The Bad Mother's Handbook (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

This is a book full of warmth and honesty, some of it painfully so.

Nan, Karen and Charlotte (Charlie), three generations of the same family, live in uneasy and sometimes suffocating circumstances. Karen has to care for Nan, who is not as far off her rocker as Karen believes, and try to control her teenage daughter Charlie, whilst still trying to have a life of her own, which may or may not include a new relationship with the head of the school where she works as a classroom assistant. Told from the perspective of each woman, this book neatly, but without preaching, explains how misunderstandings happen within families, and how, at times, we can all feel the victim. As the mother of a teenager and having been one myself, I could relate to both Karen and Charlotte in equal measure (and if I'm honest, Nan's elderly dottiness strikes a bit close to home too!)

I hope that this is the first of many books by Kate Long.

It's an amazing story that manages to portray so many of life's most terrible moments yet makes them enjoyable and funny. The story follows three ladies - Charlotte (who is pregnant at 17), her mother (who is outraged that her daughter should follow the same path that she did at 17), and Nan (whose incoherent ramblings actually make more sense than anyone would give her credit).

You follow the story of all three characters at the same time, each one trying to come to terms with their own private issues that tears them all apart, yet at the same time brings them closer together.

It was a few months ago when I went on holiday and read this, and I think I may have left the book on the beach. This is what brought me to this page - it was so good I'm buying it again!

Three generations of women living under the same roof. It's full of northern charm and honesty. Long writes with warmth and wisdom, her words flow naturally from the page. She has a unique style and this book is an original.

I read it over a couple of days - couldn't put it down. Nan, Karen and Charlotte are now etched in my memory, I lived in that house with them. Their pain was raw and yet this story is written with such humour - an extremely funny book.

The Bad Mother's Handbook is a must read for all ages.

I don't think this is the last we've heard of Kate Long!