What do readers think of Have Mother, Will Travel by Claire & Mia Fontaine? Write your own review.

I enjoyed this so much and think it will be a good movie.Now I am surprised that I had not read (or heard of) the Fontaine's first book, but I plan to go back and read it. Although I never had the problems that daughter Mia did, I could totally relate to the moments of frustration or even anger that can come with a trip with one's mother - no matter how good of friends a mother and daughter may be. Recently when I saw an online deal-of-the-day site offer an airline's around the world treasure hunt, I immediately thought: someone must've read or heard of this book. I have already emailed my book club members and girlfriends in many cities with advice to read this book when it is published. As much as I enjoyed this book, I have a feeling it is generally more of a woman's book than a man's although anyone will be touched by some of the visits like the orphanage in Nepal. Also, males or females will stop and reflect on the sentence (page 10) :"There are few things the world can throw at you that will cause you more grief than what you manage to throw at yourself." I am so glad I had the opportunity to preview this!

This book was laugh out loud funny while the two traveled on a scavenger hunt. Their time in France, however, was as entertaining as watching someone eat french bread and drink coffee. It comes across as being "filler"; the first adventures were not enough for a full book, so they had a planned stay in France. This is where the book starts to drag. I think I was suppose to be engrossed at the mother-daughter relationship musings, but it fell far short of entertainment and I did not finish the book. Great start, lackluster middle and finish.

As the mother of two daughters with whom I often travel, I could relate to a large part of this book. I will be traveling to China this fall with one of my daughters and this book has me thinking ahead of what could happen and what I hope doesn't happen. The two authors do a good job of expressing themselves in their individual segments. They have a real sense of what each other is experiencing and yet they are constantly learning so much about each other.

This book was outstanding. It was at times funny, at times insightful, at times a travel guide, and above all it was always a worthwhile reading experience. The mother/daughter team gave corresponding personal reflections not only on their relationship, but on life in general. Many of their observations really hit a true not with me, or else opened my eyes to something I have not thought about in regard to relationships, or life experiences. I recommend it to all women, even if (like me) you are not the mother of a daughter!