When musician Linda Neil returns home to Brisbane to care for her ailing mother, Joan, a singing teacher, she has no idea what she is committing to, or even that she is committing at all.
The experience will change her life.
Connected by a deep love of music - from Linda's own songs and the works of the classical masters, to the musical comedy of the dance hall and the sounds of the street - Linda finds a new bond with her mother. As Joan's illness progresses, their shared musical passion soothes and instructs, helps them to make sense of what is happening and, finally, to accept it.
Beautifully written and deeply felt, Learning How to Breathe is a daughter's love song to her mother, an unforgettable true story about what it means to find home.
'Neil's prose is enormously readable and completely engaging. She has written a book that is passionate but subtle, vulnerable but enervating, tragic and yet imbued with hope-it makes the mind spark and the heart glow.' Bookseller + Publisher
'Linda Neil has honoured her mother with exceptional storytelling, and set a high standard for future Queensland, and Australian, literature.' Courier Mail
'Learning How to Breathe is rightfully described as a virtuoso performance.' Vogue
'This memoir is distinguished by a dignified and consistent voice. Linda Neil pursues it with a sharpish sensibility that never falters.' Age
'This book, Neil's first, has been described by the impressive Amanda Lohrey as a "virtuoso performance". And so it is.' Canberra Times
'Neil writes with her mother's gift for song and her father's gift for poetry.' Sydney Morning Herald
'Completely breathtaking ... as a reader you feel much rewarded.' Crikey Literary Minded blog
' … a substantial and musical memoir, skilfully orchestrated and beautifully cadenced … Neil's memoir is … both engaging and informative, written with tenderness, imbued over all with love.' Adelaide Advertiser
'This beautifully written novel tackles the subject of watching a parent progress through Parkinson’s disease.' The Weekender
'Finely crafted, subtle and tender, Learning How to Breathe is a beautiful tribute to the loving complexity of family. It reminds us that inspiration lies at the heart of both intimacy and art.' author Gail Jones
'A superb memoir - moving, transporting, unforgettable.' author Marion Campbell
