My Mother Next Door, Diane Danvers Simmons
My Mother Next Door, Diane Danvers Simmons
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My Mother Next Door

Author: Diane Danvers Simmons

Narrator: Diane Danvers Simmons

Unabridged: 8 hr 15 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/24/2022

Synopsis

It’s hardly newsworthy when a man walks out on his family. But it’s rather unusual for a mother to walk out, leaving the father to bring up their sixteen-year-old daughter—and downright scandalous for said Irish Catholic mother to move into the house next door to start a new life with a bunch of hot male students at the age of sixty.No one can accuse Diane Danvers Simmons of telling a familiar story. Instead she offers a wickedly witty, candid, irreverent, British coming-of-age story with a fresh take on maternal abandonment.In My Mother Next Door, she shares the life lessons learned growing up in the revolutionary 1970s while her narcissistic mother charted her own unfathomable course to independence and freedom.After living in America for decades and becoming a mother herself, Diane journeys back through the madness of her early years, coming to terms with a comical, painful family history but also celebrating the strength and humor it has given her to face the absurdity of life In trying to understand what drove her mother to become the woman next door, Diane discovers new respect, love, and even forgiveness: the root of our humanity.

About Diane Danvers Simmons

Diane Danvers Simmons is a born-and-raised Brit who moved to America in her late twenties for business and success. After an accomplished career as a senior VP at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and then Omnicom Media in London, New York, and LA, she became a mother. Drawing from her advertising and marketing skills, Chopra center teachings, and life experiences, Diane transitioned her skills into female empowerment activism through speaking engagements, workshops, writing (published online articles), film, and mentorship in the USA and globally. Embarking on a personal journey to write My Mother Next Door, she was further inspired to create and host a new podcast series with her millennial daughter called Mothers and Daughters Unfiltered (the title says it all), at www.mothersanddaughtersunfiltered.com.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Tracey on December 16, 2021

Funny, heartbreaking, and captivating Capturing your attention from the title, this book did not disappoint. Being propelled into the world of Diane and her mum, she has a way of making the reader feel right there with her. I laughed. I cried. I got angry. A wonderfully told story of a loving, yet d......more

Goodreads review by Jayne on May 14, 2024

When the author was sixteen, her 60-year-old narcissistic mother left her family and moved into the house next door with a group of young male students. The author recounts her unusual upbringing in London and the trials and tribulations she faced when abandoned by her mother.  Brilliantly narrated by......more

Goodreads review by Mrs. G’s Reads on October 11, 2022

Diane Danvers Simmons, the author & narrator, had a very unusual upbringing. She was dealt some weird cards - one of them being her mother moving next door with some college students. Simmons takes you on the journey of her life as well as some important parts of her mother’s past as well. She narra......more

Goodreads review by Nancy on January 02, 2022

A bright and enlighten view of the author unusual family life. She takes us on a journey of forgiveness and understanding of her mother's need for independence even though she herself is caring for her mature traditional father while enduring her own teenage trauma. This book makes us all take a loo......more

Goodreads review by Books on August 03, 2022

Sometimes reality can be wilder than fiction, and that's what draws you into this incredible memoir. What keeps you there is the heart and the moments of family and hardship that we all experience on some level. Her narration on the audiobook brings the story to life and infuses even more emotion in......more

Quotes

“Diane’s experiences and relationship with her mother touched all of my emotions, from love and happiness, to hate and sorrow.” Shelley Zalis, Forbes columnist, co-founder of #SeeHer, and founder & CEO of The Female Quotient

“Diane has captured the delightful soul of her younger self…A must-read!” Ashleigh Banfield, anchor of Banfield on NewsNation

“This is a unique and compelling story of mother loss, grief, and healing…Read this book and soak in the gift of personal growth that forgiveness brings.” Judith Ruskay Rabinor, PhD, clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and author of The Girl in the Red Boots

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