photo by Scott Taylor

Traveling with Pomegranates, by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

I’ve not been particularly fond of travel books, but TRAVELING WITH POMEGRANATES captured my interest for several reasons. Sue Monk Kidd is a favorite author because of her book, THE SECRET LIVES OF BEES. I’ve read that novel several times and used it in several book groups. Two authors of this travel book, a mother and daughter, sparked my interest as well. At the start I was reminded of a book Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter wrote together. They admitted it would be their last book written together. Their marriage, they feared, might not survive another such enterprise, which made me wonder how a mother and daughter fared through the experience? The chapters, alternating between Sue and Ann, brought an interesting contrast in, not only their ages, but their particular interests and priorities. (differences)?

I do believe Sue and her daughter Ann, fared well in this adventure. Their related stories as they traveled in Greece had a bit of a spiritual tone.  Mother and daughter kept their independence yet found a closeness that grew and developed into a wonderful kind of relationship and understanding. And to make it still more meaningful to me, Sue admitted getting inspiration for her novel, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. from their trip. Searching out the Madonnas in her travels there she found the Black Madonna that played an important role in her novel. The mother-daughter relationship added so much for me, too, because of my own special relationship with my daughter.

Lois