'I laughed out loud, often, in painful recognition.' Esther Freud'Cusk has created a work of beauty and wisdom.' New Statesman'Cusk is not afraid to address frankly the grief for freedom lost, the despair, pain, boredom and guilt - all in the context of the mother's unspeakable love for the baby.' Stephanie Merritt, ObserverA Life's Work is Rachel Cusk's funny, moving, brutally honest account of her early experiences of motherhood.An education in babies, books, breast-feeding, toddler groups, broken nights, bad advice and never being alone, it is a landmark work, which has provoked acclaim and outrage in equal measure.