A Short History of Falling
Everything I Observed About Love Whilst Dying
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A Short History of Falling
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Narrated by:
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Russell Tovey
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By:
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Joe Hammond
About this listen
A Short History of Falling – like The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and When Breath Becomes Air – is a searingly beautiful, profound and unforgettable memoir that finds light and even humour in the darkest of places.
We keep an old shoebox, Gill and I, nestled in a drawer in our room. It’s filled with thirty-three birthday cards for our two young sons: one for every year I’ll miss until they’re twenty-one. I wrote them because, since the end of 2017, I’ve been living with – and dying from – motor neurone disease.
This book is about the process of saying goodbye. To my body, as I journey from unexpected clumsiness to a wheelchair that resembles a spacecraft, with rods and pads and dials and bleeps. To this world, as I play less of a part in it and find myself floating off into unlighted territory. To Gill, my wife. To Tom and Jimmy.
A Short History of Falling is about the sadness (and the anger, and the fear), but it’s about what’s beautiful too. It’s about love and fatherhood, about the precious experience of observing my last moments with this body, surrounded by the people who matter most. It’s about what it feels like to confront the fact that my family will persist through time with only a memory of me. In many ways, it has been the most amazing time of my life.
©2019 Joe Hammond (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"It is Hammond’s curiosity about death and his desire to report from the front line that makes this such a strangely invigorating read...his testimony deserves a place on the shelf beside When Breath Becomes Air and Late Fragments." (Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of The Last Act of Love)
"His voice is captivating, his observations are searing, and his book is a blessing. This book will inspire you even as it breaks your heart." (Kathryn Mannix, author of With the End in Mind)
"I loved this book, and read it in a day. It's surprising and uncommon and I don't think I'll ever forget it." (Sunjeev Sahota, author of The Year of the Runaways)
What listeners say about A Short History of Falling
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 06-01-21
beautiful and powerful
I have a nuro condition the author put into words feelings I cant so beautifuly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carol
- 23-10-19
What a beautiful book , thank you ❤️
What a beautiful book, thank you ❤️ A thought provoking, sad, inspirational audio book. Well done ! X
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Clara
- 21-04-21
Wonderful
Loved this deeply moving, real and life filled account of dying. What a gift to your children Joe
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Snowy
- 04-07-21
A moving but non saccharine story.
I feel honored to have been allowed to hear Joe's thoughts and feelings about this difficult time of his life. Russell Tovey is the perfect narrator for this work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carla Baker
- 16-10-19
Amazing and inspirational
This book is an amazing read I loved listening to Russel tovey narrate joes book he did a wonderful job!
Joe is truely amazing to write this powerful book on his feelings when he got diagnosed with mnd and the ups and downs that come with it. He has shared his past with us and his present, he made me laugh out loud and sob like a baby. Definitely worth listening to
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- VRJust
- 07-12-20
Awful awful
Oh I feel like a POS for saying this but the writing as bad as it is, is only surpassed by the hideous narration.
Rambling descriptions with too many similes and metaphors ruin a harrowing story. I had to give up after 20 mins. There were too many weird directions where the thread of the story was lost in over laboured descriptions & irrelevant side items. It was almost impossible to follow what or where the narrative was. Of course, all of that is completely forgivable because the author is not, in fact, an author- he is just a person, telling his moving story how he wants to. But to then give the gig to a narrator who evidently has little regard for consonants or punctuation, was the final straw.
My advice is to buy the book/e-book/kindle, so you can skim the rambles, swerve the narrator but still give this author and his legacy your money
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6 people found this helpful