A "strikingly imaginative" (O, The Oprah Magazine) and heartfelt memoir for every woman on the verge of becoming and empty nester

In her critically acclaimed debut memoir, Still Life with Chickens, Catherine Goldhammer shared her recovery from the chaos of divorce: moving with her daughter Harper to a seaside New England town, renovating a rustic cottage, and raising six chickens. Winging It picks up when Harper begins her junior year of high school and Catherine suddenly realizes that both she and her daughter will be on their own in two short years. Like so many mothers, Catherine feels woefully unprepared for not only her daughter's independence, but also her own.

Yet as friends, ex-lovers, adventures, and opportunities emerge, Catherine begins to realize that her life will not end with her daughter's departure, but begin anew. With wit, charm, and candor, she reveals her journey of rediscovering herself through one of life's most universal transitions, including the lesson that letting go doesn't have to mean losing those you love.

...

In this beautifully written and frequently funny memoir, Catherine Goldhammer, newly separated, along with her twelve-year-old daughter, starts life anew in a cottage by the sea, in a rustic town where live bait is sold from vending machines. Partly to please her daughter and partly for reasons not clear to her at the time, she begins this year of transition by purchasing six baby chickens—whose job, she comes to suspect, is to pull her and her daughter forward out of one life and into another. An unforgettable story filled with hope and grace, Still Life with Chickens shows how transcendent wisdom can be found in the most unlikely of places....

For every woman on the verge of becoming an empty nester, a wry, insightful chronicle of rediscovering oneself at midlife.

In her critically acclaimed first book, Still Life with Chickens, Catherine Goldhammer wrote of the six baby chicks that helped to pull her and her daughter forward, out of one life and into another--leaving the chaos of divorce far behind. Since then, the two have grown into their quirky life together in their rustic New England cottage by the sea, a life that Catherine has come to love.

Now, in this wise and lyrical narrative, Catherine finds herself at a new crossroads: her daughter, brilliant and sophisticated and sixteen, is growing more independent by the day, and Catherine must face the reality that she will soon leave home for good. Like so many mothers, she is at first unprepared. Yet, as unexpected friends and ex-lovers, adventures and opportunities emerge, it becomes clear that Catherine’s life will not end with her daughter’s departure, but begin anew.

With wit, charm, and rare honesty, Winging It chronicles Catherine’s journey of self-discovery through one of life’s most universal transitions—and reveals the infinite possibilities for a daring single woman at midlife. It is sure to speak to the thousands who, every year, hesitantly send their children off into the world and, with both fear and glee, wonder what’s next?...

A "strikingly imaginative" (O, The Oprah Magazine) and heartfelt memoir for every woman on the verge of becoming and empty nester

In her critically acclaimed debut memoir, Still Life with Chickens, Catherine Goldhammer shared her recovery from the chaos of divorce: moving with her daughter Harper to a seaside New England town, renovating a rustic cottage, and raising six chickens. Winging It picks up when Harper begins her junior year of high school and Catherine suddenly realizes that both she and her daughter will be on their own in two short years. Like so many mothers, Catherine feels woefully unprepared for not only her daughter's independence, but also her own.

Yet as friends, ex-lovers, adventures, and opportunities emerge, Catherine begins to realize that her life will not end with her daughter's departure, but begin anew. With wit, charm, and candor, she reveals her journey of rediscovering herself through one of life's most universal transitions, including the lesson that letting go doesn't have to mean losing those you love.

...