The Worst Day of My Life, So Far - (Harvest Book) by M a Harper (Paperback)

About the Book

In this smart, funny, and wonderfully Southern novel, Jeanne Roth is forced to come to terms with a past filled with the shadows of her mother, a once-vibrant femme fatale now suffering from Alzheimer's.

Book Synopsis

In The Worst Day of My Life, So Far, acclaimed novelist M. A. Harper takes us into the complex mind of Jeanne Roth, a middle-aged woman forced to return to a home state she'd rather forget. An unlikely caretaker, Jeanne must come to terms with a past filled with the shadows of her mother--a once vibrant femme fatale now suffering from Alzheimer's. As she watches her mother's grace and charm slowly slip away, Jeanne is forced to reflect on her own goals and find a new hero to look up to. An expert at analyzing others while neglecting her own troubles, Jeanne is suddenly squaring off directly with the one person she has tried to avoid: herself.

With witty and acerbic prose, Harper tells the poignant, yet hilarious, story of one woman's journey toward self-discovery and confidence. Through the ups and downs of Jeanne, we gradually learn how important it is to confront the thoughts and worries that plague our own lives. A timely legend that shows there are no dead ends in life--only long roads--The Worst Day of My Life, So Far will make you laugh and cry and want more.

From the Back Cover

"Actually, there were no men in Auletta except the married, the stupid, and the dead. In Auletta this worked out to be basically the same thing."
Welcome to Auletta, Louisiana, where the typical bumper sticker reads: "God, Guns and Guts Made This Country Great." Unfortunately for Jeanne Roth, a middle-aged woman with no taste for backwater towns, Auletta becomes her home when she makes good on a promise to her father to care for her mother. When Jeanne learns that her mother has Alzheimer's, she must confront a past bursting with memories of her mama, a once vibrant femme fatale. As she watches mama's grace and charm slowly slip away, Jeanne is forced to reflect on her own goals and find a new hero to look up to. And suddenly Jeanne, an expert at analyzing others while neglecting her own troubles, is squaring off directly with the one person she has tried to avoid: herself.
A poignant, often hilarious, story of one woman's journey toward self-discovery and confidence, this is a timely tale that shows there are no dead ends in life-only long roads.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE, SO FAR

"Readers who think this book will be depressing (and who wouldn't from the title?) will find themselves laughing out loud, and moved to tears."--The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
"A story of real grace and power."--Kirkus Reviews
"An intimate portrait of a mother and a daughter, touching upon sacrifice, forgiveness, frustration, alienation, and understanding."--The Advocate