Daughters for a Time

By: Jennifer Handford

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Feelings of abandonment filled Helen at a too-young age when her mother died and her father walked out. Left in the care of her sister, Claire, she moved on, but never truly healed. Now thirty-five, married, and starting her own family, she must confront her inability to bear children by accepting the idea of adopting. But just when Helen experiences holding her new baby for the first time, she is blindsided with the worst possible news: Claire has cancer. Helen’s wounds are again torn open as she balances the delight of parenthood with the grief of her ailing sister.

A poignant and probing exploration of life and loss, Daughters for a Time is a tale of unconditional love, the destructive and healing powers of family, and the search for solid ground between pain and joy.

©2012 Jennifer Handford (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Tear jerker!

What made the experience of listening to Daughters for a Time the most enjoyable?

A beautiful and heart felt story. It is a must read. I highly recommend this story.

Helpful read for prospective adopting parents

Readers interested in adopting and people dealing with the loss of a family member would possibly find this book very helpful and interesting. At my age I am not interested in adopting. I prefer to have to extrapolate myself rather than listen to a blow by blow narration. Some readers would love the detail and enjoy the numerous levels of familial relationship. When I start a book unless it is very bad I finish listening so I listened to the very end. The ending was predictable.

Wonderful must read

A story with such a big range of emotions, ranging from sisterhood, death, adoption and faith. I couldn't put it down.

Potential squandered

This is a good story and Handford is a good storyteller. The narrator did an excellent job. My problem was that, after about the the first couple of hours, I'd had about all I could stand of the unrelenting self-absorption, self-centeredness and self-pitying of Helen, the central character of this book. She really spoiled the story for me only because she was so endlessly whiny and self-pitying. I do understand that the author had beset this poor woman with many woes in her childhood and young adulthood, but her life wasn't exactly horrible. I just got so sick of her endless self-pity. Even when she did things "right," she still seemed terribly self-absorbed and constantly ready for life to deal her another blow.

And, of course, it did. And in the end, she grew up and grew a backbone, so I suppose that was the point. But she was very annoying.

I very much enjoyed the part of the book that dealt with the adoption of her first child from China. That was very interesting.

It's not that I don't think you should buy the book, but I was mildly distracted by Helen.

Emotional and Personal Story of Adoption

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

As an adoptive mother, I was very interested in this story. It is well narrated, The story tells of the emotion and pain of infertility. It tells of emotional growth and the joy of adoption and motherhood. it is worth reading if you are considering adoption.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jennifer Handford again?

Yes she is a very fine story teller. I enjoyed her narration.

Could you see Daughters for a Time being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

not a movie story.

heart warming

it is a story of how cancer can affect generation after generation. Also, how a mother's love is so big that it can spread even when it is not your own blood but from your heart.

A joyful listen! Well worth my time!

I thoroughly enjoyed "living through pregnancy" again ... since it's 42 yrs since my last baby, and 52 yrs since my first baby. The author shared lots of joy and sorrows. The actor who read the story was UTTERLY PHENOMENAL!!

Great Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Great plot, writing and character development.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Helen was honest and real and vulnerable and strong.

What does Tanya Eby bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A sense of irony and wryness.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I cried out loud.

A Very Real Story

This story took me a bit to get into because it was sad. Mom died, can't get pregnant, depressed lady. But it was very real and since my mom had died when I was a teen, and I struggled early on with infertility, I related well and became caught up. I do recommend!!!

Very moving tearjerker

What did you love best about Daughters for a Time?

A very moving story about the love between parents and children and between sisters.

What did you like best about this story?

The way it dealt with serious issues contemporary families face, such as infertility, cancer, and divorce, and didn't have an unrealistic happy ending.

Which character – as performed by Tanya Eby – was your favorite?

Helen, the protagonist

If you could rename Daughters for a Time, what would you call it?

I love the title; wouldn't want to rename it.

Any additional comments?

Keep tissues handy, especially if you've had a close family member who has or has had cancer. If you like tearjerkers, you'll like this book.