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5 Minutes for Books: Traveling with Pomegranates

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We go through so many stages as women: first being a child, dependent on our own mothers for everything; then a teenager, raging with hormones and aching for freedom and independence; as young adults we try to figure ourselves out; then we are young women, perhaps wives; motherhood is a distinct and life-changing phase, but soon our children need us less and less; we adjust to the empty nest phase which brings more hormone fluctuations and is a rebirth and a dying as we ask “What now?”

Fifty-something Sue Monk Kidd and her twenty-something daughter Ann Kidd Taylor explore these stages of a woman’s life in Traveling with Pomegranates.

The book begins ten years ago when Sue plans a trip to Greece — a gift to herself in honor of her fiftieth birthday, and a college graduation gift for her daughter Ann. I thought this book would be a lot more of a travel memoir than it is. There is a strong sense of place, but it’s more in the effect that each place has on each of the women.

So much ground is covered in this memoir, which is written honestly, poetically and inconclusively. It’s not one of those books where someone shares the answer she has found. This is a book about the journey. If any of these topics interest you, you might wish to go along on the journey with them:

  • Mother-Daughter relationships
  • Self-discovery
  • Life’s purpose
  • Spirituality and feminism
  • A call to write
  • The birth of a novel (Sue Monk Taylor’s The Secret Life of Bees)


We have two copies to give away — to anyone! U.S. and International residents welcome! Please leave a comment to enter. We’ll post the winners in next Monday’s book column.

The winner of last week’s book giveaway of Pink Brain, Blue Brain is #21 Heidi (@aol).


Contributing editor Jennifer Donovan manages 5 Minutes for Books and contributes to 5 Minutes for Giveaways. She blogs at Snapshot.

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100 Comments

  1. Regarding Sue & Ann’s book: I heard these fantastic women speak at The National Book Festival on Sept. 25. Their book-talk and life-talk was insightful and entertaining. It would be great to win a copy of their book. (We first read Sue’s writing as she participated in The Daily Guideposts lots of years ago.

    Reply

  7. Oh my goodness, didn’t know this book was out. Adding it to my list if I don’t win!
    Thanks for the chance,
    Megret

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  19. I would love to win this for my wonderful wife. We only have 2 kids left in the house and they will soon be moving out and I can already see the loss in my wife’s eyes so I think this book would be of major help.
    titletowntreasures(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

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  30. I have just about finished up all my books and looking to start my “winter reading collection”. This would be a welcome read.

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  41. I have never read anything by this author, but the journey of life’s purpose and self discovery sounds intriguing.

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  43. This interests me b/c I LOVED the Secret Life of Bees, and my hope and dream is for my relationship with my daughter to be much better than the one I had with my mother.

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  46. This looks so insightful into the Mother-Daughter Dance. I’d really enjoy the opportunity to read the book & I’d love to be selected to win a FREE copy. Thank you.

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  52. I stumbled across Sue Monk Kidd years ago through her book “When the Heart Waits; spiritual direction for life’s sacred questions”. She put words to my life experience as a mother and woman who longed for something deeper with God. As the mom of an adult daughter, I can’t wait to immerse myself in the journey of Sue and Ann!

    Reply

  57. I LOVE books that are actually ABOUT something and this sounds like one of those books. 🙂 Thanks for the review!

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  60. would love to read this – as a new mother, it’s made me rethink about my own relationships and the person that i am

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  69. No way! You would actually send it to Morocco!! OH please, please, random picker thingy, pick me! Pick me! 🙂 (Cuz it also looks fascinating. Believe me, I wouldn’t be begging for a board book)

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  70. I am desperately looking for a new book to read- just finished “Replacement Child: A Memoir” by Judy L. Mandel, which left me really pondering and empathizing with the family in this memoir, and can think of hardly anything else (truly was a fascinating book). Now I need something new to read and would love to win a copy of this book.

    Reply

  73. I’ve read and enjoyed other Sue Monk Kidd books, and this one sounds intriguing — particularly seeing her daughter’s writing. I’d love to win!

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  95. I would love to win a copy of this book! Thanks for the contest.

    amanda n.
    fitz12383(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply

  100. Sounds really good. Especially the mother-daughter relationship part… 😉
    Does the random number generator ever pick #1? 🙂

    Reply