A deeply personal memoir revealing how caregiving, memory, and mystery intertwine in a daughter’s final days with her fierce, unforgettable mother.
Beatrice, one of America’s first career women, is still feisty at ninety-six. She lives with her daughter Alexandra, who has moved to Cape Cod to care for Bea while running a bed-and-breakfast out of their beloved old house. Like so many adult children caring for elderly parents, Alexandra must balance her new job as a caregiver with her role as daughter — and it isn’t easy.
Bea is demanding and very verbal. Her mind is like a fireworks display on a drizzly Fourth of July — some shots fizzle out, but there are still bits of brilliance. After a knee ailment confines Bea to bed, it becomes clear her life will soon end. Convinced nothing comes next, Bea declares she doesn’t want to die. When deceased friends and family start “visiting” Bea’s bedroom, Alexandra wonders if her mom is hallucinating. Or could these visits have deeper meaning? Bea entertains her “guests” by hosting tea parties and reliving treasured memories. She reveals an unexpected kind of joy to Alexandra — a joy that brings peace and chases away the fear of death as they experience their final days together.
“Seeing Joy is an invaluable read for anyone drawn to the sacred role of tending to a dying loved one.”
— Jessica Brillian Keener, author of Evening Begins the Day
Meet Alexandra Grabbe
Alexandra Grabbe began her career in Paris, greeting listeners each evening with her signature line, “Good Evening, Paris!”. As one of the most popular FM hosts in the city, she connected French audiences to the latest American music while honing her lifelong love of writing. Even as a child, Alexandra wrote and staged skits with her brother – an early sign of the creative spirit that would define her life. That same storytelling passion shines through in her memoir Seeing Joy (March 17, 2026).
After marrying a Frenchman, Alexandra’s career path shifted from broadcasting to writing. When she was passed over for a management position at the radio station because she was “a woman, and American”, she turned to the written word as an outlet, becoming editor of the newsletter for the American Section of the International Lycée while raising three bilingual children.
Over the next 25 years, Alexandra built a thriving freelance career. A regular contributor to France Today, she also published work in US Airways Attaché and American Profile, to name a few. Once her children were grown – two attending Ivy League universities, and one working as a chief sound engineer for Babyface – Alexandra returned to the United States to begin a new chapter.
In 2004, she founded and managed Chez Sven, an eco-friendly bed-and-breakfast in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, which received praise from guests and was featured in The Guardian and The Boston Globe. For twelve years, she also wrote Wellfleet Today, a blog about sustainable living on Cape Cod.
A graduate of Vassar College, Alexandra continues to blend creativity, insight and a deep appreciation for both French and American culture in her work.
CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ONLINE
Official Website: AlexandraGrabbe.com
Facebook: /alexandra.grabbe
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Praise for Seeing Joy
“Alexandra Grabbe’s frank, sometimes rageful, and ultimately tender retelling of caring for her dying, yet feisty and brilliant mother at home is fueled by accelerating moments of love and grace. Along the way, Grabbe shares her ninety-seven-year-old mother’s visions of spirits, which spark questions about an afterlife. Seeing Joy is an invaluable read for anyone drawn to the sacred role of tending to a dying loved one.”
— Jessica Brillian Keener, author of Evening Begins the Day
“Alexandra Grabbe’s mother is dying, and for months they journey together through memory and between worlds. Dead loved ones visit often, old grievances lose power, and fear evaporates in a transformation from elder to ancestor, from daughter to descendent. May we all discover so much about love and life in its ending.”
— Barbara Coombs Lee, President Emerita of Compassion & Choices and author of Finish Strong, Putting your Priorities First in Life’s End
“A brilliant and deeply compelling memoir that explores both the inner and outer spaces of a daughter’s troubled relationship with her mother — shaped by dementia, memory and a life lived between the worldly and the otherworldly.”
— Barbara Chase-Riboud, author of I Always Knew, A Memoir and the international bestseller Sally Hemings
“The courage and clarity in Seeing Joy stunned me in its fearless rendering of a daughter caring for her mother in her final months. An exploration of the past melding into the present, Grabbe offers not only the difficulties but also the surprising blessedness and humor that surround them in their ultimate year together. There is courageous honesty on every page.”
— Randy Susan Meyers, International Bestseller, The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone
“Caring for a dying parent is one of life’s hardest challenges, but it can also be one of its most meaningful experiences. In Seeing Joy, Grabbe captures both the frustrations and the profound moments of magic that caregiving brings: the sleepless nights, the mundane meals, the unexpected joys and small triumphs. Through her vivid prose, we become one with the rhythms, regrets, and delights of Grabbe’s mother, Bea. This moving memoir reminds us that while we cannot keep our parents forever, we can witness and honor their final journey and help them ultimately let go of their exuberant, complicated, and fascinating lives.”
— Marjan Kamali, author of The Lion Women of Tehran
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