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Guardian Family: Confessions of a Full Time Mother

459 replies

morningpaper · 24/02/2007 15:10

Confessions of a Full Time Mother

"Kirsty Gunn is not working on her next novel. She is not a columnist for the London Review of Books. She has chosen instead to disappear from the professional world and embrace a domestic life just as rich and interesting and inspiring ... "

PAH! She's opted out of the professional world - well except for this article and the book she has just written about her "year as a full time mum" - full time that is, except for the 30 hours a week that her children are at school in which I presume she fannies about writing drivel like this.

At first I thought it was an ironic joke, but sadly not. Perhaps she is friends with that woman who survived the concentration-camp conditions of Fulham after that breeze blew her wooden grapes off the sideboard...

OP posts:
paulaplumpbottom · 25/02/2007 19:07

I think they deleted the wrong post as well.

Aloha · 25/02/2007 19:23

Oh, I love the review of her book particularly these bits: "Where Hemingway would simply have written "Ward walks further into the water", Gunn says: "He's walked further out by now, Ward has, into the water." And that is her at her most economical. In full flight she is capable of repeating herself for pages."

And this quote from the book: "Afternoon of this one day, but all time in it, sun stopped high overhead, dust of heat in the air, like the gauze of harvest, sacrifice, gold coming down off the sides of the sky from the court of gold."

And the conclusion: "It is flaccid and wearyingly pretentious."

Can someone please pastiche this? MI?

Aloha · 25/02/2007 19:25

Oh, and Cod, she was born in 1960 (so aged 46/7) and in the pictures her kids look quite old..like four/five and seven or something, so can't think she had her first at 44. And I'm buggered if I know the significance of her 44th birthday in the feature either.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2007 19:27

Never thought the day would come when I'd say I prefer Hemingway .

Original poster
morningpaper · 25/02/2007 19:27

Dear ME Aloha I am struggling even to read those two lines... a whole book would be a NIGHTMARE.

I can't BELIEVE you lot criticise Xenia for having a Nanny. Surely I am not the only person who would give ANYTHING for some help with my children? And I've only got TWO! If I had paid help/a relative around at weekends I would be able to RELAX. Or maybe SIT DOWN. Maybe eat a whole MEAL without getting up.

Ideally I'd love to spend ALL day with my children but with someone else actually entertaining them. So I'd really like to be there, but just sort of reading or working. Maybe in another room. Hmm yes, just sort of hearing them downstairs would be lovely.

Xenia is absolutely right, that is EXACTLY how many men see their rightful lives. I was reading a travel review yesterday and a MAN had written "If I get sick of the family, I can go to my room and relax." And I thought, only a MAN would have written that. What if HIS WIFE got sick of the family?

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 25/02/2007 19:28

Was forced to read him in American Literature in high school . Got sent to the dean for pointing out he was a drunken, misogynist, chauvinist bastard.

Aloha · 25/02/2007 19:31

Everyone's much funnier discussing Kirsty 'she's written now, Kirsty has, more of this drivel' Gunn than they are engaging with the X-factor.

stramash · 25/02/2007 19:49

Actually I quite like the poem, but perhaps just in comparison to the article which is truly awful.

I am reminded of Rachel Cusk's " A Life's Work" ; another educated woman bleating on about how seriously pissed off she was by having to look after her own child. I got no further than the part where she compared being positioned for a c section to the crucifixion of Christ, FFS.

She is a much better writer tho.

More Kirsty Gunn , more!

Original poster
morningpaper · 25/02/2007 19:50

I like Rachel Cusk

She gets to the point

OP posts:
stramash · 25/02/2007 19:54

Well, in comparison to KG she certainly does. Have still got it somewhere, perhaps will look it out and read again.

tigermoth · 25/02/2007 20:04

morningpaper, I have two boys aged nearly 13 and 7 so the need for me to do lots of hands on stuff is getting repidly less.

But even if dh was not here, I would hate, hate, HATE to have a nanny for ds1 and 2 in our home saturday and sunday. I would feel invaded, not relieved. OK, a few hour stints of childcare would be very welcome if I wanted to go out in the evening or go clothes shopping sometimes- but not a blanket presence - no way.

Remember, I work monday - friday, so I look forward to the weekend to see more of my sons. I enjoy their company (most of the time!).

Sobernow · 25/02/2007 20:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Caligula · 25/02/2007 20:11

Morningpaper, haven't you got a TV? Much cheaper than a nanny.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2007 20:12

I've little patience for people who get everything they ever want in life and then moan about it.

Even less when they spew verbal diaorrhea about it.

And none whatsoever for the numpties who pay them for it/buy it.

Caligula · 25/02/2007 20:15

God Hemingway.

Incredible to think someone in the world writes equally turgid rubbish!

expatinscotland · 25/02/2007 20:17

He was force fed to US high school students in the 80s as 'literature', Caligula.

Ever notice how many references to booze there are in his works?

I mean, if you can get past the misogyny.

Caligula · 25/02/2007 20:19

OMG how could they subject teenagers to that crap.

They tried to make us study DH Lawrence for A Level as well, we soon put paid to that.

paulaplumpbottom · 25/02/2007 20:30

Well.....I hate his points of view on things, but He was an amazing author. I still love his books and was very happy to have had them force fed to me.

expatinscotland · 25/02/2007 20:33

All those run on sentences. HATED that.

The boy next to me counted how many times he used 'and' on one page.

68 times.

Original poster
morningpaper · 25/02/2007 20:37

lol I DO have a TV but the 16 month old doesn't have the same TV attention span as the 4 year old...

Actually I made her a funpod today out of some spare wood in the shed. [manly emoticon] She LOVES it already.

OP posts:
strongteabag · 25/02/2007 20:39

I am lucky that I have DH and FIL to help at the weekend so I can write/sell on e-bay, go for a run, but at the same time I spend the rest of the week running around after 3 under 5's, and I love it, so I won't complain.

Think a lot of this boils down to being outside ones comfort zone. Each to their own. We're not all at opposite ends of the WOHM/SAHM spectrum and luckily we don't all want to write about it.

motherinferior · 25/02/2007 20:40

Oh god, yes, Rachel Cusk. It's the way she universalises her own experience, while steadfastly refusing to engage with anything that could actually help her that drives me bonkers.

Caligula · 25/02/2007 20:41

"Luckily, we don't all want to write about it"

Can you imagine just how boring newspapers would be? LOL.

kiskidee · 25/02/2007 20:42

has the author come on to explain herself yet?

and if not, why hasn't one of you journo people not invited her?

strongteabag · 25/02/2007 20:49

"Luckily, we don't all want to write about it"

Can you imagine just how boring newspapers would be? LOL. ''

Nooooobody wants to read about my life