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In Pursuit of Happiness: Mating, Marriage, Motherhood, Money, Mayhem
Hello, my name's Stacey Duguid and I'm a reformed fashion editor. Oh, wait. Wrong meeting.
I once worked for British ELLE magazine and wore expensive clothes, whereas I'm now a single mother, divorcee and love addict (wearing expensive clothes I never should've bought). I spent my entire twenties, and, err, alright, thirties, in nightclubs. Dabbling occasionally with the odd recreational drug (or five), I shopped hard, loved hard and tried very hard to find a man who could save me. From the stuff we pick-up as little girls to an ingrained internalisation of gender roles we're left to unpack for a lifetime, I'd spent a lifetime pursuing a dream marriage which, in the end, left me shattered. Who suggested 'happily ever after' was even given thing?
This collection of essays tells the story of a life that, until my marital breakdown, looked absolutely f-ing fabulous. I'll talk about everything that is taboo in today's society, some of which you may have gone through, miscarriage, abortion, debt, affairs, divorce, single parenting, post-natal depression, sex and dating in mid-life. The cracks in my life were glossed over with a big smile, a large wine and an outfit I definitely couldn't afford. And then, in September 2021, I realised I had two quit faking a life filled with Paris Fashion Week jaunts and expensive handbags or leave social media. I decided to tell my truth.
Had someone told me not to worry about meeting a man, and to stop blowing money on credit cards just because the 'spirits' (as in dead people, not vodka) told me I needed 'a new wider-shoulder jacket', despite it being a week before payday and not having enough money in my account to pay rent, would I have listened? I'm not sure. Had someone (or a spirit) mentioned that the so-called 'happily ever after' might not end up so happy, would my life be any different now? I doubt it, but in writing my story, I hope you'll feel less alone in yours.
You are not alone on this journey of womanhood and we all have the right to pursue our own happiness, or perhaps our own contentment. Because happy endings, not the type you pay for but the state of mind, are they possible to ever really find? Have you?
I once worked for British ELLE magazine and wore expensive clothes, whereas I'm now a single mother, divorcee and love addict (wearing expensive clothes I never should've bought). I spent my entire twenties, and, err, alright, thirties, in nightclubs. Dabbling occasionally with the odd recreational drug (or five), I shopped hard, loved hard and tried very hard to find a man who could save me. From the stuff we pick-up as little girls to an ingrained internalisation of gender roles we're left to unpack for a lifetime, I'd spent a lifetime pursuing a dream marriage which, in the end, left me shattered. Who suggested 'happily ever after' was even given thing?
This collection of essays tells the story of a life that, until my marital breakdown, looked absolutely f-ing fabulous. I'll talk about everything that is taboo in today's society, some of which you may have gone through, miscarriage, abortion, debt, affairs, divorce, single parenting, post-natal depression, sex and dating in mid-life. The cracks in my life were glossed over with a big smile, a large wine and an outfit I definitely couldn't afford. And then, in September 2021, I realised I had two quit faking a life filled with Paris Fashion Week jaunts and expensive handbags or leave social media. I decided to tell my truth.
Had someone told me not to worry about meeting a man, and to stop blowing money on credit cards just because the 'spirits' (as in dead people, not vodka) told me I needed 'a new wider-shoulder jacket', despite it being a week before payday and not having enough money in my account to pay rent, would I have listened? I'm not sure. Had someone (or a spirit) mentioned that the so-called 'happily ever after' might not end up so happy, would my life be any different now? I doubt it, but in writing my story, I hope you'll feel less alone in yours.
You are not alone on this journey of womanhood and we all have the right to pursue our own happiness, or perhaps our own contentment. Because happy endings, not the type you pay for but the state of mind, are they possible to ever really find? Have you?
- GenresNonfiction
400 pages, Paperback
Published July 11, 2024
30 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 28, 2025
what a wild ride!! both Stacey's life and this book. i feel inspired by the boldness to be this vulnerable and sincere. to be a woman is to persevere. thank you!
June 14, 2025
This was a 3.5 rounded up for me.
Interested in the account of a 90’s fashion fuck up? Well, this might be for you.
Having worked in magazine publishing in it’s hey day in the 90’s I really loved diving back into that era with this autobiographical account of a UK mag fashionista - I didn’t have nearly as wild a ride as Stacy, but it was a heady era.
In an open and pacy writing style, you learn just how crazy life can be when you live on your instincts - and what happens when maybe they aren’t so well tuned.
I loved Stacy’s bravery in putting it all out there - it’s a raw, honest account of careering through life, pulling yourself up through a career in publishing by sheer determination and talent only to have your hard won career, marriage, family life and financial security fall apart. And it was your own fault due to you chasing a romantic delusion. A dalliance with a narcissist ended her marriage. (I felt sad for her about that - a romantic fantasy can be so very alluring and so very damaging).
It is hilarious and funny, but also achingly sad when the heartbreak of her marriage ending causes her to have an emotional and physical collapse.
There is plenty of raw honesty about sex (not enjoying it much until she was in her late forties) recreational drug taking and what we expect from relationships - in some ways an account of what not to do. It’s about learning that those quirks, that were causing you to be wildly impulsive, and leaving you stuck in the backlash and trauma of it all, were in part due to the fact you had ADHD all along. That messiness in your head wasn’t your fault after-all.
It is an anthem to women finding themselves in the late forties and beyond and to riding the wave, fighting to get your head above water and then finding the view ain’t so bad after-all.
Interested in the account of a 90’s fashion fuck up? Well, this might be for you.
Having worked in magazine publishing in it’s hey day in the 90’s I really loved diving back into that era with this autobiographical account of a UK mag fashionista - I didn’t have nearly as wild a ride as Stacy, but it was a heady era.
In an open and pacy writing style, you learn just how crazy life can be when you live on your instincts - and what happens when maybe they aren’t so well tuned.
I loved Stacy’s bravery in putting it all out there - it’s a raw, honest account of careering through life, pulling yourself up through a career in publishing by sheer determination and talent only to have your hard won career, marriage, family life and financial security fall apart. And it was your own fault due to you chasing a romantic delusion. A dalliance with a narcissist ended her marriage. (I felt sad for her about that - a romantic fantasy can be so very alluring and so very damaging).
It is hilarious and funny, but also achingly sad when the heartbreak of her marriage ending causes her to have an emotional and physical collapse.
There is plenty of raw honesty about sex (not enjoying it much until she was in her late forties) recreational drug taking and what we expect from relationships - in some ways an account of what not to do. It’s about learning that those quirks, that were causing you to be wildly impulsive, and leaving you stuck in the backlash and trauma of it all, were in part due to the fact you had ADHD all along. That messiness in your head wasn’t your fault after-all.
It is an anthem to women finding themselves in the late forties and beyond and to riding the wave, fighting to get your head above water and then finding the view ain’t so bad after-all.
January 14, 2024
A raw, honest, and slightly chaotic account of mid-life from Stacey who is trying to balance all her roles as a wife, mother, and fashionister, and when a new job puts even more demands on her, her mental health wobbles and bang, things start falling apart....
A rollercoaster read, which makes you laugh out loud, and then you just want to hug Stacey for her sheer talent of being herself with all her glorious imperfections but unashamedly honest and an incredible writer trying to make sense of her life...
A must-read for women trying to be everything to everyone but stiffling their needs or problems....Wishing Stacey the best in her pursuit....
A rollercoaster read, which makes you laugh out loud, and then you just want to hug Stacey for her sheer talent of being herself with all her glorious imperfections but unashamedly honest and an incredible writer trying to make sense of her life...
A must-read for women trying to be everything to everyone but stiffling their needs or problems....Wishing Stacey the best in her pursuit....
October 10, 2023
I loved this biography, heart wrenching rawness and honesty. Definitely not trying to portray herself as anything other than herself. I love the ladette mania from the 90s - I forgot how much this era shaped many of us. Thank you for sharing your story, so others experiencing the same, feel a little less alone.
December 6, 2023
Blimey. What a read. Will be recommending to the many middle aged women in my life who are terrible with money, relationships, life. Stacey's a superb writer with a way of spinning awful stories that feel human and vulnerable into life lessons, with no hostility towards anyone but herself. I hope she sorts out the Menorcan pension plan. She deserves to.
October 30, 2023
Funny and very readable. And so sad. I loved it. Punching way above its weight for the genre, Stacey Duguid is a natural writer. I hope there is more to come.
July 2, 2024
Brilliantly written, peppered with advice from other writers, a raw account of the author’s life unraveling.
August 5, 2024
Brilliant, raw. Honest... x
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews