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“If anyone wrote eloquently and magnificently about affairs of the heart, it was Laurie Colwin.” —San Francisco Chronicle At first glance, Polly Solo-Miller Demarest appears to have it all. The only daughter of a distinguished and close-knit family, she marries a handsome lawyer named Henry (just like her father and brother) and has two adorable and well-behaved children, Pete and Dee-Dee. She lives in a comfortable Park Avenue apartment, works three days a week in a rewarding job at the Board of Education, and spends every August in Maine. People regularly tell her, with admiration and envy, that she has life aced. What no one suspects is that this perfect daughter, wife, and mother, always so eager to see to the happiness of others, would be willing to risk everything for love. From the moment she encounters his beautiful portraits in a group show, Polly cannot get Lincoln Bennett out of her mind. Soon she and the solitary, kindhearted painter are wrapped up in a deep and thrilling romance, and Polly has never felt more euphoric—or more terrified. Previously she divided women into two groups—those who have affairs and those who do not—and placed herself firmly in the latter category. How could she have been so wrong? And what does her passion for Lincoln say about the genuine pleasure she takes in her marriage and her family? A sophisticated, sincere, and ultimately hopeful novel about the search for fulfillment, Family Happiness is a testament to the clarity of Laurie Colwin’s vision and the elegance of her craft. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Laurie Colwin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.
Rich in detail, shrewdly observed, and vividly narrated, these 6 tales include "Three Deaths," "The Three Hermits," "The Devil," "Father Sergius," "Master and Man," and the title story.
WE were in mourning for our mother, who had died the preceding autumn, and we had spent all the winter alone in the country-Macha, Sonia and I. Macha was an old family friend, who had been our governess and had brought us all up, and my memories of her, like my love for her, went as far back as my memories of myself. Sonia was my younger sister. The winter had dragged by, sad and sombre, in our old country-house of Pokrovski. The weather had been cold, and so windy that the snow was often piled high above our windows; the panes were almost always cloudy with a coating of ice; and throughout the whole season we were shut in, rarely finding it possible to go out of the house. It was very seldom that any one came to see us, and our few visitors brought neither joy nor cheerfulness to our house. They all had mournful faces, spoke low, as if they were afraid of waking some one, were careful not to laugh, sighed and often shed tears when they looked at me, and above all at the sight of my poor Sonia in her little black frock.
In The Secrets of Happy Families, New York Times bestselling author Bruce Feiler has drawn up a blueprint for modern families — a new approach to family dynamics, inspired by cutting-edge techniques gathered from experts in the disciplines of science, business, sports, and the military. Don't worry about family dinner. Let your kids pick their punishments. Ditch the sex talk. Cancel date night. These are just a few of the surprising innovations in this bold first-of-its-kind playbook for today's families. Bestselling author and New York Times family columnist Bruce Feiler found himself squeezed between caring for aging parents and raising his children. So he set out on a three-year journey to find the smartest solutions and the most cutting-edge research about families. Instead of the usual family "experts," he sought out the most creative minds—from Silicon Valley to the set of Modern Family, from the country's top negotiators to the Green Berets—and asked them what team-building exercises and problem-solving techniques they use with their families. Feiler then tested these ideas with his wife and kids. The result is a fun, original look at how families can draw closer together, complete with 200 never-before-seen best practices. Feiler's life-changing discoveries include a radical plan to reshape your family in twenty minutes a week, Warren Buffett's guide for setting an allowance, and the Harvard handbook for resolving conflict. The Secrets of Happy Families is a timely, counterintuitive book that answers the questions countless parents are asking: How do we manage the chaos of our lives? How do we teach our kids values? How do we make our family happier? Written in a charming, accessible style, The Secrets of Happy Families is smart, funny, and fresh, and will forever change how your family lives every day.
'So compellingly personal you feel you're looking over her shoulder as she sits down to write' New York Times 'Electrically entertaining ... Funny, generous, spirited and kind' The Times This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is an irresistible blend of literature and memoir revealing the big experiences and little moments that shaped Ann Patchett as a daughter, wife, friend and writer. Here, Ann Patchett shares entertaining and moving stories about her tumultuous childhood, her painful early divorce, the excitement of selling her first book, driving a Winnebago from Montana to Yellowstone Park, her joyous discovery of opera, scaling a six-foot wall in order to join the Los Angeles Police Department, the gradual loss of her beloved grandmother, starting her own bookshop in Nashville, her love for her very special dog and, of course, her eventual happy marriage. This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage is a memoir both wide ranging and deeply personal, overflowing with close observation and emotional wisdom, told with wit, honesty and irresistible warmth.
The Trouble with Happiness is a powerful new collection of short stories by Tove Ditlevsen, “a terrifying talent” (Parul Sehgal, The New York Times). A newly married woman longs, irrationally, for a silk umbrella; a husband chases away his wife’s beloved cat; a betrayed mother impulsively sacks her housekeeper. Underneath the surface of these precisely observed tales of marriage and family life in midcentury Copenhagen pulse currents of desire, violence, and despair, as women and men struggle to escape from the roles assigned to them and dream of becoming free and happy—without ever truly understanding what that might mean. Tove Ditlevsen is one of Denmark’s most famous and beloved writers, and her autobiographical Copenhagen Trilogy was hailed as a masterpiece on republication in English, named a New York Times Best Book of the Year, and lauded for its wry humor, limpid prose, and powerful honesty. The poignant and understated stories in The Trouble with Happiness, written in the 1950s and 1960s and never before translated into English, offer readers a new chance to encounter the quietly devastating work of this essential twentieth-century writer.
What do we wish most for our children? Next to being healthy, we want them to be happy, of course! Fortunately, a wide array of scientific studies show that happiness is a learned behavior, a muscle we can help our children build and maintain. Drawing on what psychology, sociology, and neuroscience have proven about confidence, gratefulness, and optimism, and using her own chaotic and often hilarious real-world adventures as a mom to demonstrate do’s and don’ts in action, Christine Carter, Ph.D, executive director of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, boils the process down to 10 simple happiness-inducing steps. With great wit, wisdom, and compassion, Carter covers the day-to-day pressure points of parenting—how best to discipline, get kids to school and activities on time, and get dinner on the table—as well as the more elusive issues of helping children build healthy friendships and develop emotional intelligence. In these 10 key steps, she helps you interact confidently and consistently with your kids to foster the skills, habits, and mindsets that will set the stage for positive emotions now and into their adolescence and beyond. Inside you will discover • the best way avoid raising a brat—changing bad habits into good ones • tips on how to change your kids’ attitude into gratitude • the trap of trying to be perfect—and how to stay clear of its pitfalls • the right way to praise kids—and why too much of the wrong kind can be just as bad as not enough • the spirit of kindness—how to raise kind, compassionate, and loving children • strategies for inspiring kids to do boring (but necessary) tasks—and become more self-motivated in the process Complete with a series of “try this” tips, secrets, and strategies, Raising Happiness is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you instill joy in your kids—and, in the process, become more joyful yourself.
Filled with endless heartfelt wishes and beautifully cute illustrations, I Wish You Happiness is an inspiring book of hope and happiness for wishers of all ages. This timeless book is a truly thoughtful gift for any occasion.
Nina Popkin goes searching for her birth mother and in the process turns some lives upside down, but also learns that family has nothing to do with DNA.
Americans resident in Australia, this tells the story of Jennifer and Brian Phillips' struggle to adopt a Chinese orphan. "Bringing Lucy Home shares the compelling drama of one family's relentless pursuit to bring hope into the life of an orphaned baby girl. In itself, this account would merely duplicate the narratives of other adoptive families. However, Jennifer Phillips' journey unexpectedly detoured into heartache, causing indefinite separation from her husband and three biological children. Jennifer's struggle was not merely with an inflexible system, but with trusting God more deeply. In the end, her family was reunited not merely by political and legal pressures, but by God's hand. He was at work, using every disappointment to teach a young mother about His unrelenting love"--Publisher's description.