Libby Purves

Con humor chispeante y una astucia desarrollada a lo largo de cuatro años de coger el vuelo las papillas antes de que toquen el suelo, Libby Purves nos ebseña de qué forma, incluso, la madraza más candida puede sobrevivir a los años criticos en que habra de lidiar con bebes y tiernos infantes que dan sus primeros pasos. Repleto de consejos practicos y de divertidas anecdotas, he aqui un manual de batalla imprescindible para la madre situada en la linea de fuego; una obra que abarca desde el embarazo hasta la etapa preescolar, deteniendose de pasada en temas tales como los celos entre hermanos, las excursiones, las chicas canguro y la profesion de la madre. A partir de la propia experiencia de los estragos domesticos causados por dos hijos, y de los consejos y la sabiduria acumuladas por cincuenta madres de ideas parecidas, Libby Purves describe con desenfado como hacer trampas o quebrantar abiertamente unas normas sobre la maternidad que, de todos modos, nunca sirvieron de gran cosa. Una guia valiosisima para llegar a ser una madre imperfecta y disfrutar siendolo.

Tras haber analizado -de una manera siempre ingeniosa y realista- los peligros de ser una madre perfecta o de educar a un hijo perfecto, Libby Purves se enfrenta ahora al fundamento de la sociedad, la familia, y nos habla con ironica sabiduria sobre las amas de casa, la intimidad, la television, los ordenadores, los celos entre hermanos, las normas de convivencia, las mudanzas, los problemas escolares, la adolescencia, las peleas, la vacaciones y un largo etcetera, sobrevolando por todo ello con un gran sentido del humor y un puñado de consejos practicos. Pero no creas que nos encontramos ante un manual al uso, ni mucho menos. Mas bien se trata de un libro sobre la vida que debemos afrontar (y disfrutar) dia a dia y sobre las diferencias entre lo ideal y lo real. Tres ejemplos: Mientras las familias perfectas lo mantienen todo en perfecto orden, las familias reales guardan sus objetos mas valiosos en las escaleras o en la cocina. Mientras las familias mas educadas visitan todos los museos que aparecen en la guia, las familias de carne y hueso se limitan a pelearse en el Louvre. Y mientras los vastagos de las familias serias trabajan duro y juegan limpio, los niños de las familias que conocemos suelen hacer sus deberes en el autobus y hacer trampas en el Monopoly.Poco importa que tu casa sea un santuario o un manicomio: de todos modos, este vitriolico y a la vez cariñoso retrato de la vida familiar hara que rias, llores e incluso te horrorices con las situaciones descritas. Sobre todo cuando te reconozcas en ellas.

When Eva, a naive and happy Polish backpacker comes into the lives of five English characters, the values of their comfortable world clash with those of Eastern Europe. And the five English characters find comedy, tragedy and romance unfolding with bewildering speed.

Everyone agreed that Shark Grayson wasn't fit to keep her baby. A herion addict, living in a sordid London squat, she was already close to death when her American lover took charge, carrying of the baby Alexander to give him an affluent future and a loving home in the Midwest. But now Alex is 27 and afflicted by his lost roots and a romantic vision of England. When a business trip provides the chance to go and trace his unknown relatives, he discovers that while some British people are, indeed, very hard to get along with, others turn out to be more closely akin to him that he ever could have imagined. Novelist Libby Purves is an award-winning cloumnist for "The Times; she is also a recipient of an O.B.E. for her services to journalism.

A fresh new look brings this parenting classic up-to-date for a new generation of mothers and mothers-to-be. Taking an irreverent and humorous look at the trials and tribulations of motherhood, Radio 4s Libby Purves has created an invaluable survival guide so that even the most unpromising madonna can cope with the baby years. This is a parenting book with a difference- rather than a serious tome laying down the law, Libby Purves lighthearted book shamelessly describes how to cut the corners and bend the rules that never mattered much anyway. Forget the other parenting books that hide the real truth- this is the true battle manual for mothers on the front line! This timeless guide to coping with motherhood has been revised, bringing it up-to-date for a whole new generation of mothers and mothers-to-be. Based on Libby Purves own experience of domestic havoc with two babies and on the wit and wisdom of fifty like-minded mothers, this motherhood companion guide is full of down-to-earth tips and hilarious anecdotes. Topics covered include pregnancy, preschoolers, sibling fights, fraught outings, nannies and careers. This is an invaluable guide to being an imperfect mother- and, more importantly, enjoying it.

Even her closest friend agreed that Shark Grayson wasnt fit to keep her baby. A heroin addict, living in a sordid London squat, she was already close to death when her American lover took charge of the situation by force, and carried off the baby Alexander to give him a loving home in the Mid-West and an affluent future. But now Alex is twenty-seven, orphaned again and afflicted by a sense of lost roots and a romantic vision of England. A business trip provides the chance to go and trace his unknown relatives. He finds friendship; encounters some startlingly predatory girls; and confronts mystery in the eccentric alternative health centre run by the austere Julia. He discovers that while some British people are very hard indeed to get along with, some turn out to be, after all, more closely akin to him than he could ever have imagined.

The family is natures masterpiece - George Santayana A compendium of practical advice and reflections on modern family life in the age of computer gaming, ever younger drug and drink problems, educational upheaval and concerns about the way childrens freedom, health and personal development are threatened by considerations of safety. Libby also considers the maintenance of marriage in an age of rising divorce and stepfamilies, a balanced approach to sexual threats to children, and the dangers and opportunities for family life caused by dual careers, teleworking, and other trends in the modern workplace. Each subject is treated with wit and brevity to make the book a delight to read as well as providing a fund of useful advice.

Sarah Penn and Maggie Reave are sisters, as different as a tabby and a tiger. Sarah has married kind, reliable Leo and settled contentedly into small-town life. Maggie, light-hearted and footloose, has spent fifteen years drifting round the world with a backpack and a cheerful willingness to do any menial job as long as it has no future. But now Maggie has come home, pregnant, and undecided whether or not to keep the baby. And as she dicusses this with her sister, lets slip that shes had an abortion before, and that the father was Maggies husband. This throws everything into confusion, but Christmas brings reconciliation and a new baby.

Kit Milcourt - impatient, quirky, idealistic and brilliant - has been a climber, diver in exotic waters and affluent young city banker. Now, because of his beloved Anna, he is a teacher. Glumly mediocre Sandmarsh High School, reeling under assaults from Inspectors and its own unpromising pupils, is hard put to contain his maverick ideas. Year Seven, on the other hand, love them. Only the soothing presence of Anna keeps the peace.But Anna cant guard her erratic husband on the school trip: instead a far darker, more malevolent staffroom presence crosses Europe and discovers what Kit has secretly planned for the children amid the dim alleys of winter Venice. But children are unpredictable too, and things move rapidly beyond both teachers control.Between farce and tragedy the resulting events swiftly change Kits and Annas live in unthinkable ways, strain a great love to the limit and open a dark chasm into the past.

Alice McDonald has escaped all the obvious traps that lie in wait for women. She loves her job but enjoys her clever, spirited children too; her husband (Dan the New Man) does his share at home, and their London house is always full of friends. At her thirty-seventh birthday party, Alice reflects that their life has been a pretty successful production so far.But love can be treacherous, and children are never quite what they seem. Two months later, far from home and alone on a desperate quest through the bleak lanes of Norfolk, Alice wonders how it fell apart so quickly. Were things ever as good as they seemed? Had the McDonalds really been happy, or was it no more than a stage illusion?

What makes a wife and mother, pillar of the community and partner in a cosy tea-shop (The Bun in the Oven) suddenly run away to sea, alone?Joanna Gurney hardly knows herself. But as she moves along the rocky, dangerous coast of Britain, evading police and press, Joanna meets other cast-off and washed-up individuals in 1990s Britain, and finds that she can also make a voyage into her own past. And, in the end, find her solution.

Sheila Harrison always looks forward to the descent of the summer visitors onto Seafret, her tall brick house right on the front at Blythney, in East Anglia. She loves the way her spare bedrooms are full, from June to September, with successive waves of children - schoolfriends of her own three and the waifs and strays sent by the Country Hosts Association.But Sheila is not prepared for the upheaval caused by one young girl, Anansi, who arrives from a background that Sheila can only guess at. Urban, streetwise, knowing beyond her years, Anansi refuses to be patronised by Sheilas well-meaning attempts to make her feel at home. She looks at Sheila, her family and friends, with eyes unclouded by familiarity - and drops a bombshell. Even when the dust has settled, summers will never be the same again.

The Andersons are a military family with honours and traditions stretching back two hundred years. When the second Iraq war breaks out, it is only natural that their newest generations should be represented in the ranks of British officers: at 24, Lieutenant Susie Anderson delays her wedding to handsome fellow-officer Callum and joins her regiment on the hot sands of Kuwait. Brother Francis, meanwhile, continues his cabaret career as Madam Fanny Fantoni, drag chanteuse and net-stockinged vamp, with a stinging line in repartee and the most remarkable falsetto top C in Clapham. As the neighbours agree, it must be terribly difficult for their poor parents, especially the General. Real difficulties come, though, when Callum comes home injured, altered and bitter, and Susie and her family feel as though their lives are shattered. The solution to this tangle comes from the most unlikely source of all.Set against a background of desert war, seedy clubs, a hippie sailing-ship and quiet English village life, Libby Purves latest novel is a commentary on changing social roles, the nature of courage and the futility of prejudice.

Perfect Families: * Tick off museums in the guidebook* Tidy everything away neatly* Work hard and play fair* Show respect for one anotherReal Families: * Start fights in the Louvre * Keep all their worldly goods on the stairs and in the kitchen * Do their homework on the school bus and cheat at Monopoly* Tie the shoelaces of sleeping uncles together after Christmas dinnerWith her customary humour and reliably robust commonsense, Libby Purves celebrates family life in all its aspects. Her accounts of sibling rivalry and the pitfalls of family Christmas will provoke rueful laughter and strike chords of recognition; her practical tips on dealing with everything from marriage maintenance to money matters, testing times to trips and treats, provide essential help for the hard-pressed parent. Best of all is her reassuring reminder that no one else has a perfect family either!

A perfect child:* Dresses neatly and practises the violin before breakfast* Comes top of the class and is captain of everything* Is unfailingly obedient and sweet-tempered* Is a perfect credit to its perfect motherA real child:* Prefers shoelaces undone and mismatched socks* Shouts Bum! at Granny* Turns breakfast and bedtime into a battleground* Is the normal offspring of imperfect parentsWith affectionate lack of illusion and a refreshing honesty about her own shortcomings, Libby Purves examines the pleasures and pitfalls of raising children from three to eight years old. Playgroup, starting school, rude words, pets - all these topics are tackled with frank good humour and down-to-earth advice.Best of all is her reassuring reminder that there is no such thing as a perfect child.

In the summer of 1988, Libby Purves set sail with her family on a voyage round the entire coastline of Britain, from the soft, sandy South-East, to the wilder shores of Orkney. They travelled in the wake of their literary-nautical forebears aboard their m