She was a war baby in every sense! Kate's story, from her birth in a bombed-out London to grandparenthood in the new millennium, is a heart-wrenching saga of marriage, mishaps and motherhood, and includes a wonderfully told account of her parents' courtship in the 1900s, learnt at her loving mother's knee.

As the war raged outside, a similar conflict raged inside Kate. She grew up unloved by her father, resented by her sister and looking for an escape route. She turned to the wrong kind of men for love and affection.

Kate's rejection and inner turmoil lead her to an alcoholic help organisation and a life-changing twelve-step programme of self-awareness and mental cleansing. The Price of Wisdom is a stark refutation of the phrase 'lived happily ever after', and it makes tough reading.

Only after a long and winding road, through illness, isolation and several broken dreams, did Kate realise that many of the demons around her live within herself.

Finally, she reaches the twelfth step and learns to forgive and accept the most challenging person of all...herself.