This is a hard hitting story of the damaging effect that the behaviour of Helen Naylor’s mother had on her. Elinor, Helen’s mother, went from being a hypochondriac to supposedly having M.E. and later Parkinson’s Disease. Elinor was a master of creating drama and supposedly having health crises, often at the worse possible times for those around, and in particular for Helen, her only daughter.

Helen stuck with her mother through thick and thin despite suspecting that her mother was faking the illnesses and symptoms. As time went on Helen became convinced that her mother was actually suffering from Munchausen's Syndrome and didn't have M.E. or Parkinson's as there were times when her mother was perfect fit and active such as a two week family holiday in Chicago.. As the medical profession were not seeing the whole picture and are obliged to treat a patient reporting symptoms this was very frustrating for Helen who later on had her own young family to care for.

I really feel for Helen and the effect her mother’s illness had on her for decades but I am also in a quandary about the writing of this book as it is written as though her mother was an evil person in behaving as she did whereas I see it as her mother having a mental illness and not getting the help she needed.

There were many diary entries of Elinor’s interspersed in the text but I found them a mostly disconnected with the story and would have liked to have them presented only in the context of what was actually happening in the story at that point. The lack of support of many of Elinor's friends and family towards Helen is concerning. I hope they are now understanding the situation better and the resultant stress that Helen was under all these years now that she has written this book..

With thanks to NetGalley and Thread Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My opinion of this book fluctuated so much whilst reading it that it’s difficult to review. Whilst it was an insight into a sad and very disturbing condition I perhaps would have liked it to delve deeper into the issues raised. My rating of this book would be 2.5

This was quite a ride! Helens father died leaving her with a mother who is verbally abusive and neglectful. Even as an adult her mother needed the attention she got for being ill. I admire Helen for being as helpful to her mother as she was as an adult, even while trying to care for her small children at the same time.

There was a point where I felt it could have been edited to exclude so many times where her mother demanded something. But the ending discussion of her mothers diary was frightening.

I wish Helen well. Great memoir. Thanks to NetGalley and Thread Books for the opportunity to read this book.

I always find reviewing a true story as it is difficult to disagree with. I found Helen (the author) and Elinor (her mother) incredibly difficult characters. Elinor for very obvious reasons, the way she treated Helen and her father, friends and relatives and her narcissistic attitude. However in the same breath Helen portrays herself as being a victim, which I am not disagreeing with but she also has narcissistic traits, wanting it all to be her mother’s fault. As I say I find these books difficult to review! One great thing that has come out of it is Helen has broken the cycle and is giving her children a much better start in their lives. All in all it was an interesting read and I wish Helen and her family nothing but the best.

An interesting novel describing Helen Naylors childhood and experience of being raised by a mother with munchausens and a personality disorder. The story describes the loss of childhood and the psychological effect of being raised under these circumstances well, and it’s clearly a traumatic situation for Naylor but I did find the tone a little self pitying at times which did make it more of a struggle to read. The entires from her mother’s diary don’t add much - I think they are meant to be shocking for us readers but out of context of the whole diary they aren’t very impactful and actually, to me, probably undermine the point Naylor is trying to make. The latter part of the book that delves more into her mother’s conditions is interesting however.

I found My Mother, Munchausen's and Me a very interesting read. I am fascinated by fabricated illness and the psychology behind it so I was bound to find the contents of interest. It is a compelling story and Helen portrays her isolation and confusion in a way that feels authentic and honest. Overall, the book suffers from too much 'telling' and not enough 'showing'. There were glimpses of insight and analysis but I would have liked more.

Thank you very much to Thread Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

A heart breaking story of the authors real life abuse at the hands of a narcissistic mother who also had munchausen’s. Very well written.

This was a very interesting and thought provoking read about a mother with a narcissistic personality disorder who controlled and manipulated her daughter - and even her friends.

I have always been fascinated by the Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard case, so I've been interested in reading books of other similar topics - and this didn't disappoint.

I won't comment too much on the content as I don't want to trivialise a true case, but this is a well written and engaging book that tells you all you want to know and more about munchausens. Would definitely recommend and will be gifting to a friend when it is released.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fascinating and painful book.

We follow Naylor through her childhood and adulthood and the difficult relationship with her mother. Naylor starts out talking about how close she was with her mother, laying the groundwork for the depth of the betrayal that followed.

Naylor reflects on her life being raised by a woman who manipulated her and others around her and we see the lies and experiences unfold. Reading this book is stressful and made me furious for Naylor as well as sympathetic. There are many times I wanted Naylor to cut off her mother as her behavior escalated and we see the impacts of that behavior on the author and her family. The last chapter really hammers home how deeply troubling this book is.

There were some confusing parts like when Naylor talks about being unable to find child care and being 100% responsible for her kids when she also has a partner who is involved in the kids lives. And it takes a long time for some things to happen and the reading felt heavy.

Overall an interesting read.

This is a fascinating subject about a mother with a narcissistic personality disorder who manipulated and dominated her daughter and friends. I found the depiction of living with Elinor a child and then as an adult to be shocking in parts but I didn’t completely gel with Helen the daughter, I found her a bit whiny, perhaps unfairly, and the extracts of the diaries didn’t particularly enhance the telling. I was also surprised that Elinor never had a diagnosis of Munchausen although she clearly had NPD. The final part of the book as Helen sorts through her thoughts about her mother is very interesting and overall this is a really different story of motherhood gone wrong.

This was a very hard hitting story. Not easy to read (at least for me). This books delves into topics that could be triggers like mental health

“My Mother, Munchausen’s, and Me” is one of the most gripping and powerful memoirs of the year. It is moving and raw. Helen Naylor bares her soul, and you will feel yourself aching for her. There are so many lies and so much neglect she faced in her early life, it is all very heartbreaking to read.

As daughter of a mother with munchausen‘s, I can deeply emphasize with what is like to have one’s formative years molded and controlled by a master of manipulation. Helen’s is a story that must be shared, the truth must come to light. I applaud Helen for her strength in writing her story.

Thank you to Helen Naylor, Thread Publishing, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I made a decision at the start of this year to try and read more autobiographies and memoir and this is one that really caught my attention.

The book was honest and at times a little brutal in terms of the impact of the mother’s actions – Helen was a child that never had the opportunities she deserves and in effect had a stolen childhood, at the hands of her own mother – Elinor.

The impact on the families and relationship dynamics was extraordinary and the lengths that Elinor went to portray her illnesses were quite astounding, and the fact that no-one in the medical profession seems to pick up on it too made shocking reading. It did encourage me to research it a little online and look in to it a little more.

It is 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon. The book was a great look in to Munchausen syndrome and what it is like to have narcissistic parent.

The book was quite an emotional read and I do hope that Helen and her family are now living the life they deserve and are at peace - highly recommended!

Naylor comes to grips with the truth about her mother’s chronic illnesses. They were faked. Her mother als I was a master manipulator who continued her machinations her entire life. It’s a sad, depressing read about a woman who grappled with a difficult mother, a compromising health care system, and crushing guilt for having to separate herself and her family from the toxicity.

I expected more from this read, which I was really looking forward to. I think I was hoping for a more thorough explanation and exploration of Munchausen’s syndrome. Instead, I found the descriptions of Elinor’s odd behaviour a little ambiguous and vague. It was really only towards the very end that the author, Elinor’s daughter Helen Naylor, starts to nail down some of the detail, so it was only then that the fascination I’d been expecting to feel kicked in.
I found the tone of the memoir a little self-pitying and judgmental, which may be horribly unfair. I don’t doubt that Helen had a very tough childhood, and huge difficulty coming to terms with her mother’s behaviour as an adult. However, in parts I felt it to be a little whiny.
Elinor’s diary entries could have done with more context, and more interpretation, as they were so short and concise – almost to the point of not really adding any value.
I was unable to form a clear picture of Elinor, and this frustrated me. Who was she? What made her tick? I was left feeling a bit as though I was really only given half the story. I had no feelings of anger towards Elinor, sympathy for Helen, or even sympathy for Elinor herself.
Having said all that, the book was well-written and quite interesting, tackling as it did a fascinating, bizarre psychological disorder. I am sure many others will really enjoy it.

I was really excited to get this book as an advanced reader copy because I love to learn from people coping with family members that have personality disorders. Both my brother and his wife have personality disorders and she has Munchausen’s Syndrome and has attempted MBP. With all that said, I didn’t really enjoy this one for a number of reasons.

What Helen endured was absolutely horrific. That is indisputable. Her mom’s behavior was exhausting and over the top even to me, the reader. I agree with other reviews that say Helen began to come off as too self pitying at times.

As time went on and as Helen matured, I expected her to set firm boundaries but that never happened. The loyalty she felt to her mom eclipsed her relationship with her children and husband. Helen was clearly the victim of gaslighting not only by her mother but by her mom’s friends and her own as well. That certainly prolonged the abuse she endured.

Elinor’s journal entries didn’t work for me. There weren’t enough to get a full picture. There either needed to be more or none at all.

The moral of this story for me is that the culture of unwavering family loyalty can be toxic. We should only feel loyalty to those who make us feel safe and valued.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. This caught my eye on both a personal level and as a very slow memoir writer myself .

This was a fascinating insightful hard-hitting book . Powerfully honest ,raw and emotive .

Incredibly thought provoking and a heavy read , it must of been quite the journey to write and relive.

It shows great strength and courage to share her truth and it was a honour to read. I too had a complex childhood and relationship with a mother so I could relate in some parts .

I highly recommend this and it is published 25th November

This was quite a biography involving Munchausen’s. I was curious about it after seeing a rather famous case of Munchausen’s by proxy on TV a couple of times about a girl named Gypsy Rose Blanchard who killed her mother. This book is about regular Munchausen’s in the author’s mother Elinor, who made her childhood so difficult while pretending a disabling illness. As the story progresses, it’s fascinating to see how the mother devolves as the daughter grows up and has children of her own. It just becomes shocking and sad the lengths Elinor goes to in order to keep the attention on herself and her supposed illness. The author shares what it was like to go through the experience and how it affected her. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Helen Naylor, and the publisher.

Munchausen's is such a complicated illness. I work in mental health and I've rarely come across it. This is an illness that is frustrating for the healthcare provider but more importantly for the family.

The family are either aware that their family member is feigning illness or they are constantly worried and caring for there relative. In this story Helen firmly believes her mother is genuinely ill but as she grows to adulthood she begins to be suspicious.

Once her mother has passed Helen's eyes are firmly open to her mother's behavior. My heart broke as she tried to get someone to help her, in particular health care teams who were passing the issue around. it was left to Helen to try and pick up the pieces.

As the story concludes we see how many times Helen was failed particularly when she was younger. There was so many adults who could and should have stepped in but did nothing. This book is not Helen trying to play the victim as some people are describing it. She is telling Her truth in the hopes that others who may be in a similar situation know they are not alone. I hope writing this book was cathartic for her and she can leave her mother in the past.

I was hooked throughout this entire read. It was emotional and eye opening. If you are interested in true life, mental illness or simply an entertaining read I suggest you pick this up.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advance copy of, My Mother, Munchausen's and Me, by Helen Naylor. This is an intense glimpse into Helens childhood and adult relationship with her mom. Wow, her mom is something else. How Helen's mom treated her daughter and grandchildren is horrible.