I'm Just a Teenage Punchbag

POIGNANT AND FUNNY: A NOVEL FOR A GENERATION OF WOMEN

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Buy on Amazon Buy on Waterstones.com
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 23 Jul 2020 | Archive Date 22 Jul 2020

Talking about this book? Use #ImJustaTeenagePunchbag #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

'Obligatory reading for all parents of teenagers!' NIGELLA LAWSON

'Bloody marvellous. Horribly familiar, funny, touching, sad, brutally honest...clutch this book to your stained T-shirt and never let it go.' JO BRAND

'Terrific. A remarkable blend of hilarity and heartbreak with a really satisfying plot. Being childless never felt so good.' GRAHAM NORTON

'Warm and witty... The competitive mothering, the hell that is other people's children, the fights and accusations of Homeland inquisition all rang deliciously true... a most entertaining read.' KATHY LETTE

'Very poignant... A moving read as well as a funny one.' JANE GARVEY

'Honest, hilarious and painful' WOMAN & HOME


Warning!! This novel may lead you to make rash and life-changing decisions!*

*Probably don't read if you fear you may be ripe for liberation. Or if you sometimes wee when you laugh...

First there was Having It All, then there was Bridget Jones' s Diary and I Don't Know How She Does It. Now there is Teenage Punchbag.

I'm Just A Teenage Punchbag is a laugh-out-loud, sob-on-the bus journey through the so-called life of a middle-aged woman.

Ciara is mother to three ungrateful, entitled teenagers, is married to steady Martin, a man with hairy udders, and is grieving for her mum who now lives in the wardrobe in a cardboard box from the crematorium. She finds solace in her anonymous blog, and in the daily chats she has with her mum's ashes (often the best conversations she has all day.)

Despite the menopause, the invisibility of middle age and the daily self-esteem bashings, courtesy of her kids, Ciara manages to navigate the stormy waters of grief and family life - until her mask slips and she is cast out from the family bosom. She embarks on a mission to fulfil her mum's dying wishes to have her remains sprinkled from the top of the Empire State Building, finding company, distraction and - ultimately - herself in the process.

If motherhood is a job - who says you can't resign?

'Obligatory reading for all parents of teenagers!' NIGELLA LAWSON

'Bloody marvellous. Horribly familiar, funny, touching, sad, brutally honest...clutch this book to your stained T-shirt and never let...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781529382419
PRICE £14.99 (GBP)
PAGES 304

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)

Average rating from 13 members


Featured Reviews

This book resonated with me. Having 'ungrateful, demanding teenagers',, I completely 'get it'. Ciara's loss of self, who she is and what she wants. Writing what others think but are too afraid to say. A drastic but, life affirming outcome - you can resign!!

Was this review helpful?

Well, this book turned out to be a surprise. I t stated as a book of a mother of teenager's with issues that I can relate to. I thought it would continue in a slummy mummy style for the rest of the story. But, no, it didn't. Without giving too much away, it turned on it's head completely and delivered a sort of Shirley Valentine re-awakening. I loved the story and it was not as I expected.

Was this review helpful?

Readers who liked this book also liked: