First of all, I am a child and adult psychoanalyst and as it happens Mrs. Viorst (a free-lance writer of, among other things, childrens books) was invited by the institute who trained me in Child Psychoanalysis to be a "lay" student-- meaning not medically professional-to participate in the training which was one of the best at that time in child developmental psychoanalytic theory and practice. It was a committment by this author which spanned several years and a very extensive and intensive experience. this book was a distillation of many elements of that program as seen by this very "clear" competent writer. I have given this book to many people and bought this one to replace one of my daughter's copies. It is an indepth look at psychological developement and especially the mother-child relationship (or Object relationships) and was on the New York Times best seller list for many months. It is still very relevent and well-worth the current new and used price.

This book covers everything one needs to know to understand oneself. Under a very positive approach, it made me think a lot at each chapter. Take your time to read it, it is really worth it !

This book is very interesting and helpful if you have the time to devote to reading all of the psychoanalytical aspects. There is definitely information supporting Viorst's viewpoints and the book really encourages you to think in-depth about your life.

this was a gift for a friend who had just lost a sister.
I teach a college course on death and dying and I have found this Viorst book still one of the best both for practicality and knowledge.

This well-written book is definitely worth reading. It offers comfort and guidance to all of us on our travel through the different stages of our life-cycle. Although not foolishly optimistic, the book is up-beat and even manages to interpret Freud in an affirmative light. Although written in the eighties, the work of the analyst-author is still relevant. I've given this book to friends as a gift.