A compelling memoir about one woman's discovery of the true meaning of motherhood

'I loved this book, I was moved by this book and now I will share this book with my own mother.' Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Middle Place comes a new memoir that examines the bond between mothers and daughters.

Kelly Corrigan's mother summarised the the division of labour in her family as: 'Your father's the glitter, but I'm the glue.' This meant nothing to Kelly, who left her childhood sure that her mum would be nothing more than background for the rest of Kelly's life.

After college, she took off see things and Become Interesting. In a matter of months her savings had dwindled and she needed a job. That's how she met John Tanner, a newly widowed Australian father of two looking for a live-in nanny.There, in that small, motherless house her mother's voice was suddenly everywhere.

Each day she spent with the Tanner kids was a day she spent reconsidering her relationship with her mother, turning it over in her hands like a shell, trying to hear whatever messages might be trapped in its shadowy spiral.

This is a book about who you admire and why, and how that changes over time.

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It's a great story, made all the more memorable because it is true. And because although it is far from Kelly's dream job, she is a good person and she wants to do nice things for the family. I loved the adage , Things happen when you leave the house, but by the end it seemed that you don't have to leave the house, as long as you've already left the country. Evan, I'm looking at you boy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, finishing it in under 48 hours. It can be hard, sometimes, to care that much about someone else's life, their personal-to-them details that don't mean much to you, but the author got me so invested in this book I needed to know what happened to all the featured characters. The ending, in particular the epilogue itself, made me weep and I was sorry for the way some of it turned out, though not surprised. I too have traveled the world and made great friends along the way, but I'd be at a loss to tell you where they are and what they're doing now, Facebook updates aside.

"It's easy to see how Corrigan has become a best-selling author: she has an immensely likeable voice... while it's "heart-warming it's also perceptive." - Sunday Herald