Customer Reviews

Just Us: Adventures and Travels of a Mother and Daughter

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Reading this book was just such a delight for me! When I think of my daughter, my memories recall the many joys of raising her to young womanhood. Closing the covers on the colorful and heartwarming adventures of this mother and daughter pair, I am indeed envious. Nothing would give me greater joy than to share such interesting experiences with my own daughter and create these "memories in the making" to further our long list of good times together. Melissa Balmain is a gifted writer, sharing not only the rigors of the adventure du jour, but also the emotional richness of her relationship with her Mom. I would love nothing better than to read a book written by her mother -- from the older woman's perspective. No, actually I'd much prefer to gather the wherewithal to write such a book myself! I'm all fired up to call my 'little girl' and say: "Meet me at the LLBean outlet in an hour!" As vacation season approaches, don't miss this book. It's a great read!

Melissa Balmain makes you laugh and makes you think with her wonderful book about getting to know her mom again. For those of us who can't imagine traveling with our mothers now that we're grown up, this book can be a very healing influence. After reading it, I decided to call my mother just to get to know her better-- and although we haven't gone traveling together, we had a very deep discussion. And I think traveling together may be in the future!

I read this book on the couch with the dog semi-reclining on my lap. Everytime I laughed, I disturbed her rest. Poor dog didn't get much sleep. Amidst the perpetual good humor and rich description, Melissa Balmain reveals the nuances of a complex relationship with great love and care. A copy of Just Us is on the way to my mom, whom I have long promised an eating tour of the chocolate shops of Brussels. Maybe we, too, can tempt fate and get in a kayak someday. This is a lovely first book, and I look forward to more from this author.

"Just Us" is a delight. The author and her mother take a series of "women only" adventures in various parts of the United States. The covert purpose of these trips is to elevate the mother/daughter relationship to a new level. Melissa Balmain writes well and obviously relishes in the art of storytelling. Her insightful observations and perspective are rich with hunor; her self-deprecating style empathetically involves the reader in her adventures, successes and frustrations. I've never thought of fly fishing or lama trekking before, and certainly not with a relative-- let alone a relative equipped with a complicated relationship to me. Yet, from the preferred safety and comfort of my armchair, I was willingly transported to these places with Balmain as a spirited guide. The book makes a great gift... and it's hopeful to know that someone, somewhere can successfully survive, not one, but several vacations with her mother.

I laughed, I cried, I related. Balmain captures the quirky, sticky, prickly, loving bond between adult daughter and mother with the right combination of clear-eyed honesty and sentiment. Anyone who's interested in mother-daughter relationships, or who's just interested in a good read, should pick up this book.

Several years ago, Melissa Balmain and her mother were tired and needing a vacation. One thing led to another and they agreed to go on a trip together without their spouses so that they can get to know one another better. They decided that an outdoor trip would force the sharing of confidences. Over the next few years, the mother and daughter team has gone kayaking amidst killer whales, visited remote Native American ruins, fly-fishing, and riding mush sled pulled by dogs, etc.

This book is the true adventures of Melissa Balmain and her mother, who made eight trips back to nature together. The stories are often funny and poignant as the two intrepid females begin to connect with each other. Even more so, readers will connect with JUST US because it runs the entire gamut of human emotions in an upbeat way.

Harriet Klausner