'A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother' by Rachel Cusk is a raw and honest portrayal of one woman's journey into motherhood, filled with humor, ambivalence, and vivid descriptions of the challenges and realities that come with caring for a newborn. Through the author's candid writing style, readers are taken on a personal exploration of the author's experiences with midwives, doctors, friends, and her own daughter, highlighting the struggles, doubts, and moments of humor that accompany the transition into parenthood. Cusk's narrative delves deep into the complexities of new motherhood, offering a stark and unfiltered account of the joys and tribulations that come with raising a child.
The book captures the essence of the author's experience as she navigates the uncharted territory of motherhood, challenging societal expectations and shedding light on the harsh realities of caring for a newborn. Through her poignant storytelling and introspective reflections, Cusk paints a vivid picture of the isolation, humor, despair, and personal transformation that define her journey into motherhood, providing readers with a candid and thought-provoking glimpse into the complexities of maternal identity and the struggles of early parenthood.
Genres:
Topics:
Notes:
Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of ambivalence towards motherhood, mental health challenges, and potentially triggering experiences surrounding personal struggle.
From The Publisher:
Multi-award-winning author Rachel Cusk's honest memoir that captures the life-changing wonders of motherhood.
Selected by The New York Times as one of the 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years
"Funny and smart and refreshingly akin to a war diary-sort of Apocalypse Baby Now . . . A Life's Work is wholly original and unabashedly true." -The New York Times Book Review
A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother is Rachel Cusk's funny, moving, brutally honest account of her early experiences of motherhood. When it was published it 2001, it divided critics and readers. One famous columnist wrote a piece demanding that Cusk's children be taken into care, saying she was unfit to look after them, and Oprah Winfrey invited her on the show to defend herself.
An education in babies, books, breast-feeding, toddler groups, broken nights, bad advice and never being alone, it is a landmark work, which has provoked acclaim and outrage in equal measure.
Reader Stats (2):
Not Interested (2) |
What can you read after
A Life's Work: On Becoming a Mother?
About the Author:
Rachel Cusk is the author of Second Place; the trilogy Outline, Transit, Kudos; the essay collection Coventry; the memoirs A Life's Work, The Last Supper, and Aftermath; and several other novels: Saving Agnes (winner of the Whitbread Award), The Temporary, The Country Life (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award), The Lucky Ones, In the Fold, Arlington Park, and The Bradshaw Variations.
When you click the Amazon link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commision, at no cost to you.
