Growing Up for Beginners

'A beautiful book, so compassionate... and ultimately very hopeful. I enjoyed it hugely.âMarian Keyes âA clever, bittersweet, uplifting novelâ Sophie Kinsella 'Writing with proper heart' Rachel Joyce Itâs not easy being a grown-up, but Eleanor ho... Read more

'A beautiful book, so compassionate... and ultimately very hopeful. I enjoyed it hugely.âMarian Keyes âA clever, bittersweet, uplifting novelâ Sophie Kinsella 'Writing with proper heart' Rachel Joyce Itâs not easy being a grown-up, but Eleanor hoped sheâd be better at it by now... When Eleanor waves her daughter off for a gap-year trip, she finds herself stuck as a satellite wife, spinning in faithful orbit around her domineering husband, with only her clever but judgmental father Conrad for comfort. Andrew isnât mastering the art of growing up either. But when he finds his belongings dumped in bin bags on the drive, even he can see that his girlfriend is hinting he should move out. With no other options, he moves back in with his parents. Backing onto their garden lives artist Cecilia, living in chaotic clutter and dreaming of her ex-lovers, still acting like a stroppy teenager at the age of 66. Four lives are drawn together by long-buried secrets of the past, and it is time for them all to grow up... before itâs too late. Praise for Claire Calman: 'The characterisation is brilliant, and the astute storytelling, punctuated by stiletto-sharp wit, produces an effervescent and spirit-lifting story.' Sunday Mirror 'A poignant and beautifully articulated tale of love and loss, memory and forgetting, grief and guilt, new love and letting go. I was engrossed, often tearful, and finally, uplifted.â Isobel Wolff âSimply wonderful. I was totally enchanted, devoured it in a day, and have been raving about it ever since.â Fiona Walker Less