Notes to My Mother-in-Law - Hardcover

Law, Phyllida

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0007338414 ISBN 13: 9780007338412

Publisher: Fourth Estate Classic House, 2009

Synopsis

From the daily notes written to a beloved mother-in-law who could no longer hear comes a hilarious and warm portrait of daily life Phyllida Law's mother-in-law Annie lived with her family for 17 years and was picture-book perfect. It took a while before the family realized that Annie was increasingly deaf. So Phyllida began to write out the day's gossip at the kitchen table, putting her notes by Annie's bed before going to hers. One night her husband muttered that she spent so much time each evening writing to Annie she could have written a book. Here it is—a book full of the delights of a warm and loving household. Of the cat being sick after overindulging in spiders, the hunt for cleaning products from the dawn of time, mysteriously malfunctioning hearing aids, an unusual and potentially hilarious use for garlic, and the sad disappearance of coconut logs from the local candy shop. It's about the special place at the heart of a home held by a woman born in another age, a woman who polished the brass when it was "looking red at her;" who still bore a scar on her hands from being hit by her employer; and who held the beloved homemaking skills of a bygone age.

About this title

About the Author:

Phyllida Law has appeared in such television series as Rumpole of the Bailey and The Sarah Jane Adventures and in such films as including Emma, Nanny McPhee, Much Ado about Nothing, Peter's Friends, and The Winter Guest. She has two daughters, Sophie and actress Emma Thompson.

Review:

' I just sat down and read it straight through and cried. Dreadfully funny anod incredibly touching.' Joanna Lumley 'Moving, funny, enchanting. A beautiful, original portrayal of family life.' Sheila Hancock 'Something quite splendid, new and unforgettable.' Stephen Fry 'Wonderful, warm, witty and wise. Just like the author.' Ben Elton 'The book is as extraordinary as the woman who wrote it. The correspondence started with the odd note on the kitchen table reminding Granny Annie of a doctor's appointment or that there was ham in the fridge, but built into more. 'What happened was that she was getting increasingly deaf, and one day I realised that although she was sitting through all the shrieking of family lunch, she couldn't actually hear any of it. So, I started to write her summaries at the end of the day and leave them by her bed. It became quite therapeutic. I used to scribble for hours.' The result is quite extraordinary. On one level, it's a humorous work about hearing aids and incontinent dogs. On another, it's an uplifting story of family love and duty, and generational conflict.' Daily Mail 'One of the most pleasurably giddy reads I've had for ages, it's laugh-out-loud funny as well as deeply poignant' Scotsman

About this edition

• Publisher: Fourth Estate Classic House
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0007338414
• ISBN 13: 9780007338412
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 119