Correct ISBN different cover.

Kate Long presents a tale of three generations of women - grandmother, mother and daughter - as told from their separate perspectives, and which illustrates the complex relationships that exist between them.

The Bad Mother's Handbook is the story of a year in the lives of Charlotte, Karen, and Nan, none of whom can quite believe how things have turned out. Why is it all so difficult? Why do the most ridiculous mistakes have the most disastrous consequences? When are you too old to throw up in a flowerbed after too much vodka? When are you too young to be a mother? Both hilarious and wise, it is a clear-eyed look at motherhood - and childhood - in its many guises, from the moment the condom breaks to the moment you file for divorce or, more optimistically, from the moment you hear your baby's first cry to the moment you realize that there are as many sorts of mother as there are children, and that love sometimes is the most important thing of all.

I have 2 copies of this book so I will be passing this one on very soon.

Enjoy!

Was given this book by purplerosebud. Started reading it last night but was too tired to read much post youngest daughter's 7th birthday celebrations. I'll keep you posted.

It took me a while to get into this book, mainly the way it's laid out, using slightly different fonts for each of the three main characters; in addition to the stories for each character also featuring differing time periods. However, once I did, it didn't take me long to finish it and I enjoyed it immensely!

I'll release this book next weekend (20.04.08)as it's school holidays at the moment and routine is up the spout...

Found in the OBCZ at St Georges Church Hall, Waterlooville. Will read before releasing it again. Not sure it will be my cup of tea, but I'll give it a go.

I've just finished reading this book, and I have to say I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I think the cover threw me; pastel book covers with titles in unusual fonts normally make me run a mile! I know...I know: never judge a book by its cover!

I found the characters believable and their stories engaging. The humour and wisdom sprinkled throughout the book made me smile. I had tears in my eyes at one point. I think most mothers would be able to relate to all the women. I certainly could.

My only criticism would be that telling three people's stories all in the first person was confusing, even with the slightly different fonts used. Nan's voice was very clear, but I sometimes thought I was reading Charlotte when I was actually reading Karen and vice versa.

This book deserves a wide audience, so I will endeavour to release it somewhere where someone who will appreciate it might pick it up...maybe outside a Mothercare store! Either that, or I'll start a bookray.

WELCOME TO THE "THE BAD MOTHER'S HANDBOOK" INTERNATIONAL BOOKRAY

This ring is underway and CLOSED to new members.

MEMBER / LOCATION:

Now in final shipping order:

1. deludeddaydream / UK (ship anywhere)
2. Jonniboi / UK (ship within UK)
3. bookowl1000 / UK (ship within UK, possibly elsewhere)
4. audotja / Finland (ship anywhere)
5. solskinn / Austria (ship anywhere)
6. JudySlump612 / US (ship anywhere)
7. luckof / Canada (ship within Canada, possibly US)

PLEASE NOTE - If you wish to sign up YOU WILL NEED TO:

1. Be prepared to mail internationally unless you state otherwise in your PM/forum post.
2. PM the person AFTER you on the list to obtain their address, as this is the person to whom you'll be sending the book.
3. Read and send the book on as speedily as you can so as not to keep others waiting too long.
4. Journal the book once you have received it (so we all know where it currently is) and again when you have read it (so we know what you thought of it).

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

The book weighs 253g/9oz

1997: the year Blair was elected, and Diana died; and the year that changed everything for Charlotte, Karen and Nan.

Charlotte is doing her A-levels. And she is pregnant. Karen, her mother, is thirty-three; now she's about to be a grandmother. How chuffed is she with that? And then there's Nan, who isn't so bothered about her granddaughter's pregnancy- she has other things on her mind. Where is she again?

"The Bad Mother's Handbook" is the story of one year in the lives of three unforgettable women, none of whom can quite believe how things have turned out. Both hilarious and wise, it is a clear-eyed look at motherhood- and children- from the moment the condom breaks to the moment you file for divorce or, more optimistically, from the moment you hear your baby's first cry to the moment you realise that there are as many sorts of mother as there are children, and that love sometimes is the most important thing of all.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to Jonniboi.

Enjoy!

just got it through the post, it sounds really good, I shall start reading straight away, it should only take me about a week - 2 weeks! I'm looking forward to reading it! I shall contact bookowl1000 now so that I would be ready to send it off when I'm finished!

Just read this book, and found it discusting but also intense and hilarious, all at the same time, you feel like you're a person in the backgroung watching what's happening, however sometimes you felt like you are a little kid and it's story time and these 3 people are telling you their story!

I found Nan extremely funny, and felt a bit sad for her towards the end! Anyhow it's a really good book, but at the beginning it's hard to get your head around the way it's written, but it's not hard, after a while!



I shall be continuing this book on the bookring, it is going to be sent off on Tuesday to Bookowl1000

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I hope you like this book as much as I did!!! I've sent it to Bookowl1000!

The book arrived this morning. I am looking forward to reading it as those before me have obviously enjoyed it. Thanks.

I did not get into this book straight away, maybe because the style of writing was a little confusing. Sometimes the voices of Charlotte and Karen got muddled. It got better as the story progressed. To me the message was clear: you will never be happy if you spent all your time focusing on what could have been rather than making the most of what you have got.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent by air mail toaudotja this morning.

The book came here this morning. I'll try to read as soon as I can. Seemed interesting at first look. Thank you!

Finally I finished the book. Liked it a lot. At beginning several people telling their story was confusing, specially when I couldn't make difference between fonts. But it cleared up, when continued.

I liked most Charlotte and her telling, maybe I felt closer to her than other characters. From my viewpoint writer had really succeeded to catch some feelings and emotions of early adulthood and motherhood. I think book had somehow more honest view to mothers and their children than many other stories.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Will sent it to solskinn at morning. Enjoy it!

It has arrived, thank you for posting it over, audotja, and thanks for the bookring, deludeddaydream!

This was completely different than I expected it to be... It wasn't a fun read at all, but rather a serious story about three generations of women and their struggles in life. Each of them had hard times, and each found their (better or worse) way to cope.
I think the book's title is completely inappropriate. It suggests a book about mothers who are losing their nerves all the time, told in a funny way. This book is in parts about losing nerves, but not because someone is a bad mother but because of things that happened in the past. By the way, I adore Nan and hate Karen, and I sympathize strongly with Charlotte.
Overally, this was a good read!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Now on the way to the USA, enjoy!

A nice surprise awaited me when I got home last night: the most beautiful postal cover I've ever seen! Thank you so much, solskinn!! And the book inside, after we carefully sliced the package open so as not to disturb any stamps, looks very good too. I look forward to reading it.

This was a little disappointing, in several ways. First, as several previous readers have noted, it wasn't always clear which character was speaking. More difference in the typefaces would have helped - unless the point being made was that all three women are merely datapoints in the cascade of motherhood, and it didn't matter much which individual was present.

Second, although I didn't like her, I still found Karen the most sympathetic character. She's a great example of the "sandwich" generation, caring for both a mother and a daughter. Both demand her attention and service and add to the difficulties in her life. I do admire the author for her restraint in not turning either into a caricature - that would have been temptingly easy.

Karen is the one who comes up with the phrase "Bad Mother's Handbook," but that's because she's the one who's putting the most worry into being a mother. I don't know what social services money comes to Nan as a senior, or would come to Charlotte as a single mother, but right now it's only Karen who goes out to work to feed the whole family, and I sure don't remember any words of thanks coming in from either direction.

It's interesting that several of us have picked out characters we liked or didn't like. Could that be influenced by what stage of our own life we're in? Although I'm considerably older than Karen, her situation is the one closest to my own.

Also, I agree with solskinn that this is not a funny book. We're meant to think so: when Charlotte finds that Nan stuck her paper on Keats in the toaster, she describes herself with "tears of laughter." And so forth, through many episodes of hilarity in which one character (Nan usually) tears up everybody else's life. Even bad sitcoms need an aggressive laugh track to make this seem funny.

Finally, it's an ironic point that Nan, the only woman who demonstrated an ability to form a stable partnership with a man, was also the only one unable to conceive her own child. Do you think the author was trying to make a statement about this?

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Mailed to luckof this afternoon. Enjoy!

Rec'd this today in the mail -- have two ahead of it -- but will hopefully get to it very shortly and not delay this ring...thanks for sharing..

September 21, 2009

I have to say this wasn't one of my favourite reads this year and at times I found it difficult to follow who was speaking --

I realized that I am the last on the list and contacted the host who said I was free do what I wanted with it -- think perhaps I will keep it for our meet up and see if there is any interest in it

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Releasing at tonights meet up ..enjoy..

picked up at bookcrossing meet-up, thought it would be nice reading for a night when I didn't want something serious.