Grand cover art

Grand

Becoming My Mother's Daughter

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Grand

By: Noelle McCarthy
Narrated by: Noelle McCarthy
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About this listen

'I’ll be grand, girl, I’ve great faith.'—Mammy, just before she died

Funny, charismatic and generous; angry, vicious and hurt; in pub lounges all over Cork City, Noelle McCarthy’s mother Carol rages against her life and everything she’s lost.

As soon as she can, Noelle runs away. All the way to New Zealand, to make a new, different kind of life. But then Mammy gets sick, and it’s time to face everything that’s waiting back home.

From Catholic Ireland in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s to sparkling Auckland in the first years of the new millennium, Grand is a story of the invisible ties that bind us, of bitter legacies handed down through the generations, and of the leap of faith it takes to change them.

©2022 Noelle McCarthy (P)2022 Penguin Random House New Zealand Funny

Critic Reviews

"Derry Girls meets An Angel at My Table is an improbable combination. Yet here it is, and it is perfect. Desperately funny, hysterically sad, so beautiful and so humane. All of life is in it. I utterly adored it." (Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss)

"In this stunning reckoning with demons, McCarthy’s mammy, Carol, lands on the page with a hilarious, indelible, appalling vivacity, stealing every scene. The trajectory of their relationship–intense, literally tooth and claw, barely survivable—takes them, in the nick of time, to something fierce and unbreakable. Grand will have you reassessing the power of love; the deep and painful channels it can cut." (Diana Wichtel, author of Driving to Treblinka)

"A howl of anguish and love." (Steve Braunias)
All stars
Most relevant
So many parallels to my life, an immigrant to NZ, lost my Mother at a similar age/stage... Noelle, your writing is beautifully expressive and the visual and atmospheric imagery so fantastically vivid. A real gem.

I loved this book!

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A beautiful narration of an interesting and reflective life. A must on Audio as Noelles dulcet tones and humour make it even better.

A joy to listen too

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Made me laugh and cry and think of my own struggles thanks Noelle for your beautiful Lilt and sharing your story

Grand

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Standing out from the first sentence, Noelle's recount had me relating to her life in many ways.. as a daughter to a mother with a wicked bite but also as a mother to a daughter I can not please. You feel her story and understand even through her lense the views of others not only in her story but also your own. Her voice is captivating and enjoyable and make the story that much better.

Raw, Real and Relatible

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