Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor

Sue Monk Kidd, author of The Secret Life of Bees, co-authors Traveling with Pomegranates, with her adult daughter Ann. Seeing their joint experiences from two different perspectives is fascinating. Both women are at important crossroads in their lives, Sue transitioning into menopause and Ann making the shift from college student to professional adult. Both are very sensitive to the changes in their lives and are searching for answers to important life questions.

While Ann was in college, Sue felt a distancing between the two of them and longed for a closer connection. Their first trip to Greece is a combination graduation gift to Ann and a birthday gift to Sue, who, turning 50, is feeling the twinges of her mortality. Sue's writing career is unsatisfying, and she feels frustrated with her lack of productivity. Ann, rejected by her first choice for graduate school, is experiencing self doubt and is struggling to find her career path in life.

Sue and Ann are extremely articulate intelligent women who write with depth and honesty. Their examine their inner lives directly and share their doubts and fears with their readers, a difficult task. Traveling with Pomegranates is an intellectual journey of self discovery for two women from different generations. Among the ancient ruins in Greece, they find the answers they seek and grow closer together in their mother-daughter relationship.

Reviewed by Susie Nightingale

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