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She casts a wry, often hilarious eye on her world, setting the mundane against the bigger pictures of desire, the past, existential possibilities, wine, espressos and surf. Her paintings are wild, expressive, challenging you with a cocktail of femininity, brashness and deep thoughtfulness somewhere between Frida Kahlo, Gauguin and well, Wilma. She s a true artist and her book paints a bright picture of surfing from an entirely original angle. Viva Wilma ! --Surfers Path
As well as incredibly funny and witty writing, Johnson invites all of her readers in to her life as if they are her closest friends. Surf Mama is perfectly accompanied with various paintings and art work, as she is an artist first and foremost, that delight the eyes of the readers as well as perfectly capturing the essence of the book. This light-hearted yet hard-hitting book is definitely top on my list of recommendations, and I tell anyone with a sense of humour to read this for inspiration, or just for a bit of a laugh! --Irish World
I was on a windswept beach on the west coast of Ireland when I had the revelation that I wanted to become a surfer.And so begins Wilma s book Surf Mama. You could be mistaken in thinking from the opening line that this is just another wannabe surfer story of someone with a mid life crisis. But it s more than that, it s funny, insightful and Wilma turns out to be a pretty entertaining woman. Wilma is an artist who decides having never done any sport in her life, to drag her three kids to Biarritz, swapping her husband for a surfboard in the process. The story then follows Wilma s journey to becoming a surfer whilst bringing up her three kids on her own and keeping her career going, which isn t as easy as it sounds. But convinced that if only she could get the hang of surfing, the rest of her life would fall into place she perseveres. Along the way she sets up the Mamas Surf Club, for women who felt they spent too long watching the action from their beach towels. « Out of the kitchen and into the surf » is their motto. The book is full of amusing stories about being a woman in the surfing world and a wonderful insinght into living in the Pays Basque and is also illustrated with Wilma s beautiful paintings. --Surfgirl Magazine
As well as incredibly funny and witty writing, Johnson invites all of her readers in to her life as if they are her closest friends. Surf Mama is perfectly accompanied with various paintings and art work, as she is an artist first and foremost, that delight the eyes of the readers as well as perfectly capturing the essence of the book. This light-hearted yet hard-hitting book is definitely top on my list of recommendations, and I tell anyone with a sense of humour to read this for inspiration, or just for a bit of a laugh! --Irish World
I was on a windswept beach on the west coast of Ireland when I had the revelation that I wanted to become a surfer.And so begins Wilma s book Surf Mama. You could be mistaken in thinking from the opening line that this is just another wannabe surfer story of someone with a mid life crisis. But it s more than that, it s funny, insightful and Wilma turns out to be a pretty entertaining woman. Wilma is an artist who decides having never done any sport in her life, to drag her three kids to Biarritz, swapping her husband for a surfboard in the process. The story then follows Wilma s journey to becoming a surfer whilst bringing up her three kids on her own and keeping her career going, which isn t as easy as it sounds. But convinced that if only she could get the hang of surfing, the rest of her life would fall into place she perseveres. Along the way she sets up the Mamas Surf Club, for women who felt they spent too long watching the action from their beach towels. « Out of the kitchen and into the surf » is their motto. The book is full of amusing stories about being a woman in the surfing world and a wonderful insinght into living in the Pays Basque and is also illustrated with Wilma s beautiful paintings. --Surfgirl Magazine
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Artist Wilma Johnson was living on the west coast of Ireland with her husband and three children, struggling to combine the demands of art, motherhood and marriage, and at the age of forty she decided that what she really wanted to do was move to Biarritz and become a surfer. Ten years on, she's still there. She surfs pretty much every day. She exhibits her paintings, she runs her kids into the local town in her beaten up car, and she meets up with the Surf Mamas, the women who, like her, choose cold, wet neoprene suits over cocktail dresses. Surf Mama, beautifully illustrated with Wilma's paintings, tells the story of how one woman discovered life on a board. I see a big set coming, the sort of waves that would usually have me paddling for the horizon like a wind-up bath toy. But today I think, oh what the hell, you're only young twice, and I go for it. There's not much point describing a wave. Being a surfer is a bit like being a Born Again Christian, you can only talk about it to the saved. If you surf, you'll know exactly how it feels to catch the biggest wave of your life - if you don't you've probably glazed over already. It doesn't just feel like the biggest wave I've ever caught, it feels like the biggest wave anyone ever caught in the history of the world. When I come in past the tough Basque guys, they whistle and cheer. Which is cool. I paddle back out to the girls. ;Did you see my wave? It seemed kind of big, I add as casually as I can. I'm sick of being told my big waves were six inches high. Big? It was enormous! Great, I'm a gnarly surf dude at last. Oh, and has my mascara run?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best surf book ever,
By
This review is from: Surf Mama (Hardcover)
Most books about surfing are truly dull - let's face it, they're written by on-the-spectrum males who are too macho to be interesting. Wilma's beautifully produced book by contrast is an inspiring story of how a crazy artist married a surfer, brought up three children in rural Ireland, nurtured a dream to surf herself and then made that dream come true in Biarritz. If Wilma can do it, so could I and the rest of us Mamas who give our all to our kids but always believe there is more to us than motherhood.But more than that, she takes us with her on the journey of surfing wannabe, who has never exercised in her whole life, to "real surfer" confident in the line up and with the biggest waves, not stinting on the pain and humiliation, but she still makes us laugh - and we cheer her on all the way. Can't wait to see the movie!,,,
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not just for surfers,
By
This review is from: Surf Mama (Hardcover)
I think this is a great book, and I would never usually buy a book with paintings and text. I don't know anything about surfing, but I really loved it. Beautiful paintings and a really hilarious, touching account of a woman struggling to keep everything going: kids, career, sex life, and of course surfing. I had no interest at all in surfing when I started reading, but I do now. I really recommend this book to anyone who surfs, anyone who has kids, anyone who has ever wanted to do something a bit more exciting with their life.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
inspiring and up lifting,
By
This review is from: Surf Mama (Hardcover)
I loved this book. This lady obviously has a wonderful lust for life and writes with great humour. I found her journey interesting and hilarious. I am inspired (as a 40 something woman) to get up and give anything a go.The book is also beautifully illustrated and something I will hang on to. Recommended.
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