An Extra Pair of Hands: A story of caring and everyday acts of love

Review A beautiful, profoundly moving book about society's most vital glue - care -- Rachel ClarkeA must read -- Penny WincerEssential reading -- Madeleine BuntingAn incisive, profoundly humane blend of the personal and the political -- Gwendolyn Smith ― The iA brilliant read that celebrates both the fragility and resilience of human existence...ultimately uplifting, inspiring, a tribute to love -- Elif Shafak ― Guardian Summer BooksI read it in one sitting, and will be pressing into the hands of everyone I know. A celebration of ageing, womanhood and what love really means -- Christie WatsonMoving ... heartfelt ...questions how and why we fetishise independence when the reality of human experience is always interdependence. Here is a book that sees, in this, a cause for celebration -- Book of the Day ― GuardianHeartfelt, funny and at times heartbreaking ... Anyone who has ever cared for an older relative, in whatever capacity, will relate to it. Keep the tissues handy. 10/10 ― IndependentA beautiful, emotional and timely read -- Matt HaigA beacon of light: full of candour, sorrow, joy, hard-won wisdom, and luminous with love -- Nicci GerrardThis is a truly beautiful book, shot through with honesty, heartbreak and joy. I loved it -- Adam KayHer timely story is compassionate and humane, judiciously blending the personal with the political; as she eloquently argues, "care is a feminist issue" ― ObserverA meditation on caring and ageing that lifts the spirits without pulling punches -- Ian RankinTold with wit, honesty and irresistible warmth. It celebrates both those who care, and those who grieve, as well as those who are cared for ... Books like this are like being held by the hand -- Rachel JoyceHonest, moving ... this book will be a huge help to both carers and the cared-for -- Deborah MoggachThe power of this extraordinary memoir lies in Mosse's unsparing account of the personal costs of care-giving - and its deep and poignant joys ... the moments of humour, connection and triumph and the recognition that the relationship between carer and recipient is not one-sided but multifaceted, mutual and shot through with love -- Catherine MeyerWonderful ... I was in tears, but the reading experience is ultimately uplifting and hopeful -- Cathy RentzenbrinkA wise and kindly book, all the wiser for its honesty ... a heartfelt reminder of why people become carers -- Kate Saunders ― TimesA moving, delicate portrait of her own time as a carer for her parents, including her Parkinson's-ravaged father ... Mosse captures the experience, and the sense of powerlessness and heartbreak, with skill and tender precision -- Book of the Month, Martin Chilton ― IndependentAn uplifting reflection on the fragility of life, an ode to the invisible army of carers holding families together ― ReactionMosse writes movingly about returning the caring favour and the end that waits for us all -- 50 Best Summer Books ― The TimesTimely and important ― The Oldie Product Description 'Inspiring' GUARDIAN 'Heartbreaking' INDEPENDENT 'I loved it' ADAM KAY'Beautiful' MATT HAIG'Luminous' NICCI GERRARD'Essential reading' MADELEINE BUNTING'A celebration' CHRISTIE WATSON-----A Best Book for Summer 2021 in the Times, Guardian, and The iIndependent Book of the Month-----As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones - some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together.Here, Kate Mosse tells her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson's, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as 'an extra pair of hands' for her 90-year-old mother-in-law.This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It's about juggling priorities, mind-numbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and