Synopses & Reviews
“I Hope You Have a Good Life addresses the most fundamental questions about adoption, families, life, and love. . . . Heartbreaking and beautiful.” —Publishers Weekly
“A passionate memoir of love retrieved.” —The Times (London)
“Campbell Amstrong understands and communicates the devotion of mother and daughter and the special poignancy of their brief and stress-filled time together.” —Kirkus Reviews
The remarkable story of two extraordinary women who had to live a whole lifetime of caring in a few short weeks.
When Campbell Armstrong and his first wife became lovers, she shared her most intimate secret with him—as a teenager she had given up her first child for adoption. Years later, at the side of his ex-wife, Armstrong witnessed a mother and daughter unite in the most overwhelming circumstances.
With compassion and empathy, Armstrong presents the triumphant reunion of his estranged family with a delicate grace that captivates the joy and despair, sadness and laughter they felt when joined. He paints a beautiful and unforgettable portrait of a mother and daughter brought together out of desperation, but whose lives ultimately provide an uplifting, redemptive story.
I Hope You Have a Good Life is an inspirational memoir, a testament to the human spirit and to the ability of families to reunite when it matters most.
Synopsis
This remarkable memoir is the result of a promise Campbell Armstrong made to his ex-wife, Eileen, as she lay dying of cancer: to write the story of the life-altering reunion that healed four decades of tragedy.
Months after being diagnosed with incurable cancer, Eileen is shocked and overjoyed by the sudden appearance of Barbara, the daughter she had given up for adoption as an unwed teenager 42 years earlier. With rare insight, Armstrong captures the poignancy of the two women trying to condense a lifetime of sharing into a precious few months and the cataclysmic coincidence that binds them even closer. Readers of Frank McCourt and Anna Quindlen will discover in Armstrong a wondrous celebration of family, fresh starts, self-discovery, and ultimate healing.
About the Author
Campbell Armstrong is the author of several novels. He lives in Ireland with his wife.