WHY EMILY IS HER OWN WORST CRITIC

Emily doesn’t want to be her own critic. Her childhood and adolescence had enough bad breaks that she assumes her disappointments must be her fault. She could have tried harder, couldn’t she?

Emily doesn’t want to be her own critic. Her childhood and adolescence had enough bad breaks that she assumes her disappointments must be her fault. She could have tried harder, couldn’t she?

When life deals her a child and single motherhood, she finds her courage—as if this is her final opportunity to live up to her expectations. Motherhood isn’t the career she wanted, but Emily is gifted with love, extraordinary patience, and learns on the fly.

So many details. So many options. So many obstacles. My God, she thinks, surely something will go wrong. With luck and friendships, she and Violet land on their feet—for a while.

Then Doug finds a new love interest, a woman who becomes an enemy no one could have imagined. Amanda has goals, resources, and determination that once would have overwhelmed Emily. Instead of blaming herself, Emily fights tooth and nail to be an even better mother.

Motherhood is a career with no clear objectives or metrics for success. Violet’s adolescence becomes another test Emily must pass.