Nell Frizzell

A hundred years. Thousands of women. One extraordinary pond. I have learned about peacocks and terrapins, giant cobras and booming widgeons; I have heard about celebrity spottings and al-fresco lovemaking and digestive biscuits. These things make up the history of the Ladies’ Pond, but they also give us an insight into a hundred years of women’s lives. From code breakers to cake bakers, I have learned that there is no such thing as a ‘normal woman’; and over the last hundred years the Pond has played host to thousands of remarkable people. For a century, the Ladies’ Pond on Hampstead Heath has welcomed women from every walk of life: artists and activists, swimmers and sunbathers, friends and free spirits. As Britain’s most famous female open-air swimming spot, a pocket of wildness tucked away in the middle of the city, it has long attracted adventurous swimmers from all over the UK and the wider world. Brave and Bold celebrates one hundred years of this beloved London landmark through the rhythm of a single swimming year, from frozen Januarys to sun-drenched midsummers; through friendships, feminist activism and the joy of open water. Created in official partnership with the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association and rich with previously unseen archive material and new interviews – from Dolly Alderton and Amy Liptrot to lifelong swimmers of every era – this is far more than the story of one pond. It’s a story of community, women and wild water across a century of social and political change, from suffragettes to soap stars, war to liberation, and shared flasks of tea to acts of quiet rebellion. Brave and Bold is both a love letter to Hampstead Heath and to every woman who has ever felt most at home bobbing about in open water.

After Nancy’s father dies, she is faced with two life-changing revelations. One: She has a half-brother she knew nothing about. Nancy’s world is punched inside out at the discovery of a mysterious new sibling. But she can’t help but feel curious about Oliver, this stranger who shares her DNA. Her sister Rita, on the other hand, is furious and wants nothing to do with their ‘cuckoo’ brother. Two: She’s pregnant. The father – Nancy’s not-quite-boyfriend from her not-quite-relationship – doesn’t want to commit any time soon. He isn’t even in the same continent as her right now. And with her mother and sister in shock about Oliver, Nancy’s struggling to find someone to turn to for support. In a tumult of grief, fear and hope, Nancy pushes herself into an uncertain future as she rethinks what really makes a family. But there’s one more thought in the back of her head…Is there space in her family for two more?

'Smart and funny, it had me from page one' MEG MASON'Warm, tender and beautiful' DAISY BUCHANAN_____________________________After Nancy’s father dies, she is faced with two life-changing revelations. One: She has a half-brother she knew nothing about. Nancy’s world is punched inside out at the discovery of a mysterious new sibling. But she can’t help but feel curious about Oliver, this stranger who shares her DNA. Her sister Rita, on the other hand, is furious and wants nothing to do with their ‘cuckoo’ brother. Two: She’s pregnant. The father – Nancy’s not-quite-boyfriend from her not-quite-relationship – doesn’t want to commit any time soon. He isn’t even in the same continent as her right now. And with her mother and sister in shock about Oliver, Nancy’s struggling to find someone to turn to for support. In a tumult of grief, fear and hope, Nancy pushes herself into an uncertain future as she rethinks what really makes a family. But there’s one more thought in the back of her head…Is there space in her family for two more?__________________________Readers LOVE Cuckoo:'I read the whole book in one day because it just hooked me from the first moment''A fantastic exploration of relationships, heartbreak, secrets, and much more''There are a lot of strong women in this book . . . I enjoyed pretty much all of [it]'

'My favourite person on the politics of parenthood' Pandora Sykes'Exhilarating, infuriating, urgent and human' Daisy Buchanan'A blazing, brilliant read ... compassionate, convincing, funny!' Amy Liptrot'Honest, unflinching and necessary' Sara Pascoe'Funny and brisk ... urgent and incisive' Rob Delaney'A timely and important book' Clover StroudIt's time to share the motherload. A memoir culminating in a manifesto, Holding the Baby sets out to understand why we still treat early parenthood as an individual slog rather than a shared cultural responsibility. Tracing her own journey to the nadir of sleeplessness via social retreat and murderous rage, Frizzell draws on the latest research to explore:- What effect does parenting have on your career?- How can we make childcare affordable and fit for purpose?- If parenting is so hard, why does anyone ever do it more than once? Funny, reassuring and radically ambitious, Holding the Baby sheds light on the ways in which we fail new parents, and offers a rallying crying that we fight for a better alternative.

'Electrifyingly good...sharply comic and perfectly poignant' Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable-------------------Everyone is moving on... and then, there's HannaBy thirty, Hanna expected to have it all (or at least some of it)· A fulfilling and successful career· A healthy, long-term relationship, maybe even an engagement ring· A house (or at least a flat) of her ownBut in reality, she's back at square one...· Single after breaking up with someone she's not sure ever loved her· Flooded with wedding invitations and pregnancy scan pictures from friends· Unable to afford to live on her own and forced to move in with her father who is also single and datingEveryone moves at different paces, but Hanna's life is in reverse. With the pressure to keep up and her dad's insufferable musings on Tinder, will she be able to figure out what she really wants?

Renowned journalist Nell Frizzell explores what happens when a woman begins to ask herself: should I have a baby? We have descriptors for many periods of life--adolescence, menopause, mid-life crisis, quarter-life crisis--but there is a period of profound change that many women face, often in their late twenties to early forties, that does not yet have a name. Nell Frizzell is calling this period of flux "the panic years," and it is often characterized by a preoccupation with one major question: should I have a baby? And from there--do I want a baby? With whom should I have a baby? How will I know when I'm ready? Decisions made during this period suddenly take on more weight, as questions of love, career, friendship, fertility, and family clash together while peers begin the process of coupling and breeding. But this very important process is rarely written or talked about beyond the clich s of the "ticking clock." Enter Frizzell, our comforting guide, who uses personal stories from her own experiences in the panic years to illuminate the larger social and cultural trends, and gives voice to the uncertainty, confusion, and urgency that tends to characterize this time of life. Frizzell reminds us that we are not alone in this, and encourages us to share our experiences and those of the women around us--as she does with honesty and vulnerability in these pages. Raw and hilarious, The Panic Years is an arm around the shoulder for every woman trying to navigate life's big decisions against the backdrop of the mother of all questions.

'As informative as it is poetic' Dolly Alderton'Compassionate, funny and beautifully written' Daisy Buchanan------------------------------Every woman will experience the panic years in some way between her mid-twenties and early-forties. This maddening period of transformation and personal crisis is recognisable by the myriad of decisions we make - about partners, holidays, jobs, homes, savings, friendships - all of which are impacted by the urgency of the single decision that comes with a biological deadline, the one decision that is impossible to take back; whether or not to have a baby. But how to stay sane in such a maddening time? How to know who you are and what you might want from life? How to know if you're making the right decisions? Raw, hilarious and beguilingly honest, Nell Frizzell's account of her panic years is both an arm around the shoulder and a campaign to start a conversation. This affects us all - women, men, mothers, children, partners, friends, colleagues - so it's time we started talking about it with a little more candour. WHAT READERS ARE SAYING- 'Loved this book! Highly recommend for any woman (or man!) during the weird time in your 20s' *****- 'Those panicky feelings of being a 24-30 something put into words' *****- 'This book brings forth a sigh of relief. Excellent book that really taps into what so many of us are thinking and feeling, but not saying' *****