Book Description

In this disarmingly vulnerable and wickedly hilarious collection of essays, Mary Walsh chronicles her colourful—sometimes difficult, never boring—life, coming to the hopeful conclusion that growing old means finally finding (and loving) yourself

In this sharply observed and wryly funny collection of essays on identity, family, and belonging, Mary Walsh takes readers on a rollicking—and sometimes difficult, but never boring—journey through her life. Her subjects range from the heartbreak of growing up next door to her family, to Newfoundland’s vibrant and not altogether happy entry into the Canadian confederation, to the behind-the-scenes of her wildly popular CBC shows, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes, to her complicated relationship with her complicated mother, and to her struggles with alcohol, self-doubt, and what it means to connect with those around her.

The result is a collection of essays that are deftly comical, vividly rendered, heartachingly vulnerable and, above all, hopeful. In the end, Mary learns the trials and hurdles (some self-inflicted) that she endured in her younger years only make the process of aging all the sweeter. The message she now has is a powerful one: her older years are her best ones yet, because she’s finally learned to accept who she is.

About the Author

MARY WALSHcreated and starred inThis Hour Has 22 Minutes, CBC’s comedic take on current affairs. The series earned her many of her numerous Gemini Awards (now called the Canadian Screen Awards) and showcased her dynamic range of characters, including the flagrantly outspoken Marg Delahunty. Walsh wrote, produced, and starred in the award-winning seriesHatching, Matching and Dispatching, which returned to CBC in 2017 as a feature length presentation calledA Christmas Fury, with Walsh and the original cast reprising their roles. She has also been nominated for two Genies for her performances in feature filmsCrackieandNew Waterford Girl. In 2017 she published her debut novel, the Canadian bestsellerCrying for the Moon. Among her many awards and doctorates, Mary is the recipient of the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts, and the CSA’s Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement in television acting.