What Does It Feel Like?
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Narrated by:
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Sally Phillips
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Sophie Kinsella
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Written by:
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Sophie Kinsella
About this listen
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • From #1 bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an unforgettable story—by turns heartbreaking and life-affirming—of a renowned novelist facing a devastating diagnosis and learning to live and love anew.
“The bravest book you’ll read all year.”—Jodi Picoult
“Only Sophie Kinsella can make you laugh like this while she’s got you crying.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid
A PARADE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
“What Does It Feel Like? is fiction, but it is my most autobiographical work to date. Eve’s story is my story.”—Sophie Kinsella
Eve is a successful novelist who wakes up one day in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there. Her husband, never far from her side, explains that she has had an operation to remove the large, malignant tumor growing in her brain.
As Eve learns to walk, talk, and write again—and as she wrestles with her diagnosis, and how and when to explain it to her beloved children—she begins to recall what’s most important to her: long walks with her husband’s hand clasped firmly around her own, family game nights, and always buying that dress when she sees it.
Recounted in brief anecdotes, each one is an attempt to answer the type of impossible questions recognizable to anyone navigating the labyrinth of grief. This short, extraordinary novel is a celebration of life, shot through with warmth and humor—it will both break your heart and put it back together again.
“Why did I write such a personal book? I have always processed my life through writing. Hiding behind my fictional characters, I have always turned my own life into a narrative. It is my version of therapy, maybe. Writing is my happy place, and writing this book, although tough going at times, was immensely satisfying and therapeutic for me.”—Sophie Kinsella
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The story was okay…
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What the critics say
“Soul-stirring, funny, and beautiful. A must-read.”—Zibby Owens, Katie Couric Media
“I laughed. And I cried. And then I thought about the meaning of life. It’s a little jewel of a book.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes
“Kinsella is a skillful storyteller. She doesn’t front-load the narrative with exposition, instead parceling out information organically. . . . Most resonant is this book’s bravery—and its emotional honesty.”—The Wall Street Journal
What listeners say about What Does It Feel Like?
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 2024-12-11
The best "fictional", biography ever!
This is phenomenal. As an oncology nurse whose primary tumor focus is brain cancer and glioblastoma, reading this book was therapeutic, educational, and so uplifting. I have been taking in more information to help create resources for people with Glioblastoma, hearing your story has given me so much motivation to continue to create better experiences and relationships with all of my patients. Thank you for writing such a difficult book. I will re-read it for the rest of my career.
Thank you for being brave enough to tell all the truths.
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