Not everyone keeps an eagle owl in the spare bedroom cupboard, plays chess for the French Foreign Legion, or goes to school on an obstinate donkey. But this was all just a day in the life of the four Luard children. For the Luards, growing up as their family travelled across Europe, life was a series of adventures. Yet no family is immune to tragedy, and in Francesca, the eldest of three daughters, we find a true heroine. Honest, perceptive and passionate, she tells her own story – until she can tell it no more.

Full of anecdotes and peppered with their favourite recipes, Family Life is an extraordinary story of joy, grief and, above all – love. Elisabeth Luard gives a truthful and moving mother's account of their unconventional, unforgettable tale.