Take Heart

A Story for Modern Stepfamilies

Chloe Shorten
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Take Heart

A Story for Modern Stepfamilies

Chloe Shorten
'A loving testament to the fact that blood isn't always what bonds us.'—Mia Freeman
These days, families come in all shapes and sizes. They move from one state to create a family in another. They combine into new homes, take holidays with blends of children and parents from different households. They invent routines and rituals to establish their own rhythms. And don't forget the double sets of school uniforms and pyjamas under different roofs.

Welcome to the new normal of family life for many Australians.

It is a path Chloe Shorten has walked. Chloe was surprised at the lack of helpful information and unexpected tripwires for those not fitting the traditional cookie-cutter model. She was also heartened by the sensible advice she unearthed, the resilience of her children and the joy of watching her husband become a father three times over.

Chloe tells of her own quest to create a new normal. Honest, sincere and warm hearted, this is a story of the modern…
These days, families come in all shapes and sizes. They move from one state to create a family in another. They combine into new homes, take holidays with blends of children and parents from different households. They invent routines and rituals to establish their own rhythms. And don't forget the double sets of school uniforms and pyjamas under different roofs.

Welcome to the new normal of family life for many Australians.

It is a path Chloe Shorten has walked. Chloe was surprised at the lack of helpful information and unexpected tripwires for those not fitting the traditional cookie-cutter model. She was also heartened by the sensible advice she unearthed, the resilience of her children and the joy of watching her husband become a father three times over.

Chloe tells of her own quest to create a new normal. Honest, sincere and warm hearted, this is a story of the modern household and explores the idea of who qualifies as 'a family' in the twenty-first century.

The Shortens
Art and hearts by Clementine.

Chloe saw herself, like a “migrant woman with two children, pregnant, coming to the shores of Melbourne”. With a sense of failure about her past life, and a burning desire to provide stability for her children, she set about making a new life in Melbourne; a city, she would note later, where no one wore yellow suits like they did in Queensland.”
Melissa Fyfe, The Saturday Age

Chloe Shorten

Chloe Shorten

Chloe Shorten is a communications specialist, Queensland girl, mother of three and an advocate for improving the lives of women, children and people with disabilities. She lives in Melbourne and is married to Bill.

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Paperback
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