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My Lovely Wife
- A Memoir of Madness and Hope
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
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My Lovely Wife
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Summary
Mark and Giulia fell for each other in their teens, married in their 20s, and didn't realise what their love would demand of them until Giulia suffered a terrifying and unexpected psychotic break at the age of 27. Hospitalized for almost a month, she was tormented by delusions and paranoia. Upon release, she sunk into an extended suicidal depression during which Mark, struggling to support Giulia, was torn between the demands of keeping her safe and following doctors' orders, and honouring her independence and making her feel loved.
Eventually Giulia fully recovered, and the couple had a son. Soon after Jonas was born, Giulia had another breakdown, and then a third a few years after that. Pushed to the edge of the abyss, everything the couple had once taken for granted was upended. In My Lovely Wife, Mark takes us through these harrowing years with compassion and candour, as he and Giulia renegotiate their relationship, anchored by an abiding devotion to each other and their family.
A story of the fragility of the mind and the tenacity of the human spirit, My Lovely Wife is, above all, a love story that raises profound questions: how do we best care for the people we love? What and whom do we live for? Breathtaking in its honesty, radiant with compassion, written with dazzling lyricism, this intensely personal odyssey offers much-needed insight into the caregiving side of mental illness and affirms the power of love.
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What listeners say about My Lovely Wife
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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
- Daisymamauk
- 27-08-17
Wow!
I cried, I laughed & I pondered. As a mental illness sufferer with a husband & sons, this book helped me face my fears head on. But mostly it gave me hope. I'm well now but the dark clouds always seem to circle. You've gotta ride the waves & their story really did help me see that once more. Yes
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2 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
- eleniki
- 07-05-24
Gripping and devastating
Great narrator, very sad story, but the devotion and determination of Mark shines through, so ultimately this is a positive presentation of bi-polar.
The many sides of mental illness are described in forceful detail which is almost unbearable at times but so accurate and compassionately perceived. I read it because I took have experienced hospitalisation for major depression and anxiety, and could so well relate to about half of Giulia's journey. Psychosis is another realm however, and my heart went out to her.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 20-12-21
gripping
loved it I have a diagnosis of bi polar also great to read it from husbands perspective.. loved it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S A Hardingham
- 03-07-17
Brilliant
A must read! Describes a husband's battles with a wife who has mental illness brilliantly. Great insight!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 08-09-20
in "madness" and in health..
Incredible story, really makes you rethink what love really looks like.
Excellent narrator, loved his adaptation of voice for the different persons
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bee
- 17-05-17
Real and moving
Heart wrenching and heart warming insight into mental ill health and it's effect on the ill person and on their family.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- BooksMostly
- 11-07-17
Incredibly moving
This is nothing short of incredible. The way the author lets you in to his and his family's experience leaves you feeling you have been on a journey with these remarkable people. I was rooting for Mark and Giulia right from the start and I felt their pain, their joy and their hope. It is a fierce, honest, loving portrayal of a marriage rocked by serious mental health problems. Through all of it Mark's devotion to Giulia shines through, and he takes you with him in the experience of loving Giulia and helping her be well. He is brave in his honesty about how hard it is at times, delving into his own reactions, fears and resentments, which makes this a truly balanced and full impression of a terribly difficult situation.
It doesn't matter that the narrator is someone other than Mark himself. The narrator reads the book beautifully and sensitively, and with emotion that suggests this story got under his skin. Which is not surprising because it's so moving.
There are harrowing and disturbing details about Guilia's psychosis that will stay with me a long time. But there is also a lingering positive feeling of the power of love and the amazing ability of humans to fight, survive and live a full life.
Above all one comes away from this book wishing nothing but the absolute best for this amazing little family - and I hope we get another instalment to hear how they are getting on.
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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
- Anonymous User
- 24-01-20
As life affirming as it is heartbreaking
Beautifully narrated. Reminds you how fragile life can be but how much love can bring. A beautiful memoir of a very likeable couple.
if you are interested in learning about mental health in a family context this is essential reading. Reminds us of how impacted upon loved ones are when someone cherished is mentally unwell.
Beautiful.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- lesley Lambert
- 05-10-22
interesting
It would have been good to hear more from the wifes perspective. Theres a lot of resentment as well as love here, l feel sorry for the husband but more so for the wife as she cant help whats happening to her or stop it.
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