About the Author

Julia Samuel, MBE, is a leading British psychotherapist. During the last thirty years, she has worked first for the NHS and then in private practice. She is Founder Patron of Child Bereavement UK. Her previous books are This Too Shall Pass and Grief Works, both of which were Sunday Times bestsellers. She lives in London with her husband, and has four children and six grandchildren.

Reviews

Engaging, informative and very well written -- Philippa Perry
Full of nuggets of wisdom -- Jackie Annesley * Sunday Times *
Engrossing, generous . . . excellent advice worth a whole shelf of textbooks -- Bel Mooney * Daily Mail *
I am a huge admirer of Julia's work -- Elizabeth Day
A profoundly important and compassionate book for understanding family relationships much better. Highly recommended -- Liz Earle
An essential, clever and kind book that reminds us that we can never hope to understand ourselves without deeply understanding our families. A testament to the ongoing relevance of psychotherapy and to Julia Samuel's preeminent skill as an author and therapist -- Alain de Botton
Julia Samuel is so wise and compassionate. I love every word she writes and long for every reader - every person - to experience her unique and generous way of being in the world -- Cathy Rentzenbrink
Julia Samuel brings her characteristic warmth, compassion and wisdom to the vital matter of how families function. She writes with unfailing grace, tenderness and consummate story-telling. Everyone who reads this will learn something profound - about themselves, their origins and the people they love most dearly -- Dr Rachel Clarke
Julia Samuel offers us vivid insights into the way family structure, stories and experience exert their influence across generations. Here is a book for all families, where we can appreciate our own family's strengths and take courage to explore our hurts. The issues are so vibrantly explored that I was utterly drawn in. This is a book about love: a superpower when we use it wisely and well -- Kathryn Mannix
Fascinating... Julia Samuel's compassionate work never fails to inform, comfort and make me think -- Pandora Sykes
This book is wonderful, wise and empathetic, so useful but also so beautifully written... what I found really interesting is the sense of reciprocity, how Julia is engaged in the process of working with clients, changed by them and their stories, as we are by reading about them. Every family should have one, to consult in times of trouble -- Gavanndra Hodge
The families Julia Samuel works with in her moving and fiercely honest book are just like all of us: flawed, paradoxical, difficult and somehow loveable. Her writing is honest, heartfelt and wise... over and over she extracts the extraordinary from people who didn't know they had it in them. I am grateful to have found her writing -- Raffaella Barker
A wise and important book, full of insight into the pain and beauty at the heart of family life. Julia Samuel dives deep into familiar themes of loss, parenting, bereavement, divorce, all of which feature so heavily in the make-up of so many of our everyday lives. There is so much to learn in this book about what makes, breaks and mends a family, and I loved it -- Clover Stroud
Truly wonderful - wise, compassionate, thoughtful, and always inspiring. A very important book -- Justine Picardie
This book felt like therapy. It is enriching, reflective and urges the reader to be better at family. At its core, it is a beautifully written guide to loving better. Anybody who has a family, or is building a family, will benefit from this book's wisdom -- Mohsin Zaidi
Absolutely BRILLIANT. Every family should read this. Clever and helpful -- Anya Hindmarch
This book is a beautifully compassionate exploration of what family means to each of us -- if you've ever dreamed of greater clarity, connection and communication with your imperfect family, read this book -- Zoe Blaskey * Motherkind podcast *
This is a wonderful, wonderful book . . . everybody needs to read it -- Dr Rangan Chatterjee