MANAGING EXPECTATIONS by Minnie Driver
HarperOne, May 3, 2022
A charming, poignant, and mesmerizing memoir in essays from beloved actor and natural-born storyteller Minnie Driver, chronicling the way life works out even when it doesn’t.
In this intimate, beautifully crafted collection, Driver writes with disarming charm and candor about her bohemian upbringing between England and Barbados; her post-university travails and triumphs—from being the only student in her acting school not taken on by an agent to being discovered at a rave in a muddy field in the English countryside; shooting to fame in one of the most influential films of the 1990s and being nominated for an Academy Award; and finding the true light of her life, her son. She chronicles her unconventional career path, including the time she gave up on acting to sell jeans in Uruguay, her journey as a single parent, and the heartbreaking loss of her mother.
Like Lena Dunham in Not That Kind of Girl, Gabrielle Union in We’re Going to Need More Wine and Patti Smith in Just Kids, Driver writes with razor-sharp humor and grace as she explores navigating the depths of failure, fighting for success, discovering the unmatched wonder and challenge of motherhood, and wading through immeasurable grief. Effortlessly charming, deeply funny, personal, and honest, Managing Expectations reminds us of the way life works out—even when it doesn’t.
Key Points of Interest for Readers
- Since her breakout role in Circle of Friends in 1995, Minnie Driver has won hearts of fans worldwide, and her charm, humor, and wit appeals to audiences of all ages.
- Driver has a wide-reaching fanbase online and around the world, with 380,000 followers on social media. Her podcast, Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver, launched in March 2021 with guests from the worlds of entertainment, music, business, and beyond, including Viola Davis, Dave Grohl, Hoda Kotb, and Chelsea Clinton. She is committed to promoting the book via her social platform as well as through events, national broadcast interviews, and more.
- Driver has written every essay in the collection, bringing a winning voice and a deep authenticity to never-before-shared stories and reflections on everything from auditioning for dog food commercials to single-parenthood and her unconventional career path.
- Recent essay collections from actor Gabrielle Union (We’re Going to Need More Wine), Jenny Slate (Little Weirds), and Busy Phillips (This Will Only Hurt a Little) have climbed bestseller lists and resonated deeply with readers for their candid exploration of womanhood, and this book is poised to follow that success.
