Ann Landers in Her Own Words: Personal Letters to Her Daughter [Paperback]

Margo Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2005

My mother wrote this book. It took her forty-four years... Three generations of Americans grew up reading Ann Landers. Her advice guided and inspired millions. Now, by reading the letters she wrote to her daughter, everyone who loved her column can get to know the woman behind the famous name. Ann Landers was born Eppie Lederer to immigrant parents in Iowa, but her extraordinary success would bring her into the world of the rich, the famous, and the talented. She met with popes and presidents and socialized with the best and brightest of her generation. And she told her daughter all about it as she opined on world-changing events and candidly spoke of her love life after her divorce, as well as her innermost feelings about her identical twin, "Dear Abby," and their long-standing feud. Witty and often hilarious, passionate, and, of course, brimming with sound advice, Ann Landers in Her Own Words is a portrait of an American original whose profound influence still resonates today. This book brings back the voice and spirit of the woman who helped ninety million people greet the day and forever changed us with her immortal words: "Wake up and smell the coffee."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARGO HOWARD lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her husband.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (April 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446695041
• ISBN-13: 978-0446695046
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,869,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars mother love, May 13, 2005

By 

Peter London "Peter" (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ann Landers in Her Own Words: Personal Letters to Her Daughter (Paperback)

I loved this book. Given to me as a present, I had no idea what to expect and began reading it with a sense of uncertainty. But within a dozen pages I was completely held and involved. It is poignant, funny, wise and deeply engrossing, and full of practical advice on love, marriage, divorce, motherhood, and growing older. At times I got the guilty (but delicious) feeling that I was reading a good friend's private correspondence - it is that intimate and that honest. Some say that letter writing is a dead art, a form of communication that was killed off by the telephone and, more recently, the brutal abruptness of e-mail. But here it is resurrected in all its former glory. Full of good gossip and insights about famous names in show business, politics, the media and literature. there were moments when I laughed out loud and, occasionally, wanted to weep. I was honestly sad when I reached the end - so I started all over again. Happily, as one does in all good letters, I still found new things to surprise me. Margo Howard tells us that "letters were my mother's art form," and this book confirms that gloriously. Ms. Howard is no slouch at letter writing either, answering her mother's missives with equal wit, insights, and humanity. Those for whom this will be their first taste of the wit and wisdom of Ann Landers - or Margo Howard, who has followed in her mother's footsteps as an agony aunt - have a treat in store.

3.0 out of 5 stars Too tame for my tastes., June 23, 2010

By 

V. Viti "vviti" (RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ann Landers in Her Own Words: Personal Letters to Her Daughter (Kindle Edition)

I was a little bored with the subject matter. I was expecting something else. I am putting the book aside and maybe I'll go back to it sometime. Regardless, I like the way her daughter writes.