What do you think?
Rate this book
Modern Family
Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian are among Ireland’s most beloved television personalities and social media stars. The internet exploded when the couple announced they were expecting their first child, with Brian’s sister Aoife acting as their surrogate. Their daughter, Blake, was born in September 2022. In this book, Brian and Arthur detail their long journeys, separately and together, before finally realising the dream of creating their own very happy family.
From births, to deaths, marriage and everything in between this heartfelt and hilarious memoir brings Arthur and Brian’s positive and inspiring attitude to the page as they journey towards parenthood. Brian and Arthur’s Modern Family reflects on the universal cycles of adversity, love and grief experienced by all of us as we strive to achieve our dreams, sharing what they have learned along the way about what really matters.
From births, to deaths, marriage and everything in between this heartfelt and hilarious memoir brings Arthur and Brian’s positive and inspiring attitude to the page as they journey towards parenthood. Brian and Arthur’s Modern Family reflects on the universal cycles of adversity, love and grief experienced by all of us as we strive to achieve our dreams, sharing what they have learned along the way about what really matters.
288 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2023
About the author
Brian Dowling
8 books1 followerBrian Dowling, was a journalist and Public Relations Consultant. He was educated at Tonbridge and won a scholarship to Christ’s College, Cambridge. He joined the RAF as a Cambridge cadet pilot in 1944.
Following the war, Dowling returned to university, but was rusticated from Christ’s for declaiming Aeschylus from the clock tower at two in the morning. He had achieved a First in Classics in the initial part of his Tripos but left Cambridge with a Third in Moral Sciences. There were, he declared, “only two degrees worth having – an effortless First and an effortless Third, and I got ’em both”.
Brian began as a journalist for Picture Post, working alongside the famous photographer, Bert Hardy. While Hardy captured many evocative images of 1950s Britain, it was Brian who chose the subjects and locations, including Picture Post's most celebrated Bert Hardy Photograph: “Blackpool Belles”.
Following Picture Post, he became a publicist with the Rank Organisation and a pioneer in the field of public relations. In 1957, he wrote a television documentary series, "The Way We Live", for a subsidiary of the Rank Organisation and Within two years he was head of Rank’s public and press relations department.
On leaving the Rank organisation, Dowling started his own business, becoming one of London's first corporate relations consultants.
Following the war, Dowling returned to university, but was rusticated from Christ’s for declaiming Aeschylus from the clock tower at two in the morning. He had achieved a First in Classics in the initial part of his Tripos but left Cambridge with a Third in Moral Sciences. There were, he declared, “only two degrees worth having – an effortless First and an effortless Third, and I got ’em both”.
Brian began as a journalist for Picture Post, working alongside the famous photographer, Bert Hardy. While Hardy captured many evocative images of 1950s Britain, it was Brian who chose the subjects and locations, including Picture Post's most celebrated Bert Hardy Photograph: “Blackpool Belles”.
Following Picture Post, he became a publicist with the Rank Organisation and a pioneer in the field of public relations. In 1957, he wrote a television documentary series, "The Way We Live", for a subsidiary of the Rank Organisation and Within two years he was head of Rank’s public and press relations department.
On leaving the Rank organisation, Dowling started his own business, becoming one of London's first corporate relations consultants.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 30, 2023
3.5 stars
This was an easy read over the course of a couple of days. Elements of both their stories are heartbreaking but overall it was a light memoir about the making of a modern family in Ireland in 2023.
This was an easy read over the course of a couple of days. Elements of both their stories are heartbreaking but overall it was a light memoir about the making of a modern family in Ireland in 2023.
May 14, 2024
Before being bombarded of daily reels of the most adorable child, Blake. I didn’t know much about Brian or Arthur, besides Brian winning Big Brother and Arthur being a Judge on dancing with the stars, but when news hit that Brian’s sister Aoife was delivering their baby via surrogate I was hooked and wanted to know more.
This book goes back and forth between Brian and Arthur, sharing their polar opposite early lives, to how they met, broke up, found each other again and now have a fabulous life together.
I learned so much about Arthur and didn’t realise how big a star he was and how he essentially gave it up, to come to Ireland with Brian so to start a life together.
This book goes back and forth between Brian and Arthur, sharing their polar opposite early lives, to how they met, broke up, found each other again and now have a fabulous life together.
I learned so much about Arthur and didn’t realise how big a star he was and how he essentially gave it up, to come to Ireland with Brian so to start a life together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 19, 2024
A very quick and easy read. Arthur in particular has led a very interesting life. I picked up this book because I was interested in the story of them having Blake though, and I felt there was too much of there lives before that. I wouldn't classify myself as a fan of either of them though, so I'm sure there's plenty of people this book would appeal more to. If it's more so the surrogacy you're interested in, then there's not really much in here that wasn't in the documentary.
March 20, 2024
I’ve followed Brain for years from big brother to the 6 o clock show. This book is truly Brian and Arthur and at times heartbreaking. I love how open and honest both were throughout the whole book. These are two people in love and hearing how they started a family is truly amazing. I hope anybody in similar situations take hope and never give up. A great read.
November 26, 2023
I follow Arthur and Brian on social media, so it was good to get an insight to their lives. Wishing them and Blake a lovely life
November 28, 2023
Quite badly written and in need of a good edit / grammar / spell check! But Arthur’s story alone deserves another book. Wish we could’ve had more detail from him.
January 19, 2024
A very easy read which provided a level of insight into surrogacy in Ireland. I felt that the Documentary surrounding this story was a better watch than this a read, but I still enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews