Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter

By: Melissa Francis

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

When Melissa Francis was eight years old, she won the role of lifetime: playing Cassandra Cooper Ingalls, the little girl who was adopted with her brother (played by young Jason Bateman) by the Ingalls family on the world’s most famous prime-time soap opera, Little House on the Prairie. Despite her age, she was already a veteran actress, living a charmed life, moving from one Hollywood set to the next. But behind the scenes, her success was fueled by the pride, pressure, and sometimes grinding cruelty of her stage mother.

While Melissa thrived under pressure, her older sister - who had tried her hand at acting and shrank from the limelight - was often ignored by their mother in a shadow of neglect and disappointment. Tiffany could do nothing to please her mother, but it wasn’t until after Melissa had graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics, found love, and married that Tiffany’s personal problems culminated in a life-and-death crisis. When Melissa realized the role her mother continued to play in her sister’s downward spiral, she resolved to end the manic, abusive cycle once and for all.

Diary of a Stage Mother’s Daughter is a fascinating account of life as a child star in the 1980s, and also a disquieting tale of a family under the care of a highly neurotic, dangerously competitive "tiger mother". But perhaps most importantly, now that Melissa has two sons of her own, it’s a meditation on motherhood. She asks the questions so many of us ask ourselves: How hard should you push a child to succeed, and at what point does your help turn into harm?

©2012 Melissa Francis (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Evan's Review

After listening to Melissa last book I want listen

to the story behind Melissa childhood. if you want to learn how not to be a good mother this book is for you and then think God for good parents. I strongly believe Melissa is a great parent along with an excellent jounalist.

Riveting!

Great story. Compelling! Truly a page turner. Although tragic; Melissa's candor made it difficult to put this book down.

Awesome book - really enjoyed it.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Raised during the Little House years, is what initially made me buy this book - but once you get to about the second paragraph, you are grasped by the story - the characters and their feelings and can not put it down.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Opening scene moves you right into the writers shoes.......

Any additional comments?

Excellent use of descriptive adjectives - and thank you to Melissa Francis for sharing her private story - all the best to her on her many successes she obtained all by herself!

Very well written, but a painful story.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Amazing story of survival and accomplishment by a very talented child who became a very wise and talented woman. But, her journey was more painful for me than interesting. Melissa never makes you feel sorry for her. Rather, you feel stunned and angry for her. She handles her mother in a rather matter-of-fact way that is nonjudgemental, which is amazing, considering what mother did to Melissa and her sister, Tiffany. This nonjudgemental voice makes it possible for you to listen without the emotion of sorrow, but for me, I found myself getting angry. Mother was a bad person.

Would you be willing to try another book from Melissa Francis? Why or why not?

Yes.

Was Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter worth the listening time?

yes

Any additional comments?

Mommy Dearest meets Dragon Mother

Heartwringer

Beautifully written. From the very start of this book, you feel like you are there. The author is quite open. The way she expresses in detail what is going on between the members of her family is enlightening. The contradictions and complexities of stage mother behavior demonstrates how difficult it can be to deal with this type of situation.
Sadly, in the end, this behavior leads to heartbreak and tragedy.

An Interesting Fly on the Wall...

I think just about every actor in Little House on the Prairie must have written their memoirs now and this was as good as the rest of them. I enjoyed listening to the book but this comes in the category of the less memorable kind of book that I remember very little about a few weeks after reading.

Disappointed!

This book is basically about a crazy mother and spoiled daughter who criticized and judged ever person in this book. Thank goodness she does become a better person when she becomes a mother herself. She even criticized her sister for crying at her wedding. I’m sorry this book was such a disappointment. I could do without all the judging of other people’s looks and actions. Wasted a credit on this one! It was a struggle to get through!

Really Disappointing

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The first half of the book, regarding the authors childhood and insights into the movie business was very interesting, but after that, the author just sounded like a young person who never matured and wanted to blame her mother for everything. I kept wanting to say "good grief, get over it." Everyone's parents can be upsetting at times. The author had a lot less to put up with than a whole lot of other people who get on with their lives.
I was disappointed. It was a waist of my time and money!

What didn’t you like about Cris Dukehart’s performance?

If I were the author I would be really annoyed that the narrator made Melissa sound like a spoiled brat. I know the author wanted the mother to sound like the worst person on earth, but she succeeded in doing it to the author as well.

Could you see Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Only if you stop it half way.

Wonderful book but have tissues ready

I loved the book. I felt great empathy for Melissa and her sister but was also challenged by Melissa's determination to rise above the pain and abuse of her childhood.

Healing book in a really life situation.

There is lessons for everyone in the well done book. Melissa was able to muster courage and overcome such difficult situations. She changed the the narrative and strove to overcome the difficulty and thrive. Others melted under constant criticism, or ignored the the situation and let things settle on their own. You can effect other's life by bullying, and the words you said. You may not see the results, but they remain like a burn scar. Things you may have said even years ago can still linger and leave a scar. Bring up not down. So well done, Everyone's book, thank you for this healing book.