25 May 2021
A Guardian 2021 Non-fiction Highlight
“I read it in one sitting, and will be pressing into the hands of everyone I know” Christie Watson
“A beautiful, emotional and timely read” Matt Haig
“This is a truly beautiful book, shot through with honesty, heartbreak and joy. I loved it” Adam Kay
“Luminous with love” Nicci Gerrard
As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones _ some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together.
Here, Kate Mosse tells her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson’s, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as ‘an extra pair of hands’ for her 90-year-old mother-in-law.
This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It’s about juggling priorities, mind-numbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and the solace of nature when we’re exhausted or at a loss. It is also about celebrating older people, about learning to live differently _ and think differently about ageing.
But most of all, it’s a story about love.
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AN EXTRA PAIR OF HANDS – THE BOOK TOUR
Salon LIVE Online: Kate Mosse interviewed by Sam Baker
Date: Thursday 3 June 2021
Time: 8pm GMT
Location: Online event
Description: Join us online as we celebrate the launch of Kate Mosse’s touching memoir An Extra Pair of Hands. This heart-warming book shines a light on the joys and challenges of being a carer and shows how even the smallest act of caregiving is one of the greatest acts of love. Kate will be interviewed by journalist, broadcaster and editor Sam Baker.
Tickets: Free, available to book online.
Wellcome Collection: An Extra Pair of Hands with Kate Mosse and Rachel Clarke
Date: Tuesday 8 June 2021
Time: 7pm GMT
Location: Online event
Description: Join novelist Kate Mosse and palliative care doctor and writer Rachel Clarke in conversation about care, ageing and everyday acts of love. Kate will discuss her own experience of becoming a carer in middle age, first helping her mother to care for her father, and then supporting her mother through grief after her father’s death.
Tickets: Free, please register online.
An Extra Pair of Hands: Chichester Festival Theatre launch
Date: Thursday 10th June
Time: 6pm GMT
Location: The Brasserie, Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6AP
Description: To celebrate her first non fiction book for a decade, Kate will be in conversation with the Chichester Observer’s Phil Hewitt. This is a special publication launch event as part of 2021 Carers’ Week UK.
Tickets: £5, available online or call the box office on 01243 781312
Date: Wednesday 30 June 2021
Time: 6.30pm GMT
Location: Online event via Zoom
Description: Join 5×15 for an open , honest and timely discussion with best-selling novelist Kate Mosse as she tells her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson’s, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as ‘an extra pair of hands’ for her 90-year-old mother-in-law. Kate will be in conversation with Rosie Boycott.
Tickets: Free. Please register online to access this event
