MyssCyn; wonderful reading for this new grandma! Full of essays about the joys and pitfalls of grandmothering - what it's like to be close�or not. Different parenting styles of the kids, how to "keep your mouth shut & wear beige" to keep on speaking terms with the parents. ( )

This collections of essays by well-known writers/grandmothers is not the sweet book about being a nana that I was looking for. It's like a punch in the gut, actually. It's an honest look at what being a grandmother is really like for these women. There's no sugar coating here. These women have stories about their relationships (or lack of) with their adult children, their feelings about not seeing junior enough or seeing him too much. I recommend it because life is real. Someone may find something similar to their situation and feel comforted. ( )

What a wonderful book to read as Mother's Day approaches. This is a collection of reflections of many women on that role of grandmothering...the good, the bad, the ugly. The book shows that being a grandmother is not an easy thing to be with the role often being determined by the adult child and/or spouse. Sometimes a grandmother can only be what is allowed and nothing more. Sometimes this role can bring up old unresolved parent/child issues. But every writer agrees that this is a unique one of a kind relationship that is very, very special.

This book is very readable and would make a great Mother's Day gift or a gift for a new grandmother. ( )

Watch Bethanne Patrick interview Barbara Graham about her book EYE OF MY HEART on The Book Studio.