In this lively exploration of ‘Grandmotherland’, an experienced child psychotherapist draws together a wide range of perspectives on the role and experience of grandmothers.

Judith Edwards looks back to the past and forward to the future, while being rooted in the reality of the modern grandmother’s life. We meet ‘good’ grannies, ‘bad’ grannies, and all those in between, as well as women who fulfil the role without sharing DNA. Our guide looks at how the grannyhood is affected by personality, culture, and tradition, and considers how psychoanalytic insights help us understand what it means to be a grandmother.

Judith Edwards takes us on a journey through ‘Grandmotherland’. A land full of myth, where stereotypes and memes jostle with reality. She questions what we think of when we speak of grandmothers: an apple-cheeked granny knitting in her rocker or a monstrous grandma in wolf skin?

Dr Edwards looks at the stories – those carried down through fairy tales, family history, and legend and those of women living today. She invites you to consider what it takes to be a grandmother and how the role has evolved. It is not a ‘how to’ book but rather a book to ‘smash a few preconceptions and give us a more nuanced view’. Edwards extends the ideas about the role of the grandmother and the intergenerational patterns which affect how it is experienced. Internationally and interculturally informed, Edwards links to the internal psychological experience of grannyhood as well as the external factors at play: personality, culture, family history, and so much more.

As the cost of childcare continues to skyrocket, the lure of the grandmother childminder becomes ever stronger but what of the toll on grandma? Fractured relationships are commonplace but what does a grandmother do when she is frozen out? Grandmotherland: Exploring the Myths and Realities examines every facet of grannyhood: the meanings, reasons, and possibilities behind the myths, memes, and realities experienced by women the world over. Written for those living in Grandmotherland, those ready to embark on the journey, and those who have chosen against or been barred from travelling. This is a book for all of you to enjoy, as well as sparking ideas for those of you in the fields of psychoanalysis, social work, cultural sociology, anthropology, and more.

Publisher: Karnac Books

Published: November 2023

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Dimensions: 14.61 x 1.27 x 22.23 cm