The Bad Mother's Handbook

I picked this up expecting a light, fluffy, humorous little read, perfect for a day off in the sunshine. Well, it wasn't quite as fluffy as I'd thought. In fact, this book covers everything from teen pregnancy to adoption to child neglect to dementia.

Charlotte has discovered, to her horror, that her less-than-idyllic dalliance with arrogant Paul has left her pregnant at seventeen. Thank heavens for oddball Daniel, her new best friend and confidante, who just might prove to be the haven of sanity she needs. Charlotte's mum Karen is left reeling when she finds out she's adopted - will her enquiries bring her a fairytale reunion, and can she cope with Charlotte's revelation on top of everything else? And as for Nan, poor senile Nan with show more her colostomy bag and her penchant for toasting letters - well, she just wants everyone to be happy...

With all this going on, it's fortunate that the characters are so endearing, and that Long has managed to create an absorbing story that never loses its lightness of touch and sense of humour. The narrative switches between Charlotte's rapidly maturing voice, Karen's rather self-absorbed musings, and Nan' wistful recollections of her own past, bringing together these three women, three ages, three personalities, into one winding family history. There were amusing moments tempered by moments where the tears were prickling the backs of my eyes; unhappy moments contrasted with moments of hope and happiness.

Ultimately this is a story about family, about relationships, about a shared history, and about pulling together to get through everything life throws at you. I wasn't completely blown away, but I'm glad I read it and I'm sure I'll enjoy the other two of Long's books that are still waiting on my shelves! show less

I picked it up at work thinking it would be a light chick-lit read, with maybe a little bit of attitude, but it turned into something a good bit better.

Three generations of women, Nan, her daughter Karen, and granddaughter Charlotte share a tiny little home in a tiny little village in northern England. Their stories alternate. Nan, pushing 80, is a bit addled and spends most of her time in the past. Karen, in her early thirties, is angry at the world and at herself for losing her future by having had Charlotte as a teenager. Karen has also discovered that she is adopted and hoping to find her "real" mother, someone she imagines living a wonderful, suburban fantasy of the life she's never had. Charlotte, a very good student, is show more completely alienated from her mother, a situation that is only exacerbated when Charlotte discovers that she, too, is expecting a baby at the exact wrong time in life.

The novel is funny and irreverent--except when it is not--and then it is poignant and haunting. A quick absorbing read, excellent for gaining a little perspective. show less

Värsta mammans handbok var inte riktigt vad jag hade väntat mig, trodde att boken skulle vare rolig men istället var det helt seriösa historier ur tre kvinnors liv, tre mödrars liv. Det var en bra bok men den var lite rörigt skriven, det var svårt att veta vem av de tre kvinnors historia man läste, men förutom det så var det en helt ok bok.

This is the story of three generations of one family. Charlotte Cooper is 17, about to do her A levels, and suddenly discovers she’s pregnant. Her mother Karen is furious with her, not least because she had Charlotte at the age of 16, and has always tried to stop her daughter making the same “mistakes” that she did. But it’s not long before Karen finds something out which makes her question her role in her family and wonder whether there isn’t a better life waiting for her somewhere. Meanwhile, Karen’s mother, Nancy Hesketh, who lives with them, is slowly succumbing to dementia, which is causing all sorts of chaos. But when she’s not posting her grandaughter’s homework in the toaster, or hiding letters under the sofa, show more she reminisces silently about her life.

This is a very enjoyable and undemanding read. The multiple narrators (Charlotte, Karen and ‘Nan’) ensure that we see events from each point of view – although Nan’s contributions are generally short and relate to the past rather than the present situation. The main body of the story is told through Karen and Charlotte’s narration.

All of the three main characters are believeable. The constant locking of horns between Charlotte and her mother will also have many teenagers and parents of teenagers nodding in recognition! The story is touchingly told, and there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as well.

My only niggle with this book was the ending seemed rushed, almost as if the author had said what she wanted to say and just wanted to end the book quickly, and a few smaller aspects of the story did not seem completely resolved. But overall, this is a good book – probably aimed more at the female market – and one which I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to. show less

This impulse airport buy really paid off - I found all three women in the story delightful - managing to identify with each one through their various conflicts. A refreshing treat, managing to be sympathetic to a mother and daughter when presenting an argument from both points of view.

I had to stay up late to finish it.

Upmarket chicklit, a 'three generations of women' novel. In this case, the three generations all live together in a terraced house Oop North, Nana has Alzheimer Syndrome and a catheter bag, granddaughter is doing A-levels and hoping to go to college in spite of being up the duff, and Mum is hardly in a position to blame her, being only in her mid-30s herself. Incisive writing, and believable characters.

Here we learn about the lives of 3 generations of women who all live in the same house.They are Charlotte,17, her mum Karen, 33, and nan, 79.They each narrate their own tale but are all inextricably linked together. We learn of their hopes, dreams, successes and failures. At times the humour will make you laugh out loud, in the next breath you will find yourself gulping back tears. The women take you on a voyage of discovery of what it is to be a mum, of mistakes too easily made and the difficulties faced by many parents.
This is an easy read and very well written. It gets across the message that while not all families are perfect it is worth the effort to try and make the relationships within them work.Packed full of humour,love and show more sorrow, I recommend this as an excellent read for all mums and daughters (sons and fathers too!) show less