NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The perfect gift for new parents and
grandparents this Mother's Day: a bighearted book of wisdom, wit, and
insight, celebrating the love and joy of being a grandmother, from the
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and #1 bestselling author
"This tender book should be required reading for grandparents
everywhere."--Booklist (starred review)
"I am changing his diaper, he is kicking and complaining, his exhausted
father has gone to the kitchen for a glass of water, his exhausted
mother is prone on the couch. He weighs little more than a large sack of
flour and yet he has laid waste to the living room: swaddles on the
chair, a nursing pillow on the sofa, a car seat, a stroller. No one
cares about order, he is our order, we revolve around him. And as I try
to get in the creases of his thighs with a wipe, I look at his, let's be
honest, largely formless face and unfocused eyes and fall in love with
him. Look at him and think, well, that's taken care of, I will do
anything for you as long as we both shall live, world without end,
amen."
Before blogs even existed, Anna Quindlen became a go-to writer on the
joys and challenges of family, motherhood, and modern life, in her
nationally syndicated column. Now she's taking the next step and going
full nana in the pages of this lively, beautiful, and moving book about
being a grandmother. Quindlen offers thoughtful and telling observations
about her new role, no longer mother and decision-maker but secondary
character and support to the parents of her grandson. She writes, "Where
I once led, I have to learn to follow." Eventually a close friend
provides words to live by: "Did they ask you?"
Candid, funny, frank, and illuminating, Quindlen's singular voice has
never been sharper or warmer. With the same insights she brought to
motherhood in Living Out Loud and to growing older in Lots of
Candles, Plenty of Cake, this new nana uses her own experiences to
illuminate those of many others.
Praise for Nanaville
"Witty and thoughtful . . . Nanaville serves up enough vivid anecdotes
and fresh insights--about childhood, about parenthood, about
grandparenthood and about life--to make for a gratifying read."--The
New York Times
"Classic, bittersweet Quindlen . . . [Her] wonder at seeing her eldest
child grow into his new role is lovely and moving. . . . The best parts
of Nanaville are the charming vignettes of Quindlen's solo time with
her grandson."--NPR
