My à la carte Life: An Autobiography

by Ann Smith, Annette McQuarrie (Editor)

254 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2026

Reviews

[Ruby Millett]

The strength and courage needed to share one’s story and also the importance of reaching out and what the impact of not doing so can have on not just one person but also those around them is all captured in Ann’s book. A mothers love and her desire to preserve her marriage and to protect her children, a story with family and love at its heart, through the ups and down, all the twists and turns, challenges and adversities life has thrown at her and her family. Ann takes us on a journey of her life from her earliest memories as a child, spanning through the course of a 24 year marriage with family, business endeavours and the many surprises that life has thrown at her and her family along the way, concluding with a epilogue about how Ann’s life looks now.

[Cameron Murnane]

This is an emotional story of an ordinary woman in extraordinary circumstances. It is an intimate account of how alcoholism and repressed sexuality steadily weather even the happiest of families.

[Iain]

I loved this autobiography! My à la carte Life provides a wonderful reminder that you don’t have to be famous to have a story worth telling. Ann Smith shares the experiences of an ordinary Australian woman whose life takes her through family, career, marriage, motherhood, heartbreak and ultimately a journey towards rediscovering herself.

The first half of the book sets the scene on Ann as a person, from early childhood through experiences living on farms and interacting with her extended family - in particular her grandparents. This helps to flesh out her character for the second half of the book, where things in her marriage take a darker turn. I felt emotionally attached to Ann's character during her struggles as she desperately tried to hold her family together.

The thing that stayed with me the most was the thought that extraordinary experiences can exist behind seemingly ordinary lives. Ann has an honest and engaging writing style, which she uses to tell a very personal yet relatable story that reminds us just how many remarkable stories are waiting to be told.

[Andrew Chidzey]

This book is written by a friend who happens to work at my local cafe - I’ve had the privilege of knowing her for 6 years but was unaware of this complex story which is interwoven in her life. A powerful truth I found this an engaging and resonating read - and a strong and influential account of an inspiring woman I’m proud to call my friend.

[Jenny Follett]

It takes a very strong woman to relive her married life which encompassed problems with alcohol and sexual obsessions. Also to live this life trying to save the children from learning the mental stress she was going through.

[Annette Chidzey]

This autobiography was one that engaged me from the outset- in part because I had a familiarity with the author and in part because of the many references to places and locations with which I was familiar.
It was a privilege to be taken into the author’s world and the experiences that challenged her relationship with her first husband and their children.
Alcoholism and sexual exploration on the part of her partner created crises that resulted in very difficult decisions over 25 years. What emerged strongly, however, was how such experiences shaped the author’s understanding of her own actions and responses as much as those of her husband. There was no sense of bitter recriminations or harsh judgment throughout the course of this account when such responses might well have been anticipated or understood.
The writing was open, honest and fluently delivered.
Thank you for sharing this story.