Reviews of Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother,
A Memoir by Rosemary Mild.
Book cover Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother

Readers' Favorite Review:Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother

Magic Island Literary Works

Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother by Rosemary Mild is a delightful memoir about life with a vibrant but controlling Jewish mother. The author's mother was a talented journalist who had high expectations for her two children. The author, Rosemary, was a child who had a very difficult time living up to her mother's expectations. She was not the svelte and intellectual child her mother desired and with obvious and not-so-obvious clues, the author learned the ways in which she did not live up to her mother's standards. But, despite the occasional disapproval, there was a great deal of love in the family and the author was continually aware of how much the talents of her mother would go on to influence her own life.

In Love! Laugh! Panic! Life With My Mother, Rosemary Mild describes how her Jewish home was both typical and atypical for its time. I particularly liked the sections dealing with interactions with the extended family, Aunt Lucy and Grandma Minnie and Grandpa Henry, as well as with the other set of grandparents, Elizabeth and Henry. In many ways, the love of the extended family helped to weather the author and keep her on track to a sane adulthood. The lovely pictures at the end of the book help the reader visualize these events by placing a face with the activities described. Probably the most outrageous chapter dealt with Rosemary becoming a debutante. The activities surrounding the big event were so true to the time and the author's candid recall leaves the reader laughing and sympathizing at the same time. This is a lovely read for those wanting to get in touch with their own roots.––Reviewed By Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite