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You Never Did Learn to Knock: 14 Stories About Girls and Their Mothers
This diverse collection of fourteen original contemporary stories captures many different aspects of the special relationship between mother and daughter. From happy discoveries to tragic loss and rebellion to resolution, this collection brings together fourteen of today's top female writers from diverse cultures to explore a theme that is close to every woman's heart.
- GenresYoung Adult
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Bel Mooney
97 books20 followers(From official website)
As someone who has worked right across the media, I ‘meet’ the widest range of people through my books for adults and children, journalism and broadcasting. And I love it – especially my latest metamorphosis into an advice columnist, first for The Times and now for the Daily Mail on Saturdays. Believe me, there’s no complacency when I say I am blessed with a terrific life. It hasn’t all been easy. But I guess nobody’s life is…and why should it be?
I was born in Liverpool in 1946, where home was a flat in a low-rise estate called The Green, on Queen’s Drive, near Broadgreen Hospital, where I was born. I went to Northway Primary School and then passed the 11+ to go to Aigburth Vale Girls’ High School. This was old-fashioned state education and it served me very well indeed.
Then when I was 14 my world was turned upside down by a move to the South-West of England, to Trowbridge in Wiltshire. That’s when my beloved, hardworking parents obtained their first mortgage, on a three bed-roomed semi. It was such a step up in the world! I went to the local girls’ grammar school and tried to learn a new accent, in order to fit in. It wasn’t easy. But maybe writers should never really fit in…
When I left school I went to University College London, and in 1969 gained a first class honours degree in English Language and Literature. In 1968 I married my first husband, the broadcaster and writer Jonathan Dimbleby. We met in our second year (he was a philosophy student) and married in a whirlwind after knowing each other just four months. Our marriage was a real meeting of minds and was to last for 35 years, until 2003. Jonathan is one of the best, most wonderful people I have ever met. Still.
When I graduated I expected to go back to Uni and do a PhD as invited by my department, but I was seduced down the primrose path of journalism, and have never regretted not writing that thesis on Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. Anyway, I am now a Fellow of UCL and hold honorary degrees from Bath University and Liverpool John Moores – so, if I wanted, could dip my toe into university life once more.
My first job was on the now-legendary magazine NOVA, which was very exciting, as it used some of the best writers, photographers and designers around. I was Assistant to the Editor, then a feature writer, then contributing editor. After that I had a contract with the Telegraph Magazine, contributed to the Sunday Times, Guardian etc, and was a regular with the New Statesman, under the inspiring editorship of Anthony Howard. Later still I wrote columns variously in the Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan, the Listener and the Daily Mirror.
In 1974 Jonathan and I had Daniel, then in 1975 our second son Tom was stillborn, and in 1980 we had Kitty. At that time we moved to Bath and I began another career as a broadcaster, making programmes for radio and television. I also began to write fiction, starting with ‘The Windsurf Boy’ (1983) and then the first ‘Kitty’ book, ‘I Don’t Want To’ (1985). In 2005 I began a new strand of my career, writing a weekly advice column for The Times, and in 2007 I took that column to The Daily Mail.
In September 2007 I married the photographer Robin Allison-Smith. We live in Bath with our small white dog, a Maltese called Bonnie (of course!) We like doing travel pieces together and riding around on Robin’s Harley-Davidson ‘Fat Boy’ and dancing to the 1972 Wurlitzer and eating and drinking and going to the theatre and hanging out with friends and with Dan and Kitty. Robin and I have set up a company ‘Moon Media’ which offers photography and words, sometimes together. Contact www.robinallisonsmith.co.uk to discuss possibilities. We are also co-owners of a boutique ski chalet in the French Alps, so if you are interested in a wonderful holiday (beautiful in summer too) www.broski.co.uk.
As someone who has worked right across the media, I ‘meet’ the widest range of people through my books for adults and children, journalism and broadcasting. And I love it – especially my latest metamorphosis into an advice columnist, first for The Times and now for the Daily Mail on Saturdays. Believe me, there’s no complacency when I say I am blessed with a terrific life. It hasn’t all been easy. But I guess nobody’s life is…and why should it be?
I was born in Liverpool in 1946, where home was a flat in a low-rise estate called The Green, on Queen’s Drive, near Broadgreen Hospital, where I was born. I went to Northway Primary School and then passed the 11+ to go to Aigburth Vale Girls’ High School. This was old-fashioned state education and it served me very well indeed.
Then when I was 14 my world was turned upside down by a move to the South-West of England, to Trowbridge in Wiltshire. That’s when my beloved, hardworking parents obtained their first mortgage, on a three bed-roomed semi. It was such a step up in the world! I went to the local girls’ grammar school and tried to learn a new accent, in order to fit in. It wasn’t easy. But maybe writers should never really fit in…
When I left school I went to University College London, and in 1969 gained a first class honours degree in English Language and Literature. In 1968 I married my first husband, the broadcaster and writer Jonathan Dimbleby. We met in our second year (he was a philosophy student) and married in a whirlwind after knowing each other just four months. Our marriage was a real meeting of minds and was to last for 35 years, until 2003. Jonathan is one of the best, most wonderful people I have ever met. Still.
When I graduated I expected to go back to Uni and do a PhD as invited by my department, but I was seduced down the primrose path of journalism, and have never regretted not writing that thesis on Sylvia Plath and Virginia Woolf. Anyway, I am now a Fellow of UCL and hold honorary degrees from Bath University and Liverpool John Moores – so, if I wanted, could dip my toe into university life once more.
My first job was on the now-legendary magazine NOVA, which was very exciting, as it used some of the best writers, photographers and designers around. I was Assistant to the Editor, then a feature writer, then contributing editor. After that I had a contract with the Telegraph Magazine, contributed to the Sunday Times, Guardian etc, and was a regular with the New Statesman, under the inspiring editorship of Anthony Howard. Later still I wrote columns variously in the Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan, the Listener and the Daily Mirror.
In 1974 Jonathan and I had Daniel, then in 1975 our second son Tom was stillborn, and in 1980 we had Kitty. At that time we moved to Bath and I began another career as a broadcaster, making programmes for radio and television. I also began to write fiction, starting with ‘The Windsurf Boy’ (1983) and then the first ‘Kitty’ book, ‘I Don’t Want To’ (1985). In 2005 I began a new strand of my career, writing a weekly advice column for The Times, and in 2007 I took that column to The Daily Mail.
In September 2007 I married the photographer Robin Allison-Smith. We live in Bath with our small white dog, a Maltese called Bonnie (of course!) We like doing travel pieces together and riding around on Robin’s Harley-Davidson ‘Fat Boy’ and dancing to the 1972 Wurlitzer and eating and drinking and going to the theatre and hanging out with friends and with Dan and Kitty. Robin and I have set up a company ‘Moon Media’ which offers photography and words, sometimes together. Contact www.robinallisonsmith.co.uk to discuss possibilities. We are also co-owners of a boutique ski chalet in the French Alps, so if you are interested in a wonderful holiday (beautiful in summer too) www.broski.co.uk.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 13, 2020
It was hard to get into and took me forever to finish even though it was a small book. I would end up skipping forward to find something exciting.
August 2, 2008
I didn't really enjoy the first half of this collection of short stories about Mothers & Daughters. I put it down for several weeks. And when I picked it up again it seemed transformed. So either I was in a bad mood for the first half, or they saved all the good stories for the second half.
Some of the essays have too much teenage angst and seemed too contrived. But there were some really good ones too - dealing with death, divorce, and other life-changes.
The great thing about short story collections is that if you don't like one, you can just skip it. Or skim it fast - these essays are all pretty short.
I loved that lots of them are by British authors - there's just something about the word "Mum."
Some of the essays have too much teenage angst and seemed too contrived. But there were some really good ones too - dealing with death, divorce, and other life-changes.
The great thing about short story collections is that if you don't like one, you can just skip it. Or skim it fast - these essays are all pretty short.
I loved that lots of them are by British authors - there's just something about the word "Mum."
September 22, 2014
There are fourteen stories about mom and daughter in this book. At first I chose this book because the cover attracted me. My friend also told me the book isn't bad.
But after I read this book, I didn't very enjoy it. Some of the stories made me feel bored and didn't want to read the rest part.
There are several stories sound unreal but impressed me. One of them is called SING. It said a girl found that her mother met someone secretly and later she knew that is her real grandma. Then a romantic story about her real grandma and grandpa came out.
I rated three stars for this book. Actually I didn't finish reading two or three stories in this book. I just read the first four pages of them and I thought there was nothing interesting happened so I skipped it.
But after I read this book, I didn't very enjoy it. Some of the stories made me feel bored and didn't want to read the rest part.
There are several stories sound unreal but impressed me. One of them is called SING. It said a girl found that her mother met someone secretly and later she knew that is her real grandma. Then a romantic story about her real grandma and grandpa came out.
I rated three stars for this book. Actually I didn't finish reading two or three stories in this book. I just read the first four pages of them and I thought there was nothing interesting happened so I skipped it.
June 19, 2008
This book dives into the relationship between Mothers and Daughters. The short stories are in all different but all show that Mothers and Daughters are together no matter what.
January 23, 2009
This is a really good book about Mother's and Daughter's relationships. There are about 14 stories in this book, and all of them are great.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews