The Artist's Daughter: A Memoir

When Alexandra Kuykendall became a mother it was the beginning of a soul-searching journey that took her into her past and made her question everything she'd experienced--and a lot of what she hadn't. The only daughter of a single, world-traveling mother and an absent artist father, Alexandra shares her unique quest to answer universal questions: Am I lovable? Am I loved? Am I loving?

In short, moving episodes, Alexandra transports readers into a life that included a childhood in Europe, a spiritual conversion marked more by questions than answers, a courtship in the midst of a call to be with troubled teens, marriage and motherhood--and always, always, the question of identity. Through her personal journey, women will discover their own path to understanding the shape of their lives and a deeper sense of God's intimate presence within it.

From the Back Cover

It takes a lifetime to know what--and who--defines you.

When Alexandra Kuykendall became a mother, she knew she had to go back to the beginning. To that hot July afternoon in Barcelona when she met her father for the first time. The only daughter of a single, world-traveling mother and an absent artist father, Alexandra embarks on a soul-searching trip into the past to make sense of the layers of her life--both the memories she experienced and the ones she wished for.

The Artist's Daughter will take you on a journey of discovery through childhood, marriage, and motherhood. Through short vignettes full of both wonder and heartache, Alexandra seeks answers to three life-defining questions: Am I lovable? Am I loved? Am I loving? If you long to better understand the path your life has taken, where it is heading, and who is guiding you, this revealing and refreshing story will push you toward those answers as it changes your heart.


"For every person who has wondered what love, family, and grace really mean, and for those of us who have longed to know that no matter our story, grace is the ending."--Shauna Niequist, author of Cold Tangerines, Bittersweet, and Bread & Wine

"The Artist's Daughter brings to life the power of a story and at the same time challenges us all to dig in and discover the one we were created to tell."--Matthew West, award-winning musician

"A refreshing perspective on motherhood, forgiveness, faith, and belonging. I adore this book."--Emily P. Freeman, author of Grace for the Good Girl and Graceful

"Any mother who has felt lost in her new identity will find a friend in this book. It is the real deal--the hard, beautiful, and holy view of motherhood."--Lisa-Jo Baker, social media manager for DaySpring, and blogger at lisajobaker.com