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A Still Life
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Josie George
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
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A Still Life
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Summary
Bloomsbury presents A Still Life by Josie George, read by Josie George.
An Evening Standard Book of 2021
Josie George lives in a tiny terraced house in the urban West Midlands with her son. Since her early childhood, she has lived with the fluctuating and confusing challenge of disabling chronic illness. Her days are watchful and solitary, lived out in the same hundred or so metres around her home.
But Josie’s world is surprising, intricate, dynamic. She has learned what to look for: the complex patterns of ice on a frozen puddle; the routines of her friends at the community centre; the neighbourhood birds in flight; the slow changes in the morning light, in her small garden, in her growing son, in herself.
In January 2018, Josie sets out to tell the story of her still life over the course of a year. As the seasons shift and the tides of her body draw in and out, Josie begins to unfurl her history: her childhood bright with promise but shadowed by confinement; her painful adolescence and her hopeful coming of age; the struggle of her marriage and the triumph of motherhood. And then a most unexpected thing happens in Josie’s quiet present: she falls in love.
A Still Life is a story of illness and pain that rarely sees the light: illness and pain with no end or resolution; illness and pain that we must meet with courage, joy, ingenuity and hope. Against a world which values ‘feel good’ progress and productivity above all else, Josie sets out a quietly radical alternative: to value and treasure life for life itself, with all its defeats and victories, with all its great and small miracles.
Critic reviews
"A beautiful memoir, A Still Life is joy-lit: vivid, lovestruck, hopeful and wise.... I've never come across a new writer with more to offer the world." (Melissa Harrison)
"Full of kindness, A Still Life will make you a better person." (Clare Mackintosh)
"Josie George is the kind of writer I strive to be.... A tough, tender, beautiful book about existing in a body in the world. I loved it." (Ella Risbridger)
What listeners say about A Still Life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S. Law
- 19-06-23
Hope there's a sequel!
A lovely listen where everything and nothing happened all at once. Josie's voice is so soothing and I really enjoyed this book. I have been given lots of food for thought and need to reassess what's important in my life. I will be looking for more of Josie's work now and so glad I found this. What an inspirational, courageous woman.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- anon
- 04-03-23
A beautiful, slow story that appreciates the joy found in the simple things in life
Living with chronic illness is hard…existing in a world that you often feel excluded from can cause extreme emotions, from depression and frustration at having to exist in isolation, unable to do much physically. I’m contrast, the ‘good’ days or moments are filled with such joy at being able to live-do-participate, that you gain a fresh appreciation for all the little things, that so many of us take for granted. Josie George notices these little things and celebrates their beauty through poetic language that gently rolls along, taking us with her on a journey through her life.
Filled with positivity and hope, Josie George describes with agonising accuracy the challenges involved in living with a chronic illness for which their is no ‘cure’, but shows us that by accepting our circumstances you can still find beauty in the day to day.
I would recommend this book to anyone who lives with or cares for someone with M.E/CFS as it describes the fluctuating nature of this condition in such an accurate and beautiful way! Thankyou for making me feel less alone and for sharing your story with us.
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4 people found this helpful
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- foxxx
- 27-04-22
Make a cup of tea and sit quietly
it's beautiful. Do not listen in a hurry, take your time, consider the words, breathe.
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2 people found this helpful
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- valleywriter
- 10-03-21
Beautiful and inspiring
I love this book. It’s about the author’s experience of learning to live life (and love it) with the whole range of deep-felt feelings (including joy, awe and pain) even in the absence of many of the simple privileges many of us take for granted. It’s also quite gripping!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 27-04-23
gorgeous
absolutely loved this - such a winding, gorgeous book which has left me with so much to reflect on
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1 person found this helpful
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- Charlene
- 22-03-21
Poetic and powerful
Hearing the writer read her own words in her slow & steady style brought the book to life. I slowed down and noticed more. I haven't read or heard anything like it.
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10 people found this helpful
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- angharad
- 12-05-21
wonderful!
i loved this - i listened to it in the car on daily journeys and looked forward to it each time. full of hope and wisdom. a lovely book about a lovely woman.
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2 people found this helpful
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- sarahjane belton
- 04-03-23
Beautifully told story
Inspiring words of wisdom threaded through the veil of a life more difficult thank most
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mrs Cookie
- 29-10-23
Excellent
A very real account of life with chronic conditions that others can’t see. The truth and openness this is written with is very comforting- I now know I am not alone in how I look at myself and consider my condition
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- Jones
- 15-08-21
Inspirational
So pleased I read this thought provoking book. Really mean thank you Josie George.
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2 people found this helpful