138 ratings | 94 reviews | avg rating:4.46

Fran Macilvey’s Followers (38)

Fran’s Bookshelves

to-read (82)
currently-reading (2)
read (143)

Fran’s Friends (224)

Lilo

3,090 books | 936 friends

Steve Seven

90 books | 16 friends

Rebecca

1,712 books | 131 friends

Marita Hansen

1,443 books | 2,817 friends

Julie Haigh

2,437 books | 353 friends

Robert

104 books | 33 friends

Ted Cross

935 books | 150 friends

Hannah Byron

71 books | 743 friends

More friends…

Fran Macilvey

Goodreads Author

Born

Kinshasa, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the

Website

https://www.franmacilvey.com

Genre

Memoir, Self Help, Fiction

Member Since

December 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/franmacilvey

edit data

I was born in Congo in 1965. Returning to Scotland in 1972, I spent eight years at boarding school, before qualifying in law and practising as a solicitor for ten years. 'Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy' (Skyhorse, New York) is my true story. Two follow-up books, 'Happinesss Matters' and 'Making Miracles' (self-help) share some of the lessons I learned from forty years of making mistakes.

I am currently writing a trio of novels which is nearing completion.

I live in Scotland with my husband and daughter. When not writing or editing, I enjoy public speaking, reading, horse-riding, singing in the shower, and dancing where no-one can see me.

You can contact me at franmacilvey@fastmail.com or leave a message at my website: https://www.fran ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Fran Macilvey questions, please sign up.

Combine Editions
Fran Macilvey’s books

Average rating: 3.61 · 1,093 ratings · 57 reviews · 3 distinct works • Similar authors

	Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy 3.61 avg rating — 1,093 ratings — published 2014 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Happiness Matters 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Making Miracles 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

698 posts
Fran Macilvey's Blog

Last (blog) Post?

I am truly sorry for my long silence over the last months: in my blog pages, I have written on many subjects as they concern me, to do with life, love, occupation, authorship, editing and publishing, that I struggle to think of anything new or original to add; besides which, the subjects that currently concern me so deeply, concern others more deeply; and in this way and that, I am silenced.

It has

Fran is Currently Reading

Fran Macilvey is currently reading

Grown Ups

by Marian Keyes

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Mar 12, 2021 05:41AM

Fran Macilvey is currently reading

A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume

by Helen Schucman

bookshelves: currently-reading

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Jun 20, 2019 05:52AM

rss
Fran’s Recent Updates

Fran Macilvey wrote a new blog post Last (blog) Post? I am truly sorry for my long silence over the last months: in my blog pages, I have written on many subjects as they concern me, to do with life, love Read more of this blog post »
Jun 17, 2024 02:37AM · like

More of Fran's books…

Quotes by Fran Macilvey (?)

“The only thing to do with tears is water your flowers with them, so that there is something to show the world when the sun comes out.”
― Fran Macilvey, Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy

tags: medical, memoir

2 likes

“I felt ridiculously self-conscious, like the stick of celery at a luxurious buffet.”
― Fran Macilvey, Trapped: My Life with Cerebral Palsy

tags: medical-conditions, memoir

1 likes

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Nothing But Readi...: Team Lotus Tower	2187	188	Aug 22, 2025 12:21AM

Fran’s Quotes

“Remain true to yourself, child. If you know your own heart, you will always have one friend who does not lie.”
― Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Forest House

3061 likes

“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
― George Orwell, 1984

tags: truth

16156 likes

“The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.”
― Robert De Niro

tags: academy-awards, speach, writers

53 likes

“Today is gone. Today was fun.
Tomorrow is another one.
Every day,
from here to there,
funny things are everywhere.”
― Dr. Seuss

86 likes

recent posts
Fran’s Groups

We Love Memoirs — 417 members — last activity 6 hours, 30 min ago
The friendliest group on Facebook is now on Goodreads! For all the good stuff and free books head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/welovememoir ...more

The BookTrap — 134 members — last activity May 04, 2020 05:35AM
Brand new site where readers can experience a wide variety of genres, and get an up-close, personal look at our accomplished authors.

Memoir Authors — 1281 members — last activity Oct 24, 2025 03:56PM
A group for those who have written or are busy writing a memoir - let's share experiences. ...more

GOOD REVIEWS — 8581 members — last activity 8 hours, 24 min ago
This Group is only for authors who are looking for reviews and Reviewers who love to read books and share their reviews.

Authors & Reviewers — 10626 members — last activity 22 minutes ago
A&R is about helping authors promote their books. If you are a reviewer or a blogger, and you don't mind writing a honest review, then come and join u ...more

Francophiles — 663 members — last activity Nov 25, 2023 06:27AM
This group is for everyone who loves to read and discover new books about France – the people, history, culture, or food. Both readers and authors are ...more

Read Scotland 2016 — 56 members — last activity Jul 23, 2017 07:57PM
A Scotland Reading Challenge. Books written by Scots, set in Scotland or about Scotland.

Rate My Book Cover! — 24 members — last activity Feb 27, 2023 09:59PM
Need honest opinions about your book cover? What better way to get them than by asking the readers here on goodreads!

More of Fran’s groups…