Arrangements in Blue
Notes on Love and Making a Life
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Arrangements in Blue
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Amy Key
-
By:
-
Amy Key
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
When poet Amy Key was growing up, she looked forward to a life shaped by romance, fuelled by desire, longing and the conventional markers of success that come when you share a life with another person. But that didn't happen for her. Now in her forties, she sets out to explore the realities of a life lived in the absence of romantic love.
Using Joni Mitchell's seminal album Blue - an album that shaped Key's expectations of love - as her guide, she examines the unexpected life she has created for herself. Building a home, travelling alone, choosing whether to be a mother, recognising her own milestones, learning the limits of self-care and the expansive potential of self-friendship, Key uncovers the many forms of connection and care that often go unnoticed.
With profound candour and intimacy, Arrangements in Blue explores the painful feelings we are usually too ashamed to discuss: loneliness, envy, grief and failure. The result is a singular work - a beautifully-written and essential book about building a life on your own terms, which inspires us to live and love more honestly.
©2023 Amy Key (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Key charts women's lives with a savage delicacy." (Olivia Laing)
"A writer of a rare and strange magic." (Sarah Perry)
"I love Amy Key." (Lauren Laverne)
What listeners say about Arrangements in Blue
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Caty M.
- 14-06-23
Recommend!
Really brilliant book. Perfect for Joni fans, but made me think and feel so much more. Thank you Amy for writing this
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claudia
- 12-11-23
Beautifully written, captivating book
I loved Amy’s honest depiction of her life and love relationships. I recognised myself in a lot of what she said. I am not familiar with Joni Mitchell’s Blue but will certainly have a listen now.
Amy also has a way of writing that draws you in, it’s so alive that at times, you can taste the words.
Thank you for showing the possibility of having an erotic, sensual relationship with yourself and life without having to be in a romantic relationship.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kate Wood
- 09-04-23
Beautifully written
I found this book brought back those feelings from when I first heard Blue and reminded me of times in my life the album had been there for me, but it is also a beautifully written memoir and tribute to non romantic relationships. If you aren’t familiar with Joni Mitchell then this book would be an Interesting introduction. I loved this book and will now seek out other work by Amy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Kara
- 06-05-24
Loved It
I had just finished a really good book and was looking for my next great read. I started and stopped Caledonian Road twice because I just couldn't get into it. Instead I started listening to Arrangements in Blue while deciding what to listen to next. I was not expecting much, I can't even remember how I learnt about it, someone must have recommended it and I'm so glad they did. It started with me not really paying attention, this lasted for around the first 20 minutes, suddenly I realised it had my attention. So I started again from the beginning and listened properly.
Amy's experiences resonated with me it was uncanny. It was as if she had read my diary and listened to my inner thoughts Never quite having the relationships that my peers appeared to be enjoying and not for want of trying and yet it was perplexing why not. She discusses abortions and being other in a society where couples and couples with children are the norm. I kept flicking back, feeling sure it must be a work of fiction and somehow I'd missed this point. But no, it seems not and yet her story is so much like mine. I didn't want it to finish and shall probably go back to read it again.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 29-08-23
Honest, bold and thought-provoking
I identify with so much in this memoir. It is a riveting read. Especially for a fellow woman living in South Tyneside.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tori T.
- 13-02-24
extraordinary
Key's seering honesty and ability to articulate what is, for me, inexpressible, is quite exceptional. Simultaneously completely compelling but also excruciating at times.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- G
- 07-11-23
incredible
every single word resonated... thank you AMY so so much for articulating what i never could ♡
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Siún Carden
- 26-04-23
Unique
Enthralling. Read beautifully. An unusual look at seldom-said feelings and situations. You don’t need to know a thing about Joni Mitchell!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-02-24
Honest, beautiful, raw & moving
Honest, beautiful, raw & moving. A piece of art. Unlike anything I have read before. Would throughly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- tamara
- 22-07-23
An honest outpouring of relating to self
Somewhere, somehow, someone said that humans are more palatable and successfully when paired up. We are conditioned to think that a life without permanent or stable romantic life makes us an inferior creature: that we haven't 'made' it without being a couple. This book is a beautiful, unhurried portrait and inquiry into relating to the woes and illumination that is being in a relationship with one's self. Exquisite in content and lovingly written.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!