Customer Reviews
A Must Read For Anyone In A Stepfamily!! - By: Sharon G, 09 Jan 2008 
I have read a number of books on how to improve stepfamily life & each of them have had some positive things to offer, however, none of them have hit all the nails on the headin 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 parentin my stepfamily scenario & 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 & 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 & how these feelings manifest themselvesin their behaviours. It has also given me a renewed admiration & respect for my partner who is trying to make sense of it all. From beginning to end of this book, I time & time again identified with the points the author covered - she could have been writing about us!! This book should be read by everyone alreadyin a stepfamily or thinking about entering onein 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 & over emotional gushiness of American accounts. This book is refreshingly Britishin 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.
Essential reading for everyone involved: partners, parents, grandparents - By: M. R. Bentheim, 08 May 2006 Firstly I would like to thank Flora McEvedy for her honesty & generosity of spirit. This book will help anyone whose partner has children. I found it when I was desparate. Although I love my partner's children, after 5 years, I was becoming my worst nightmare, a stern, critical, bossy woman ready to erupt at the slightest thing not the warm, empathetic person I aimed to be when I started out. I only wish this book had been available then. The book is very clearly written which it needs to be. It answers the fundamental questions. Who am Iin all this? What am I supposed to do? What is my role? How can I contributein a positive way? How can I help? From my own experience I can say that it is very easy to get lost. It is very easy to get it wrong. This book also helps the biological parent understand all these difficulties. Things are not easy for them either. This book gives you both a strategy. Divorce is a painful business for children & adults. I've come to believe that it is always there for those involved, We can't heal all the scars. This book gives a senstive path through the fall out.
To the author. A second book please focussing on how to meet teenagers' needs
