From Africa to Australasia to America, with stops in Melanesia, the Caribbean and Europe along the way, Apple Gidley vividly sketches her itinerant global life.

Nine women share the emotional and practical realities of life away from 'home'. Grief, loneliness, Brexit, motherhood, identity, belonging, rootlessness, drinking culture and integration are just some of the issues tackled in a series of powerful stories written by nine women on the challenges of expat life. In one of the first books of its kind, these women reveal some of the emotional upheavals and struggles that go hand-in-hand with moving away from their native 'home', which have, until now, remained largely untold.

'Clean freak' Maggie tries so hard to keep her life in order but is foiled at every turn. The descendent of second generation Norwegian immigrants to America, she grows up in New Jersey, spending her summer vacations on an idyllic island in Norway. Later, in the wake of an abusive marriage, she and her three young children leave America and return to the Nordic Island of her ancestors, where she rekindles a relationship with her childhood sweetheart. Pulled between two worlds, her life continues as she seeks meaning, identity and happiness. With her true love by her side and three more children to care for, Maggie discovers her traveling days are far from over. Life's unexpected twists see her return to America before being catapulted to the Netherlands. At last she can begin to make sense of her experiences until, that is, she is on the move again. In the process she learns that life comes full circle, from the hopes and dreams of her forebears to the place where she can finally find peace and come to terms with her past. Follow this Jersey girl as she flies back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean looking for love and a place to call home. "A heartfelt book that covers the push-pull effect of growing up in two cultures and related with searing honesty." Apple Gidley, author of Expat Life, Slice by Slice www.expatapple.com "The open, honest and heartfelt reminiscences of a New Jersey girl faced with the challenges and delights of a multicultural family." Carla Walker, AWC Book Club, The Hague "Written with candour, a philosophical approach, and a love for places and people." Laura J Stephens, author of Lone Star State: an Inconvenient Posting, an expat wife's memoir of lost identity. "Maggie's living the 'American Dream' until it turns into an 'American Nightmare'. This heartfelt book welcomes us into her home, in three different countries." Barbara S. Baron, Professor Brookdale Community College, NJ www.brookdalecc.edu

When Jay's husband lands a diplomatic job in Warsaw, she jumps at the chance to escape a predictable life in Canberra for adventure in the heart of central Europe. From glamorous cocktail parties and dining with presidents, to snowy sleigh rides and drinking vodka in smoky bars, Jay is thrown into all that embassy life has to offer. She comes to realize that three things in Poland are certain: death, taxes, and that shop assistants won't have any change. What is less certain is whether her marriage will survive its third Polish winter.

You moved away to be closer together. But now you’re further apart than ever. Your partner’s job opportunity in another country seemed like an exciting idea, but lengthy work assignments mean you’re holding down the family fort – alone. If you’re living an expat life and find yourself parenting solo due to a partner’s frequent business travel, you’ll be asking yourself: How can we be a family when we’re miles apart? What is my role in this lifestyle? Can I cope, alone, when troubles arise? Life Coach and multicultural solo-parent Rhoda Bangerter believes there are answers to all these questions, and the answers start with you. In this context, it’s more important than ever to invest in yourself, to care for yourself, set your own goals and watch yourself grow. Equally important is to nurture your relationship with your partner. Rhoda’s hard-won wisdom will inspire you to navigate the choppy waters of holding the fort abroad!

Fireburn tells of the horrors of a little-known, bloody period of Caribbean historyAnna Clausen, a young Anglo-Danish woman, returns to her childhood home on Saint Croix after her mother's death. She weathers personal heartache as she challenges the conventions of the day and survives the worker rebellion of 1878, 30 years after Emancipation.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop, an extraordinary novel about self-discovery and new beginnings. Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After forty-one years, she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the coast of Brittany, also known as “the end of the world.” Here she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life’s small moments. And, as the parts of herself she had long forgotten return to her in this new world, Marianne learns it’s never too late to begin the search for what life should have been all along. With all the buoyant charm that made The Little Paris Bookshop a beloved bestseller, The Little French Bistro is a tale of second chances and a delightful embrace of the joys of life in France.