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This is Not a Pity Memoir: The heartbreaking and life-affirming bestseller from the creator of ERIC

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Both very funny and as propulsive as a thriller . . . impossible to put down' RACHEL COOKE, Observer

'The kind of book you will find yourself saying urgently, over and over, to friends: 'Have you read it?' CAITLIN MORAN

'Gripping, funny and always honest' DAVID NICHOLLS

'Extraordinary . . . utterly compelling and so honestly told' NIGELLA LAWSON

'Truly breathtaking. I could not have loved it more' CAREY MULLIGAN
________________________

An ordinary day.
The end of ordinary life.

One morning in June, Abi had her to-do list - drop the kids to school, get coffee and go to work. Jacob had a bad headache so she added 'pick up steroids'. She returned home and found the man she loved and fought and laughed with for twenty years lying on the bathroom floor.

And nothing would ever be the same again.

But this is not a pity memoir. It's about meeting your person. And crazed late night Google trawls. It's about the things you wished you'd said to the person that matters then wildly over-sharing with the barista who doesn't know you at all. It's about sushi and the wrong shoes and the moments you want to shout 'cut'. It's about the silence when you are lost in space and the importance of family and parties and noise.

It's the difference between surviving and living.
It's a reminder that, even in the worst times, there is light ahead.

It's a love story.

Review

Took my breath away. . . I sobbed and laughed and then sobbed again. I think it puts life into perspective but also, by being a love story, it defies many of the norms. Morgan's unique voice rings out and she is a great companion throughout -- Emma Barnett ― I-paper, Books of the Year

Extraordinary...utterly compelling and so honestly told -- Nigella Lawson

Every once in a while, a book comes along that causes me to undergo a genuine shift in perspective. Abi Morgan's This is Not a Pity Memoir had exactly this effect . . . heart breaking, profound and even funny -- CRESSIDA BONAS ― Spectator

Both very funny and as propulsive as a thriller...impossible to put down. -- RACHEL COOKE ― Observer

There is not a trace of self-pity in Abi Morgan's heartbreaking memoir . . . full of humour, urgency and pathos, written in a staggeringly frank, intimate voice -- CHARLOTTE CRIPPS ― Independent

Uplifting and powerful...highly recommended ― Woman's Weekly

Compelling . . . mordant humour and heart-warming beauty ― Irish Independent

This Is Not a Pity Memoir . . . hurtles along poetically, while managing to be funny and ultimately full of hope ― Independent

With her trademark deadpan, trenchant wit, and a deeply soulful mindfulness, Abi Morgan takes a breathtaking hike on the cliff edge of a life upended by illness. By turns harrowing, cracking sharp and heartbreaking, it is comforting to accompany someone with her sense of humor and the absurd on this trip - this book is a gift to anyone who has been similarly unmoored by fate and the furies -- MERYL STREEP

Very moving but never sentimental, tough but never cynical . . . gripping, funny and always honest -- DAVID NICHOLLS

Truly breathtaking. Arrestingly honest, funny, profound and exquisitely written. I could not have loved it more -- CAREY MULLIGAN

I wept. I laughed. I dared to hope. I felt my heart crack. This book is life. It is exceptional -- SAM BAKER

The kind of book you will find yourself saying urgently, over and over, to friends: 'Have you read it?' -- CAITLIN MORAN

An extraordinary story told extraordinarily well. I don't know how Abi Morgan has managed to live through all this, let alone write such a fascinating, heartbreaking yet frequently funny book about it. It is so gripping I honestly couldn't put it down -- MARINA HYDE

Funny and brutally honest . . . an absolute insight for those of us lucky enough to never know life like this -- PANDORA SYKES

Incredibly powerful, moving, funny, honest & brave. I LOVED it -- EDITH BOWMAN

A mash-up of all the things I love in a book - honesty, comedy, pathos and what-happens-next. It's brutal - in a good way - but above all else it's a testament to kindness, stickability and enduring love -- KIT DE WAAL

A very moving and utterly absorbing story told with the surgical skill of the brilliant scriptwriter she is ― ALEXANDRA SHULMAN

A sharp, poignant and witty joy to read that will leave you energised and uplifted ― CELIA WALDEN

Astonishing, terrifying, heartbreaking... as well as grief and fear, there is humour, tenderness and so much love ― Daily Express

Told with brutal honesty and a heroic amount of humour . . compelling ― Radio Times

Heart-breaking but life affirming and soul-stirring . . . Told with a candid honesty and humour . . . a touching love story and a testament to the human spirit, family and friendship -- SARRA MANNING, Red

Uplifting and powerful ― Woman and Home

Captivating and compelling ― Daily Express

A heartbreaking but hopeful read that will resonate with anyone who has had to cope with a loved one's illness ― Chic, supplement to the Irish Daily Star

A touching love story and a testament to the human spirit, family and friendship ― Red Online

I really recommend that book ― Fortunately... with Fi and Jane (BBC Radio 4 podcast)

Funny, moving and thought-provoking. It's a love story, but not as you know it ― Bryony Gordon

Award-winning screenwriter Abi Morgan's account of how she effectively lost her husband to a terrible brain injury is full of heart yet simultaneously unsentimental ― Business Post

True to the book's title, [Abi is] a born storyteller sharing an extraordinary human tale in all its complexity, heartbreak and humour ― Cardiff Western Mail

An extraordinary book . . . uplifting and life-affirming. It's billed as a love story and this is exactly what it is ― Daily Mail

My book of the year absolutely has to be screenwriter Abi Morgan's heart-wrenching memoir. This Is Not A Pity Memoiris an unputdownable story of tragedy, loss, love, grief, transformation and survival. When Abi's husband Jake was taken ill and put into a coma for months, she thought that was the worst that could happen to their family... then he woke up and a whole new series of unimaginably painful challenges presented themselves. It will make you sob, it will make you laugh, it will break your heart and then it will put it back together again. I promise. I've already bought this book several times. I fully expect to buy it several times more' -- Sam Baker

This is the mediation on love and grief that we all need to read ― The Skinny, Books of the Year

Book Description

The instant SUNDAY TIMES bestseller: 'Breathtaking . . . this book is a gift' MERYL STREEP

Review:

4.5 out of 5

90.00% of customers are satisfied

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is raw, truthful, gripping and brilliantly written with love, anger and hope.

D.P.H.H. · 13 May 2022

I read this book in one day, because I could not put it down. Abi Morgan is an exceptional writer of film and television drama but this is her personal story. The heart-breaking story of the illness of her partner, Jacob and the experiences of her two children Jesse and Mabel and all their family and friends. It is an intricate record of their lives with sadness, anger, grief and determination and hope. It is an inspirational and truthful account of such personal times which Abi has shared with her readers. Please read this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not tragedy porn

K.C. · 17 October 2022

As the title suggests, this is not what my family refer to as "a harrowing tale" novel, it's not tragedy porn, it's real and honest and immediate. Ani Morgan writes with a rhythm of truth, sometimes staccato, sometimes reflective, always engaging. It's a book I wanted to recommend to my best friend, for the way Abi speaks about her cancer and treatment, but gut punchingly she died this year in her 30s. Although Abi's life feels so distant from mine, despite our children being similar ages, she feels like a grown up and it's financially where the glaring differences fester, she does reference it and checks that privilege, it's in the trips abroad, the travel, skiing, experiences that I'm glad her family enjoyed, enjoys. It's an autobiography on love, loss, and on just sharing what happened. I loved her inner editor moments. Her self deprecation made me like her even more. It's about Jacob, Abi and their children but also the web that holds a family, the wider family, friends, the NHS, carers, neighbours.

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and beautifully written book

J.D. · 14 April 2023

This is not a pity memoir by Abby Morgan, who is a well-known writer, has written a life affirming, and yet devastating account of what happened to her and her partner/husband who she lived with for 18 years. Flipping back-and-forth in time to when she first met the person whom she would fall in love with and they would have children with, to the debilitating disease that impacts on all of their lives. The book is beautifully written and as someone who is a speech and language therapist, there are lots of very important messages and I got an awful lot from this book. It is heartfelt and it is a well written story and I became totally engrossed with it.- I loved the conversation they had about religion and Abi’s husband was a Jew, but he read lots of Richard Dawkins and they made an illuminating point: “Faith is about living that which cannot be proved. Religion is everything else, from which you choose to take the good bits. The sense of family, of community, of history, of order. The Sabbath and the celebrations, however we trust and have faith in science rather than God. It makes you think when it all comes down to it, what am I going to have most faith in, prayer or medicine. I know my God”. There are many things to ponder on about your own life. Must read in this wonderful book. And you can't stop feeling it also.- Another message is that it's not enough to survive, you have to live and this book tells that story well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible emotional journey

M.H.N.B. · 6 July 2024

Real & true book about a couple who navigate severe physical illness, the affect of themselves and each other and their children. Sooo raw and honest and funny.I learnt about the human condition.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great

N.H.S. · 10 October 2024

I bought as a gift and the recipient was delighted. Value packaging and speed of delivery all excellent ffrom Bolo

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written

a. · 17 December 2022

From the title I assumed it would ultimately be uplifting, despite the very tough subject matter. But I found it really depressing. As always, Abi Morgan writes beautifully and brings to life an extraordinarily difficult time.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fab book

M.L.J.C. · 24 August 2024

Honest and open book, about a heartbreaking life event. I read it in 1 day.

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, honestly told, life affirming

P. · 11 December 2023

She is a brilliant writer and tells this heartbreaking, gut wrenching story of extremely difficult moments superbly well. Her attention to the details of everyday life and wry, dark humour are fantastic. Well worth reading.

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This is Not a Pity Memoir: The heartbreaking and life-affirming bestseller from the creator of ERIC

4.5

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