Three Mothers (And a Camel)

Phyllida Law’s treasured mother-in-law Annie was the lynchpin of the entire family, so when they realised she was growing ever more deaf the only solution was for Phyllida to note down all the day’s gossip for Annie to read.

When her own mother Mego - always deliciously dotty - was diagnosed with dementia late in her life, Phyllida devoted herself to Mego’s care, on hand to keep the cottage tidy and prepare a medicinal G&T. And all the while Phyllida had to manage her busy acting career and bring up her own daughters, the actresses Emma and Sophie Thompson.

This single-volume edition of Phyllida Laws’s two enchanting memoirs of family life - Notes to my Mother-in-Law and How Many Camels Are There in Holland? - is a tender and sweetly comic story of mothers, daughters, a malfunctioning hearing aid and a most peculiar question about camels …