Tell Me the Truth About Love cover art

Tell Me the Truth About Love

13 Tales from Couples Therapy

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Tell Me the Truth About Love

By: Susanna Abse
Narrated by: Susanna Abse
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Drawing on more than 30 years of therapeutic encounters with people facing hurdles in their love lives, former chair of the British Psychoanalytic Council Susanna Abse takes us deep inside one of the most fascinating realms there is: other people's relationships.

Candid and captivating, each chapter is inspired by a classic timeless story. Parents blow their straw house down; Rapunzel yearns for companionship but remains trapped in her castle. Couples strive to navigate the fall from Eden, the bitter taste of the poison apple and strangers in their beds.

From dealing with infidelity to navigating our changing role within a single relationship over the course of a lifetime, Tell Me the Truth About Love sheds vivid light on the human heart and its struggle to both embrace life's greatest gift and protect itself from pain. Inside, you will find solace, wisdom and unparalleled insight into how, and why, we love.

©2022 Susanna Abse (P)2022 Penguin Audio Essays Love, Dating & Attraction Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships Nonfiction Inspiring

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Critic reviews

"A must-read for everyone wanting to understand more about what makes us fall in—and out—of love." (Philippa Perry)

"A charming, useful kind book about the pains and hopes of relationships." (Alain de Botton)
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This is a lucid and helpful book from the authors’ couch which was fascinating from start to finish. All psychotherapists and couples counsellors should listen or read this as I felt I was an observer in the consulting room. There is a wide array of cases and dilemmas some of course which cannot be solved. Excellent put together and such rich material.

For all therapists

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Susanna Abse is not a narrator, but she is so engaging and engaged in the narration of these stories and the people within them, giving us a glimpse behind the scenes of her professional practice, it is impossible not to become involved and to empathise with her and with the couples in her consulting room. I am not usually a fan of audiobooks narrated by authors, but this is an exception. Fascinating stuff.

Fascinating insights about relationships

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A well read and thoughtful jargon free fascinating peek into the lives of couples, families and relationships in the therapy room. Definitely recommend it.

Thoughtful and engaging

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An honest portrayal of the inner world of couple's relationships. So much is relatable which makes the book impossible to put down. It was enjoyable and thought provoking to read.

Honest & relatable

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Susanna Abse is kind, wise, compassionate and always curious.

This is a moving and revealing book of 13 case studies. The writer is skilled at making these accounts interesting - compelling even. Susanne is clearly a highly effective therapist. Some quite difficult theory is explained with ease and a lovely lightness of touch.

The book is beautifully read by the author.

Moving and revealing.

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A great and friendly way to dive into different unpleasant love-related situations... it's not only about love and relationships, it's about human psychology.

about love... when it's in bad mood

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This was a great book to listen to. It runs through relationships that strike a chord with me. It made me think about some of the relationships I have had and how I may be happier and successful going forward. Thank you Susanna

Makes me think about my relationships

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An enjoyable insight into behaviour and therapy. Well narrated, a little slow to start but once your past the first tale the rest was very interesting.

An enjoyable insight

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The author is clearly a really experienced psychotherapist but I'm afraid that doesn't necessarily lead to being a good author. I was disappointed that this book was quite superficial as it summarised the relationship issues of various clients and how the author worked out how past experiences had led to those issues but there was nothing much on how to overcome those experiences and change behaviour which I would have found more interesting.

The author also tried to equate her clients with nursery rhymes or fairy tales (e.g. Jack and Jill, Rapunzel and worst of all, the wicked stepmother). Quite bizarre and trivialising.

Strangely superficial

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A more accurate title would be 'A series of accounts of Couples Counselling case studies'. It satisfies a certain curiosity, but there is little that one learns about love.

Fairly interesting, though the title is misleading

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