, high on a cocktail of forgetting, he might’ve asked, “You want fries with that?”
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't expect Uncle Jesse's autobiography...
- By Song4Ten on 10-24-23
By: John Stamos
-
I'm Glad My Mom Died
- By: Jennette McCurdy
- Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 118,780
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 104,979
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 104,594
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction." She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Unexpectedly poor narration
- By Glitchzig on 08-10-22
By: Jennette McCurdy
-
Why Didn't You Tell Me?
- A Memoir
- By: Carmen Rita Wong
- Narrated by: Carmen Rita Wong
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 346
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 309
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 307
Carmen Rita Wong has always craved a sense of belonging: First as a toddler in a warm room full of Black and brown Latina women, like her mother, Lupe, cheering her dancing during her childhood in Harlem. And in Chinatown, where her immigrant father, “Papi” Wong, a hustler, would show her and her older brother off in opulent restaurants decorated in red and gold. Then came the almost exclusively white playgrounds of New Hampshire after her mother married her stepfather, Marty, who seemed to be the ideal of the white American dad.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Why didn’t they tell me this was such a negative listen?
- By laurie on 09-24-22
By: Carmen Rita Wong
-
The Bridge Ladies
- A Memoir
- By: Betsy Lerner
- Narrated by: Orlagh Cassidy
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 183
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 167
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 166
After a lifetime defining herself in contrast to her mother's "don't ask, don't tell" generation, Lerner finds herself back in her childhood home, not five miles from the mother she spent decades avoiding. When Roz needs help after surgery, it falls to Betsy to take care of her. She expected a week of tense civility; what she gets instead are the Bridge Ladies. Impressed by their loyalty, she sees something her generation lacks. Facebook is great, but it won't deliver a pot roast.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Profound
- By DIANE on 06-05-17
By: Betsy Lerner
-
The Ugly Cry
- A Memoir
- By: Danielle Henderson
- Narrated by: Danielle Henderson
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 867
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 761
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 761
Abandoned at 10 years old by a mother who chose her drug-addicted, abusive boyfriend, Danielle was raised by grandparents who thought their child-rearing days had ended in the 1960s. She grew up Black, weird, and overwhelmingly uncool in a mostly white neighborhood in upstate New York, which created its own identity crises.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Both Funny & Heart Wrenching in the Perfect Ratio.
- By Lauren Fisher on 06-30-21
-
A Living Remedy
- A Memoir
- By: Nicole Chung
- Narrated by: Jennifer Kim
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 56
Nicole Chung couldn’t hightail it out of her overwhelmingly white Oregon hometown fast enough. As a scholarship student at a private university on the East Coast, no longer the only Korean she knew, she found community and a path to the life she'd long wanted. But the middle class world she begins to raise a family in–where there are big homes, college funds, nice vacations–looks very different from the middle class world she thought she grew up in, where paychecks have to stretch to the end of the week, health insurance is often lacking, and there are no safety nets.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful and heartfelt
- By Sandra on 04-23-23
By: Nicole Chung
-
If You Would Have Told Me
- A Memoir
- By: John Stamos
- Narrated by: John Stamos
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,819
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,721
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,720
If you would have told a young John Stamos flipping burgers at his dad’s fast-food joint that one day he’d be a household name and that, at the height of his success, he’d be living alone, divorced, with no kids, high on a cocktail of forgetting, he might’ve asked, “You want fries with that?”
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Don't expect Uncle Jesse's autobiography...
- By Song4Ten on 10-24-23
By: John Stamos
-
I'm Glad My Mom Died
- By: Jennette McCurdy
- Narrated by: Jennette McCurdy
- Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 118,780
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 104,979
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 104,594
Jennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother’s dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called “calorie restriction." She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, “Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn’t tint hers?” She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income. In I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Unexpectedly poor narration
- By Glitchzig on 08-10-22
By: Jennette McCurdy
-
Born a Crime
- Stories from a South African Childhood
- By: Trevor Noah
- Narrated by: Trevor Noah
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 216,213
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 195,607
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 194,639
In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book and perfect narration
- By MarilynArms on 12-15-16
By: Trevor Noah
-
Hold On, But Don't Hold Still
- Hope and Humor from My Seriously Flawed Life
- By: Kristina Kuzmic
- Narrated by: Kristina Kuzmic
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,934
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,704
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,696
Kristina Kuzmic has made herself a household name, speaking directly to mothers from the trenches of parenthood via her viral videos and social media presence. She is now bringing her message of self-acceptance, resilience, and joy to audiobook listeners. With a refreshingly unpretentious, funny, and galvanizing voice, Kuzmic goes behind the scenes to reveal how she went from broke and defeated to unshakably grounded and brimming with thankfulness.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Girl, This is It
- By K.C. on 05-04-20
By: Kristina Kuzmic
-
Around the Way Girl
- A Memoir
- By: Taraji P. Henson
- Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 9,528
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 8,339
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 8,292
With a sensibility that recalls her beloved screen characters, including Yvette, Queenie, Shug, and the iconic Cookie from Empire, yet is all Taraji, the screen actress writes of her families - the one she was born into and the one she created. She shares stories of her father, a Vietnam vet who was bowed but never broken by life's challenges, and of her mother, who survived violence both in the home and on DC's volatile streets. Here, too, she opens up about her experiences as a single mother.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Around My way, Your Way & Every Woman's way
- By Yolanda on 10-26-16
By: Taraji P. Henson
-
Firefly Lane
- A Novel
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
- Length: 17 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22,017
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,278
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,232
In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all - beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Beachy Fare
- By FanB14 on 04-29-13
By: Kristin Hannah
-
The Glass Castle
- A Memoir
- By: Jeannette Walls
- Narrated by: Jeannette Walls
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18,063
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15,721
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15,729
Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination. Rose Mary painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family; she called herself an "excitement addict."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
What's normal?
- By Kmrsy on 11-30-13
By: Jeannette Walls
-
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
- A Novel
- By: Robert Dugoni
- Narrated by: Robert Dugoni
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 20,720
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18,678
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18,621
Sam Hill always saw the world through different eyes. Born with red pupils, he was called “Devil Boy” or Sam “Hell” by his classmates; “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. Her words were of little comfort, but Sam persevered. Sam believed it was God who sent Ernie Cantwell, the only African American kid in his class, to be the friend he so desperately needed. And that it was God’s idea for Mickie Kennedy to storm into Our Lady of Mercy like a tornado, uprooting every rule Sam had been taught about boys and girls. Forty years later, Sam, a small-town eye doctor, is no longer certain anything was by design.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow..allow yourself to be submerged in this book
- By Donna Smith McG on 05-18-18
By: Robert Dugoni
-
The Color of Water
- A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
- By: James McBride
- Narrated by: JD Jackson, Susan Denaker
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,941
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,572
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2,569
Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her 12 Black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome
- By Michael on 05-30-17
By: James McBride
-
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,641
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,106
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,101
In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Sedaris is the gay Mark Twain.
- By Steve on 06-02-04
By: David Sedaris
-
Angela's Ashes
- By: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
- Narrated by: Frank McCourt, Jeannette Walls - introduction
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9,878
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,898
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,893
Why we think it’s a great listen: There’s no gentle way to put this – Frank McCourt’s performance of Angela’s Ashes is just better than the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Frank McCourt shares his sometimes heartwarming, sometimes heartbreaking story of growing up poor, Irish, and Catholic in the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir Angela's Ashes.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A classic book *and* a classic audiobook
- By Karen on 01-30-03
By: Frank McCourt, and others
-
This Is How It Always Is
- A Novel
- By: Laurie Frankel
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13,721
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12,339
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,315
When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Story mirrors our life -- to a point -- spoilers
- By 1mom3kids on 11-14-17
By: Laurie Frankel
-
Tell Me More
- Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say
- By: Kelly Corrigan
- Narrated by: Kelly Corrigan
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,250
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,120
It's a crazy idea: trying to name the phrases that make love and connection possible. But that's just what Kelly Corrigan has set out to do here. In her New York Times best-selling memoirs, Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their essences, showcasing a warm, easy storytelling style. Now, in Tell Me More, she's back with a deeply personal, unfailingly honest, and often hilarious examination of the essential phrases that turn the wheel of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
hard but worth it
- By erssmith on 09-19-18
By: Kelly Corrigan
-
Mom & Me & Mom
- By: Maya Angelou
- Narrated by: Maya Angelou
- Length: 4 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,563
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,364
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,361
The story of Maya Angelou’s extraordinary life has been chronicled in her multiple best-selling autobiographies. But now, at last, the legendary author shares the deepest personal story of her life: her relationship with her mother. For the first time, Angelou reveals the triumphs and struggles of being the daughter of Vivian Baxter, an indomitable spirit whose petite size belied her larger-than-life presence - a presence absent during much of Angelou’s early life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Never Enough Mom Books
- By Syd Young on 02-04-14
By: Maya Angelou
Critic reviews
“Who knew aging, memory-impaired mothers could surprise their reluctantly dutiful daughters? Jo’s counter-intuitive take on caring for Mama Jo speaks to the resilience in late-life family care relationships. As author and memoirist, Jo delighted participants at Duke’s Alzheimer’s conference by encouraging them to seek fresh, positive, and personal perspectives on caring.” (Lisa P. Gwyhter, MSW, co-author The Alzheimer’s Action Plan: A Family Guide, Director of Duke Aging Center Family Support Program)
What listeners say about When I Married My Mother
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Colleen Gibley
- 06-07-17
Beautiful story
A must read for anyone caring for aging parents! Very relatable story for daughters and sons alike.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- reader mother
- 02-15-25
humorous & heartrending tale of mother/child/aging
this book caught my eye when it popped up on Audible as something I might like, partly because I had been touched by George Hodgman's Bettyville when I read it in 2017; that author was like this one in that they both left successful careers & big city life in NY to go to places of much slower pace & different vibe to care for elderly mothers; I am 63 & my mom is thankfully doing OK on her own at 89 but I wish I still lived 20 minutes from her instead of 6 hours away as she could use more company & assistance; more & more I see my contemporaries caught in webs of multigenerational family; like everything, this has its pros & cons, but people live longer & longer & spread out further & have children later, & cost of living continually increases ... ; adults who have reached "empty nest"/senior citizen status themselves & could be coasting through retirement, may be closely parenting young adult children, & caring for both grandchildren & elderly parents, some while continuing full time careers; this is one thing if the parties live close, but quite another if there is significant travel to get between home base & where services are needed; the reality is very different when $ is not a concern vs when it is tight; I applaud the honesty & humor of the thoughts & emotions of the author as she finds her way on an unexpected life detour; it is both stifling & a blessing to be in a period between focusing primarily on one's own life & providing service to others/ as is often the case, the servant is as blessed as the one served; our roots do matter; I did not appreciate the frequent use of 4 letter words beginning with S & F, & southern Protestant church/religion/Christianity bashing, but did understand the culture clash being portrayed & that the author was sorting things out during the course of her journey; I was greatly touched by the tender detailed story & glad I listened to it; though there are many excellent narrator performances, I always appreciate author's reading their own works as Jo Maeder did; God really does know what He is doing &, like the song says, has the whole world in His hands
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Victoria Evangelina
- 08-11-16
A must read for grown up children
A MUST READ for every daughter. No matter what relations you have with your Mom, you can always make it better. Call your Momma today, before it is too late... And listen to this awesome memoir!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Diane B Anderson
- 07-26-16
Great Mother and Daughter Story
This reminds me of the time I had mom in her final years. I made me nostalgic for two years ago. I miss my mom everyday. Thanks for a touching memorial to love.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Holly
- 05-24-16
loved this. sad it's over.
beimg able to listen to this made it very real. i felt like I was sittimg listening to Jo in my kitchen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- kristi g bustamante
- 10-01-16
Loved this book and its author
Wonderful! I have recommended this story to several friends who are also getting to know their parents as "old people". It's encouraging and honest. Personally, I want to look up and find Jo Maeder and ask her to be my friend. She's just someone you like.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- mz
- 10-05-18
Deeply meaningful, loving, courageous, peaceful
Deeply meaningful book. Through touching stories and genuine internal feelings, it shows how the bond of family can pull people together in the face of crisis, no matter how different they are, and even if those people never got along before.
We don't get to choose our parents. Often do we hear that people don't get along with their parents, or dread going home, or regret being too busy to see them before they suddenly passed away. Jo Maeder's memoir showed me that despite all the dreading and groaning, previous family separation, or personal differences, something inside us would push us to want to care for our parents in their weakening years. It is a feeling that I can echo with.
The parental love, or moreover the maternal love, is quite an incomparable kind of love. It is unconditionally forgiving and eternally so, more than one might realize until one becomes a parent or until a crisis.
Highly recommend this moving memoir.
Narrator: The author, also the narrator, is a radio presenter by trade. Can't get an author-narrated audiobook much better than that.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. Key
- 03-22-20
Laugh and Cry
This author added humor to an extremely difficult situation. If we are fortunate, we have aging parents and they will need some level of care, even if just to check in with them. This is a story about discovering what a gift an aging parent can be before it's too late.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan Gorman
- 04-29-16
I didn't think the book could get any better...
This book is amazing...full of heart and love...I feel like it was written just for me...it's not very often that I'm at a loss for words but bottom line is EVERYONE should read this book and then buy more to give as gifts...Thank you Jo for sharing your journey with us...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leah
- 06-25-17
Powerful. Real. Raw, at times.
What was one of the most memorable moments of When I Married My Mother?
Every time the author owned her part in the relationship between her, and her mother-no matter how painful. It pained me to have to hear the kind of courage that I'm not sure I possess! I also loved the queens that danced with Mama Jo.
What about Jo Maeder’s performance did you like?
The honest emotion. That made it real. The telling of the way Mama Jo's smile lit up her face over memories or situations made me see it very clearly in my mind's eye. I actually waited in each chapter for that smile to light up her face. It struck me in my heart, I suppose, because early in the book it seemed as though her heart had been permanently trod upon.
I loved how the author told of the relationship with "The best neighbor I ever had" with such tenderness.
The accepting of the truth about her father. That he loved her no matter what.
Any additional comments?
Mama Jo's dolls. The stories behind them. I loved knowing that they weren't 'just dolls' , but that each one had an important story about family history behind it. There was never a need for a book to be written by Mama Jo-it was already written in the memory of each doll. To me, almost every chapter in this book taught me something about the way I should treat other people, and how people need and deserve to be treated-even when they don't fit into my mind's neat little story about how they 'should' be. Thank you for those lessons. Thank you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!