2008-01-09 A Must Read For Anyone In A Stepfamily!!

I have read a number of books on how to improve stepfamily life and each of them have had some positive things to offer, however, none of them have hit all the nails on the head in the way this book has. This book is primarily aimed at those brave souls entering a family as a stepparent, however, I am the natural parent in my stepfamily scenario and I can honestly say that this book has done me the wonderful favour of clearly seeing our situation through everyone's eyes. I now have so much insight into how my children feel and also the emotional rollercoaster my partner is constantly on. This will help me no end! It has given me a deeper appreciation of how complex my childrens' feelings are and how these feelings manifest themselves in their behaviours. It has also given me a renewed admiration and respect for my partner who is trying to make sense of it all. From beginning to end of this book, I time and time again identified with the points the author covered - she could have been writing about us!! This book should be read by everyone already in a stepfamily or thinking about entering one in my opinion!

One last major plus about this book. A lot of the previous books I have read on this subject have been written from an American perspective. I often have trouble identifying with the terminology and over emotional gushiness of American accounts. This book is refreshingly British in its outlook, from the prose to the matter of fact way it deals with the issues, some of which are highly emotional. The author hits just the right note every time.