Description

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Essential, clever and kind’ Alain de Botton

‘I am a huge admirer of Julia’s work’ Elizabeth Day
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Why do some families thrive in adversity while others fragment? How can families weather difficult transitions together? Why do our families drive us mad? And how can even small changes greatly improve our relationships?

In Every Family Has a Story, bestselling psychotherapist Julia Samuel turns from her acclaimed work with individuals to draw on her sessions with a wide variety of families, across multiple generations. Through eight beautifully told and insightful case studies, she analyses a range of common issues, from loss to leaving home, and from separation to step-relationships, and shows how much is, in fact, inherited — and how much can be healed when it is faced together.

Exploring the relationships that both touch us most and hurt us most, including the often under-appreciated impact of grandparents and siblings, and incorporating the latest academic research, she offers wisdom that is applicable to us all. Her twelve touchstones for family well-being — from fighting productively to making time for rituals — provide us with the tools to improve our relationships, and to create the families we wish for.

This is a moving and reassuring meditation that, amid trauma and hardship, tells unforgettable stories of forgiveness, hope and love.
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‘Everyone who reads this will learn something profound’ Dr Rachel Clarke

‘Offers vivid insights in a book for all families’ Kathryn Mannix

‘I love every word she writes’ Cathy Rentzenbrink

Publisher Review

I am a huge admirer of Julia's work -- Elizabeth Day 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 Engaging, informative and very well written -- Philippa Perry A profoundly important and compassionate book for understanding family relationships much better. Highly recommended -- Liz Earle 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 *