The Rainbow Comes and Goes
A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss
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4.4 • 249 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A touching and intimate correspondence between Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, offering timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives
The Rainbow Comes and Goes is a charming, intimate and fascinating collection of correspondence between broadcaster and #1 New York Times bestselling author Anderson Cooper and his mother, the celebrated Gloria Vanderbilt.
Anderson Cooper’s intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS’ 60 Minutes affords him little time to spend with his ninety-one year old mother. After she briefly fell ill, he and Gloria began a conversation through e-mail unlike any they had ever had before —a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discussed their lives, the things that matter to them and what they still want to learn about each other.
Both a son’s love letter to his mother in her final years and an unconventional mother’s life lessons for her grown son, The Rainbow Comes and Goes offers a rare window into their close relationship and fascinating lives. In these often hilarious and touching exchanges, they share their most private thoughts and the hard-earned truths they’ve learned along the way. Throughout, their distinctive personalities shine through—Anderson’s darker outlook on the world is a brilliant contrast to his mother’s idealism and unwavering optimism.
An appealing blend of memoir and inspirational advice, The Rainbow Comes and Goes is a beautiful and affectionate celebration of the profound and universal bond between a parent and child, and, like Tuesdays with Morrie, a thoughtful reflection on life and love, reminding us of the precious knowledge and insight that remains to be shared, no matter what age we are.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vanderbilt and her son, Cooper, relate the touching story of how an epistolary exchange created new emotional intimacy between them. After fashion designer and society icon Vanderbilt, now 92, became seriously ill in 2015, Cooper, a globe-trotting journalist, questioned their closeness and realized much had gone unsaid between them. He sets about rectifying that by opening an email exchange that proves illuminating and healing. Vanderbilt's early years were rife with tragedy, and her father died before she was two years old; in parallel, Cooper's father died when Cooper was 10. Vanderbilt writes of having no one to talk to about the turmoil around her childhood and adolescence, leading to countless regrettable turns such as dropping out at 17 to marry a decades-older man, and it never occurred to her to share or explain to her sons what she endured. Cooper recalls feeling loved by his mother, but also feeling that he barely knew her. As Cooper delves into their respective pasts, he starts to understand that, following the deaths of his father and older brother, he also took big risks motivated by the out-of-control circumstances surrounding him. Through greater openness, Cooper and Vanderbilt achieve a new closeness, demonstrating in this intimate and lively read that it's never too late to have a rich relationship with family.
Customer Reviews
So wonderful!
Oh how I loved this book! Thank you, Anderson and Gloria, for allowing the world to share your pain and joy. Every parent and every child can find something valuable and transcendent from your beautiful book! God bless you for this.
Heartfelt
Enjoyed from start to finish. Amazing how two people can be so different and be related. With all the lost and heartache they found a positive way to keep going. With each other.
Heartwarming and honest
An incredible book that not only explores the relationship of a mother and son, but the values we hold dear to us. I appreciated Anderson and Gloria’s honest conversations and providing us a window into the dynamic nature of this relationship for each of us to learn from and relate to. So much of what is said is relevant to the lives of each of us. Highly recommend this book!