Twelve Moons: The most beautiful and inspiring memoir you’ll read

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Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. The main elements that stood out to me were Giles' expert capturing of the wild magic of Northumberland, the cosy domesticity of her everyday life, and the deep love she has for her daughters. Over the course of the year, the moon becomes her fellow traveller through dark times, and companion through joyful ones – and even when the sky is wreathed in cloud, the moon is still felt in the pull of the tides. Every now and again I will be stopped in my tracks by a full moon, crisply white against the night sky, sometimes so big it inspires awe before I quickly get on with what it was I was doing.

Navigating single parenthood, advocating from her girls and herself - an endless battle to be heard - is isolating and exhausting. The challenges of bringing up a young family in isolated Northumberland are laid bare with brutal and heart-rending honesty. Caro Giles lives on the far edge of the country, with her tribe of daughters: The Mermaid, The Whirlwind, The Caulbearer and The Littlest One. I have both the audiobook and the print, as it's one of those beautiful reads that you just want to absorb into yourself in every possible medium. Throughout the quiet turn of each month she charts the sea swimming, rock pool immersing, hill running to calm her busy brain, and of nature weaving it’s magic, grounding, nurturing and holding the whole family safe as she reclaims herself from the sadness and scars left by shattered hopes; rediscovering and unearthing the woman concealed by motherhood.By the time I finished the book, I felt that the little terrace on the lane was a safe place that I, too, could escape to and avoid the world in for a little while. This is a beautifully written memoir, following a woman's timeline through the moon cycles as she come to terms with her family's changing dynamic, how the she copes with varying aspects of her children's needs, her own needs and re-discovering herself and her freedom.

To access your ebook(s) after purchasing, you can download the free Glose app or read instantly on your browser by logging into Glose. Considering the moon phases over the course of the year is something I had never consciously done before. They are beautifully drawn and highlight the necessity of place in allowing fullness of life to take place whilst providing restoration for all the protagonists. The trauma of navigating a separation as well as school systems unable to meet her children’s needs felt overwhelming and her honesty with regards to how this impacted her sense of self was something that was identifiable, ‘How can my story be excavated from the mine of my life when so much is devoted to others?By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Inwardly tearing myself down even as I'm feeling solidarity and awe for another woman's strength and resilience.

Descriptions of the natural world permeate the novel, charting the ebbs and flows of the family’s life across a whole year. Sometimes the use of candles and their mystical power is a bit too much, but this mother's fortitude is incredible.Twelve Moons is a gorgeous book, an elegy to the power of looking up and of taking solace in nature. In Caro Giles’s case that’s the reality of divorce and the everyday needs of her tribe of four daughters. It also lead to the uncomfortable realisation that I compare my own mothering with others far more than I should, my own always coming up short. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. Giles examines and processes how the course of her life’s events have led to her current situation: ‘how I have ended up on my own in the Northern most corner of England with four little girls, when I spent my childhood dreaming of bright lights and centre stage?