New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir

The Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author of Letâ€™s Take the Long Way Home now gives us a stunning, exquisitely written memoir about a dramatic turning point in her life, which unexpectedly opened up a world of understanding, possibility, and connection. New Life, No Instructions is about the surprising way life can begin again, at any age.

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â€œWhat do you do when the story changes in midlife? When a tale you have told yourself turns out to be a little untrue, just enough to throw the world off-kilter? Itâ€™s like leaving the train at the wrong stop: You are still you, but in a new place, there by accident or grace, and you will need your wits about you to proceed.
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â€œAny change that matters, or takes, begins as immeasurably small. Then it accumulates, moss on stone, and after a few thousand years of not interfering, you have a glen, or a waterfall, or a field of hope where sorrow used to be.
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â€œI suppose all of us consider our loved ones extraordinary; that is one of the elixirs of attachment. But over the months of pain and disrepair of that winter, I felt something that made the grimness tolerable: I felt blessed by the tribe I was part of. Here I was, supposedly solo, and the real truth was that I had a force field of connection surrounding me.
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â€œMost of all I told this story because I wanted to say something about hope and the absence of it, and how we keep going anyway. About second chances, and how theyâ€™re sometimes buried amid the dross, even when youâ€™re poised for the downhill grade. The narrative can always turn out to be a different story from what you expected.â€
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Praise for New Life, No Instructions
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â€œBrimming with insights and wisdom . . . As far as Iâ€™m concerned, Caldwell can write about whatever she pleases. . . . Unabashed dispatches from lifelong single women are a fairly recent phenomenon. Caldwell has so much more to teach us.â€â€”Kate Bolick, The New York Times Book Review

â€œGail Caldwell offers the kind of wisdom and grace youâ€™d wish a friend, sister, or mother might deliver. . . . Fans and new readers alike will find comfort in Caldwellâ€™s voice.â€â€”The Boston Globe
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â€œQuiet but powerful . . . an absorbing meditation on grief and rebirth in midlife.â€â€”More
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â€œEloquent and uplifting . . . [a story] to inspire you.â€â€”Good Housekeeping
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â€œGraceful and reflective.â€â€”USA Today
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â€œ[Caldwell] confronts, with pluck and fortitude, the hurdles that life throws her way.â€â€”Publishers Weekly
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â€œAn uplifting journey . . . This book celebrates finding support where you least expect it.â€â€”Womanâ€™s Day
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â€œ[A] beautifully written memoir.â€â€”Parade
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â€œ[A] thoughtful, wide-eyed view of the world . . . [Caldwell] ably explores the shifts of our hearts.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews
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â€œGetting old, as they say, is not for sissies, and no one would call Pulitzer Prizeâ€“winner Caldwell a wimp. . . . There may not have been a road map for the life-changing trip [she] was about to take, but . . . Caldwell realized she had the power to endure.â€â€”Booklist

From the Trade Paperback edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-04-01
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-04-01
Format	Kindle eBook

New Life, No Instructions: A Memoir

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