Life and Other Inconveniences

Kristan Higgins

Aug 2019 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

“A heart-wrenching page-turner told with warmth and humor.”—People Magazine (Pick of the Week) 
 
“A rich testament to the power of second chances.”—Women’s World

A Publishers Weekly and USA Today Bestseller!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Good Luck with That comes a new novel about a blue-blood grandmother and her black-sheep granddaughter who discover they are truly two sides of the same coin.

Emma London never thought she had anything in common with her grandmother Genevieve London. The regal old woman came from wealthy and bluest-blood New England stock, but that didn't protect her from life's cruelest blows: the disappearance of Genevieve's young son, followed by the premature death of her husband. But Genevieve rose from those ashes of grief and built a fashion empire that was respected the world over, even when it meant neglecting her other son.

When Emma's own mother died, her father abandoned her on his mother's doorstep. Genevieve took Emma in and reluctantly raised her--until Emma got pregnant her senior year of high school. Genevieve kicked her out with nothing but the clothes on her back...but Emma took with her the most important London possession: the strength not just to survive but to thrive. And indeed, Emma has built a wonderful life for herself and her teenage daughter, Riley.

So what is Emma to do when Genevieve does the one thing Emma never expected of her and, after not speaking to her for nearly two decades, calls and asks for help?

Ratings and reviews

This book was not my usual read, but I did enjoy it and found it deeply compelling. Each chapter is from a different person's point of view, which to me is both interesting and little hard to read. The characters were very real and their lives were not to be lived by the faint of heart. This book definitely pulled on a lot of my emotional strings, which is always a good thing. I felt sorry for so many of the characters and for all that they suffered through, but then again none of us are promised an easy life. I noticed a couple of parallels between this story and events in my own life and I hope that perhaps mine will work out the way that theirs did. I won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book will pull on your heart strings. It shows how strong caring and forgiving family can be. Whatever life hands you, you can decide to let it DEFEAT you or you can move on through the hurt and LIVE.

Kristan Higgins is one of my top all time favorite authors. I absolutely love that she is now writing Women's Fiction, but hasn't lost the comedic romance in the process. This book was a multi-generational exploration of family and it's ups and downs. The story includes an older woman, one in her late thirties, a teenager and also a female toddler (world's most horrendous) from another family. This is a book of love--very strong love, withheld love, romantic love, love that breaks your heart to pieces and love that sneaks up on you and is there even when you don't know it. There are also dogs, death, lies and betrayal..and the worst first date in the history of mankind. Ms. Higgins has woven all that into a miraculous book that leaves you in awe and bewildered all at the same time. A must read!

About the author

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than twenty novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Her books have received dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Entertainment Weekly, People, Kirkus, The New York Journal of Books, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist.

The happy mother of two snarky and well-adjusted adults, Kristan enjoys gardening, mixology, the National Parks and complimenting strangers on their children. She lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband, cuddly dog and indifferent cat. Find her online at KristanHiggins.com, twitter.com/Kristan_Higgins, and facebook.com/KristanHigginsBooks.