'This book is extraordinary' - ANN PATCHETT 'I am in awe of Maggie Smith's memoir, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, for what she is willing to show us. Yes, the writing is keen and gorgeous, and yes, she tells us a hundred truths in every chapter, but most of all she allows us to witness a self crumbling, scattering and renewing . [A] generous, beautiful book' - KATHERINE MAY 'This is a memoir of a woman who recommits to herself after heartbreak, but it's also a meditation on patriarchal power dynamics, a mother's love for her children and what that means in today's world and how to bet on yourself, even and especially when we're told not to. A balm for the soul and a rallying cry for the heart' - Good Housekeeping 'A composite of creativity, motherhood and determination' - New York Times 'Rich in nuance and unrelenting in its honesty, Smith's memoir is a bittersweet study in both grief and joy' - TIME '' -.