Happiness: A Memoir

The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After

By: Heather Harpham

Narrated by: Heather Harpham

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

A shirt-grabbing love story that follows a one-of-a-kind family through twists of fate that require nearly unimaginable choices.

Happiness begins with a charming courtship between hopelessly attracted opposites: Heather, a world-roaming California girl, and Brian, an intellectual, homebody writer, kind and slyly funny but loath to leave his Upper West Side studio. Their magical interlude ends, full stop, when Heather becomes pregnant - Brian is sure he loves her, only he doesn't want kids. Heather returns to California to deliver their daughter alone, buoyed by family and friends. Mere hours after Gracie's arrival, Heather's bliss is interrupted when a nurse wakes her: "Get dressed. Your baby is in trouble."

This is not how Heather had imagined new motherhood - alone, heartsick, an unexpectedly solo caretaker of a baby who smelled "like sliced apples and salted pretzels" but might be perilously ill. Brian reappears as Gracie's condition grows dire; together, Heather and Brian have to decide what they are willing to risk to ensure their girl sees adulthood.

The grace and humor that ripple through Harpham's writing transform the dross of heartbreak and parental fears into a clear-eyed, warm-hearted view of the world. Profoundly moving and subtly written, Happiness radiates in many directions - new, romantic love; gratitude for a beautiful, inscrutable world; deep, abiding friendship; the passion a parent has for a child; and the many unlikely ways to build a family. Ultimately, it's a story about love and happiness in their many crooked configurations.

©2017 Heather Harpham (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

beautiful writing with some cringe-worthy mistakes

Any additional comments?

This is a beautifully written, moving story rich in luscious metaphors. However, there were some mistakes either in the writing or the narration: use of contraception where conception should have been used, use of arteries where veins should have been used, and....."nucular." Given the amount of medical content in this book, they probably should have consulted with someone who has medical background.

Thank you Thank you Thank you.

This for waking me up in gratitude, shame of complacency
But also forgiveness.
Not to mention...to the author , bless you for your honesty , resilience
And one of the most articulate captivating and refreshing prose
that I have ever read.
I hope you continue healing us.

Thank You!

Loved the sharing of this families struggle through the unimaginable. Made more poignant by being narrated by this wife and mother. I felt like I was on the journey as well. Bravo!!

A profoundly moving book, especially for parents

I’m at a loss for words- this memoir was so moving, intimate, heartbreaking and hopeful all at once. The lengths to which a parent will go for their child and the lessons we can learn from the sweetest little souls that walk this earth. This book gripped my heart immediately and I was tremendously invested in the story. A must read!

Great Narrator

I couldn’t image this book being read by anyone else. The author’s articulate and animated voice is pleasant and warm. The story is well written and captivating. Along the way, I felt the heartache, anguish, hope and gratitude. I was rooting for a happy outcome. Thank you for this book.

Loved it!

The author did a great job with the narration. Absolutely loved it! Highly recommended, you won't be disappointed.

Brilliant. Heartfelt.

As a parent or not, this book runs you through the rollercoaster of their journey. You can truly feel the emotion. She holds nothing back.

Capturing a Mothers heart

I love this book. Every so often it will sneak around the corner and grab me and I will be a mess in a puddle of tears. This is because my own daughter at 14 1/2, was diagnosed with bone cancer. She went through three reoccurrences of this terrible disease, and Finally caught up with her at age 41. She left a spouse of 20 years and a little girl (just like her) of six years. Words cannot really describe the fear we feel as mothers when our child’s life hangs in the balance, but Heather did it an amazing remarkable job. Thank you Heather for putting our feelings in motion -/God bless you. And God bless the doctors at Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

You listen with your whole heart.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. It's compelling, fulfilling and heart wrenching. I loved every second. I loved her style!

I did not want to stop listening very intriguing

The author held my interest the entire book and also did a fantastic job narrating.