What do readers think of The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman? Write your own review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a memoir about a young mother and her concerns for her daughter, feeling lonely in her marriage and their travels to Belize that help them to resolve their issues. I think a lot of women will be able to relate to her feelings and fears.

The writing was great, it flowed nicely and was very easy to get immersed in. I could have done with less description of the Mayan culture and history. But, I think I was also anxious to finish and get the review in before I leave for vacation.

I think this is a good book club choice, there is a lot for discussion and is an overall good read.

This is a skillfully written book which I enjoyed. Women readers will identify with the author's struggle to balance her role as a wife and mother without sacrificing her individual identity. The physical and mystical journey the family experiences strengthens their bond and belief in the possibility of everything. At times, the novel references politics and historical background more than necessary which distracts from the main story.

In a memoir which reads like a novel, complete with satisfying character development, rising action, and climax, Hope Edelman tells about the brief period in her life when she went to Belize to seek an unorthodox healing experience for her three year old daughter. The book was engaging, easy to read, at times very humorous. It also provided a plethora of information about alternative healing, the ancient Mayan culture, and shamanic ceremony. I would recommend the book to anyone with an open mind who wants to explore "The Possibility of Everything."

The author describes in a bit too much detail (for me) the geography of the area they visited on the trip to help their daughter. Have to admit by the middle of the book I was skipping over these sections of the book. If you love travel and detail this book may be just the read for you. Found the process that was used to "heal" Maya very interesting and that is what kept the book moving for me. Overall a good read. I will be looking for other titles by the author.

The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman. As a memorist Ms. Edelman has accomplished what every memorist hopes for: to be able to surrender fear and be willing to reveal one's inner truth, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Having said that it is fair to say that this book is a much as a travelogue with Belize as the subject. The main purpose of the journey, to help daughter Maya seems to take second place. Ms. Edelman does give insight into what is ultimately important to ordinary people and about how we are healed through a quest.

I enjoy Hope Edelman's writing style and based on the title and book description was looking forward to her views on the "leap of faith" that transformed her life. For me, that is where the book was lacking. What I wanted and what kept me reading was for her to tell more about her experience in the Belize jungle with her daughter and the healers that changed life for them. I wanted to be in her head with her thoughts and emotions, but that is where I felt the book fell flat and became more of a description of their travels and less of their experiences.

I haven't read the author's previous books, but it's not hard to guess her primary focus. Here's four other titles listed in this book: Motherless Daughters, Letters from Motherless Daughters, Mother of My Mother, Motherless Mothers.

It comes as no surprise that Edelman comes across as a wee bit obsessive and humorless in this memoir. Her then only daughter, Maya, is three, and seems to be having her terrible twos late; and her husband is working many overtime hours. Maya's tantrums and her imaginary "friend", Dodo, prove to be more than her mother can cope with. Despite re-assurance from the child's pediatrician, seconded by a family friend/therapist, that Maya's behavior is normal, that she'll outgrow it, Edelman and her husband shlep her down Belize, hoping to take her to a healer, while having a family holiday.

Yeah, great idea, you're thinking, especially since she's running a fever, coughing, and Edelman's booked a passage on a marginal third world airline. Don't worry, you won't miss a single beat of this trip, it's so slow, you'll feel like it's happening in real time. By page 200, we'd only gotten to day five of the trip. It's not just that every whine and whimper of the child is described, Edelman tries to provide a little history of the Maya, but it's just not that interesting--it feels like she's filling in the space.

It's hard to care that much about this family. The reader doesn't dislike them, just wants them to relax--come on, it's hardly a serious, life threatening illness we're dealing with here. It seems that Edelman copes with Maya's misbehavior by standing back in awe while she quietly falls apart inside. How about a little discipline here? And she seems to be over-reacting to the imaginary friend. As my mother would say, she won't be bringing him to college.

I would not recommend this book. There are better parenting memoirs, better travel writing, and better books that combine the two.