Why Not Say What Happened?: A Memoir [Paperback]

From Ivana Lowell, a member of the Guinness family and Executive Producer of 'House of Guinness' on Netflix, comes a frank and, at times, comic account of growing up amid extreme privilege and eccentric personalities” (Vanity Fair)

Born into one of the most celebrated Anglo-Irish families, the Guinnesses, Ivana Lowell grew up at the whim of two literary heavyweights—her mother, writer Lady Caroline Blackwood, and stepfather, poet Robert Lowell. Now, with an incisive eye and a wicked sense of humor, she shares the stories we’ve always wanted to hear. She tells of following the famous authors from one crumbling, drafty country house to another, and of summers spent with madcap relatives such as her maternal grandmother, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, and her “old friend,” the Queen Mother. But Ivana also has darker stories to tell: about her childhood accident, about her own stints in rehab, and, finally, about discovering the secret Lady Caroline had successfully kept from Ivana her entire life.

“A frank and, at times, comic account of growing up amid extreme privilege and eccentric personalities.” —Vanity Fair 
 
“A riveting history of a family that folds in on itself, consuming generation after generation. . . . Lowell’s compact, finely tuned paragraphs render the saga with brave urgency and courage.” —Elle 
 
“Lowell movingly shows how a child’s love can transcend a parent’s flaws. Her empathy with her mother may be her greatest gift.” —The New York Times Book Review
 
“For a woman whose legacy carries an enormous fortune, a family tree cluttered with renown, andlã.