In MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS, Rae Meadows explores three women of one matriarchal line --- their relationships, their hidden lives, and their secrets. From outstanding descriptions of turn-of-the-century New York to present-day Sanibel Island, their individual stories are woven together in a pleasing format.
Violet is 12. She and her mother, Lilibeth, landed in New York after Lilibeth decided to leave Kentucky, the husband she doesn't love, and a hard-scrabble life she thought her looks would help her avoid. She is also running from the stillbirth of her son, whom she held for two days before allowing to be buried.