The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son On Life, Love, and Loss

Written by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

Narrated by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

A touching and intimate correspondence between Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, offering timeless wisdom and a revealing glimpse into their lives

Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a year-long conversation unlike any they had ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other.

Both a son’s love letter to his mother and an unconventional mom’s life lessons for her grown son, The Rainbow Comes and Goes offers a rare window into their close relationship and fascinating life stories, including their tragedies and triumphs. In these often humorous and moving exchanges, they share their most private thoughts and the hard-earned truths they’ve learned along the way. In their words their distinctive personalities shine through—Anderson’s journalistic outlook on the world is a sharp contrast to his mother’s idealism and unwavering optimism.

 An appealing memoir with inspirational advice, The Rainbow Comes and Goes is a beautiful and affectionate celebration of the universal bond between a parent and a child, and a thoughtful reflection on life, reminding us of the precious insight that remains to be shared, no matter our age.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062466556

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper is an anchor at CNN and a correspondent for CBS’s 60 Minutes. He has won twenty Emmys and numerous other major journalism awards. Cooper is the author of the New York Times bestseller Astor (with Katherine Howe) and three number one New York Times bestsellers: The Rainbow Comes and Goes, Dispatches from the Edge, and Vanderbilt (with Katherine Howe). He lives in New York with his two sons.

Reviews for The Rainbow Comes and Goes

[bogopea · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Entertaining, informative read on the rich and famous. Who doesn't like Anderson Cooper?

[marcello_324836275 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a beautiful discussion of life — it’s ups and downs. It’s a book filled with a mother’s wisdom and a son’s love. It will stay with you in your thoughts and your heart.

[anna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s beyond excellent! Very insightful, inspirational and frank. LOVE IT.

[June Benedick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting especially since book was read by the authors.

[M. Bronzan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This audiobook accompanied me back and forth as I commuted on Thanksgiving Day. What a perfect choice, on a day set aside for family, and celebrating those who can no longer be with us. Thank you for sharing this tribute to family, love, and all that goes with a deeper understanding of ourselves.

[Pat Mowery · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed listening to the back and forth between mother and son.

[Nancy Jo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book during the last days of my mother's life. She had lived with me for almost 16 months.
I loved the conversation between mother and son and wished that at 93 my mother's memory were better so we could have such conversations as mother and daughter.
What a blessing that they had that time. I really felt part of it. Thank you

[Cathie Imes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gloria Vanderbilt lived a remarkable life and her personal account is packed with nuggets of wisdom. The audiobook is in itself a gift --to listen to the real voices of Anderson Cooper and his mom, seemingly just talking to each other. In this way, it almost feels voyeuristic. The honest exchanges of events, people, and feelings is inspiring. I hope it encourages family members to have such important conversations because so few of us live and have clarity at 92.

[Lisa Sullivan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The history and the present are both so intense in this memoir. I will read it again and again . I miss it already.

[Ron Brewington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I previously read Anderson Cooper's Dispatches From The Edge and appreciated it. The Rainbow Comes And Goes' explained the tone of the previous book. Again, I appreciated the courage and candor.

[Alexis Louise Wilson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Intimate, and raw, revealing. Relatable and not. An interesting life

[Momcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As the 76-year-old mother of 3 sons, I envy the time spent in such candor and understanding and the depth it brought to their relationship. I appreciated the wisdom and intellect and honesty of the mother and the honesty and loving generosity of the son in making this journey a reality. It was a warmly positive telling of a life story that might have been otherwise by any other narrators. Early life experiences had shaped both mother and son, and both have triumphed to remain individuals to greatly admire.

[Micki · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the audiobook as a woman who strive to live a loving and strong life, as a mother of one son who now wishes to have a similar dialogue when my son is older, mature, and wants to get to know me.

[nemi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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[Claudia Nagel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gloria’s reflection on money and how it can even sway others into their own greed was profound. The betrayal of lawyer-doctor and her regret of letting a loyal worker go from tilted advice was extremely profound. There is no other soft heart that could have portrayed greed in such a profound way, thank you Anderson and Gloria. I’ll remember that.

[Tina Christie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. I don't normally listen to books of this nature, but saw it recommended from a friend of a friend and thought I'd give it a try. So good.

[Hongling Sunny Deng · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I like these mother-son’s conversation, they present us a lot views from both sides on some events in their life. This is a good book for middle aged people to read.

[Erikka Coontz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful & beautifully written. I couldn't stop listening. It's a humbling story.

[Shannon Mahler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! So much emotion, honesty, vulnerability and love. It was witnessing a mother and son getting to know each other and learning about each other's life experiences and therefore, hearts and souls in the process.
Gloria Vanderbilt said so many things in this book that are so impactful to me, and that I'm going to go seek out the paper book so I can have the words, copy them and hang them up to see everyday... In tough times and good times. What an amazing and colorful, painful and ultimately joyful life she had! Anderson Cooper is a wonderful son! Great book!!!

[Tammy Nofsinger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Heartwarming. Helped me appreciate family, faults and all, and to understand the importance of openly sharing one’s feelings with loved ones, despite the difficulty of doing so.

[Delecia Stephens-del Rosario · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was such a great book! Hearing the voices of both Anderson and his mother Gloria transported me back in time to the stories of their lives. Everyone has a story!!!

[Dawn Coffey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love hearing about your relationship with your mom
and all the wisdom you both shared. It helped me reflect on my own life and the relationship I had with my mom. I only wished I had those extra years to have had such deep conversations with my mom but unfortunately she was taken quicker than I had thought by COVID on March 31,2020. You must be so grateful to have had the opportunity to grow so close to your mom and had the opportunity to create such a great project with her.

[Marsha Collins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautiful book. Thanks so much for sharing your life and your mom’s.

[tdelill · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book is over and all I want is more.. Riveting stories or love, pain & loss. An inspiring book for all to read that it is never too late to ask the questions you've wanted to ask.
Such an honest conversation, if only we could all experience what Ms. V and Anderson felt writing this book!

[Regina Ferguson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. I thought it might be boring but it was a beautiful and relevant book. Great to hear them both read their letters to each other.

[r · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is written by a person, so privileged, so spoiled, as to have had no life experience, worth recounting. I am so sick and tired of these trust fund babies; these elitists brats, patronizing and lecturing us, as if they possess a shred of the wisdom that comes with all the ups and downs, of an authentic life.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This memoir of Gloria Vanderbilt left me with mixed feelings. It seemed like her son was interviewing his mother, prompting her with questions. There was very little about Anderson Cooper, and not much about his mother’s custody trial when she was a child, or how made her fortune, lost it through trusting the wrong people, and made it again. It was not an in-depth revelation, although I was surprised that Vanderbilt credits LSD with helping her cope with her emotional problems. I do give her credit for doing the audio book at her advanced age of 91, and for that feat alone she deserves accolades.

[bookczuk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2021 pandemic read. Emails between Gloria Vanderbilt and her son Anderson Cooper. Interesting, a lot of history, and backstory to her life and his.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not great but definitely interesting

[carriewuj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I saw this on the best seller list and planned to skip it because: celebrities talking about their lives -- who cares? But a respected bookseller mentioned what a great audio book it was, so I gave it a shot. The mother-son conversation was appealing and they talked pretty frankly and openly about their lives and relationships. All I really knew about Gloria Vanderbilt was the jeans. And Anderson Cooper just from the news. So hearing about their divergent life approaches and their family dynamics was interesting. There were definitely some "EWW" moments when she talked about her sex life -- not sure who the audience was at that point. And some hard moments about her son, Carter's suicide. From her 92 years of living there was some wisdom and perspective -- mainly that the rainbow comes and goes -- and I was left thinking that it's the people who show up for others in the day to day stuff of life, without justification and self-congratulation who are the real celebrities.