Meet Ella
The Dog Who Saved My Life
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Meet Ella
Buy Now for $26.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
James Middleton
-
By:
-
James Middleton
About this listen
'Astonishingly raw' DAILY MAIL
'A love letter' THE TIMES
'An unflinching account of how anyone can find themselves in the darkest times, and the healing power of love and friendship.' - Bryony Gordon, Journalist, Podcaster, bestselling author and award-winning mental health campaigner
'It's been a long time since a book has touched me this much. Beautifully written, utterly enchanting, searingly honest and deeply moving' - Peter James, bestselling author and creator of the Superintendent Roy Grace series
'Meet Ella is so profoundly moving. It greatly resonated with me, both personally and professionally, and James' story is written so beautifully, and with such clarity and honesty' - Joanna Cannon, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep
When he was a child, James Middleton wanted nothing more than a dog of his own.
Struggling to connect in the classroom, James would often take off in pursuit of nature and animals - adventuring in the Berkshire countryside, tinkering with rusty farm machinery, performing locum care to injured creatures, and losing himself for hours to the outdoors.
Then, finally, his pleas for a dog (made via handwritten letters to his parents) were answered.
Meet Ella traces the extraordinary bond between James and his beloved first pup, Ella. From their enchanting introduction when James was just twenty and their many expeditions, from Scottish mountain sides to royal weddings, their journey is marked by love, loyalty, and unexpected twists of fate. Ella, the well-mannered and kind-natured companion, accompanied James everywhere, even playing a pivotal role in introducing him to his future wife, Alizee.
But beyond the glamorous veneer of society engagements and entrepreneurial achievements lies a deeply personal account of James' battle with depression. Through unconditional love, Ella emerges as an intuitive friend, reading James' moods and offering solace during his darkest hours, becoming the catalyst for his healing journey, and helping him to see all the good in his life and future.
Touching, honest and life affirming, Meet Ella is both devastating and wonderfully heart-warming. A love letter to man's best friend, and a beacon of hope to anyone struggling through hard times.
Meet Ella was a Sunday Times bestseller in October 2024©2024 James Middleton (P)2024 Octopus Publishing Group
What listeners say about Meet Ella
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
- Heather Grainger
- 12-12-2024
Dog Lover
I enjoyed this book SO much. There were many times throughout listening to the book, that I welled up with tears in my eyes.
Thankyou James, for being so honest with your past difficulties with your mental health, and sharing your deep, deep bond with beautiful Ella who helped you so much to get better.
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
- Susan Anne Loughton
- 11-10-2024
Tender And Moving
What a render and moving story about a wonderful companion.
Testimony to the healing power of animals and their intuitive nature.
I enjoyed it immensely.
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
- Aniela Livesey
- 27-09-2024
Get ready to smile, laugh, and cry!
The most beautiful book! Really enjoyed hearing all about Ella’s adventures! It had me snuggling with my own dogs the whole time!
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
- Robin McKean
- 08-10-2024
James Can Speak Dog.
I approached this audio version of James Middleton's Best Seller
with a few reservations.
1.
Pfff how does one suffering with dyslexia write a book?
2
How does this person then produce an audio book?
Any other voice must surely laugh at a memoir and in so doing, diminish the intended narrative.
Any preconceived concerns were then more than adequately explained, and dispelled by the author, right from the get go . I was immediately under the spell of someone who was speaking right from the heart.
Stepping up to the plate came James Middleton, to deliver his powerful (on many levels) life story to date. The life that almost wasn't to reach anywhere near the biblically assigned 3 score and ten was laid bare before me and was accompanied with an even more confronting why...
I don't pretend to understand or am able to offer any solutions for mental health issues and their range and impact - physically, socially and emotionally. and was blind sided and overwhelmed by the complexities of James' journey from childhood to parenthood.
I do confess to being so angry with him at one stage. How could he not pay his parents and immediate family the courtesy of letting them know where he was literally and figuratively at that crucial time of his life and especially on that tramp around the Lake District?
By the end, I did however forgive him and can only marvel at the divine providence wrapped up in his story and that of his canine bundle Ella.
What a story and what gumption to retell it.
As an aside Carole Middleton deserves a medal!
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
- Anonymous User
- 17-10-2024
James love for his beautiful dog
One of the best books I’ve read. Had me laughing crying and in oar of James and Ella’s love for each other.
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
- Anonymous User
- 29-10-2024
A tribute to unconditional love
What a beautiful life shaped by the unconditional love of animal/dogs and one dog in particular. Honest account of all the moments of life, great, not so great and difficult one. But all that must be lived! Must read or listen !
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
- Jasmine Holtze
- 15-12-2024
what a book!
This book is beautiful and a true tribute to dogs and animals alike and their amazing presences in our lives. I was laughing, crying, moved. I want the hardcopy now!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Carol F.
- 25-10-2024
Ella!
I have been thinking a while about this review as I have conflicting thoughts.
First of all, it was an interesting book to read, but, I couldn’t help feeling annoyed that James wasn’t allowed his own dog, when he showed his parents over and over again what a responsible boy he was with animals. Then just as he’s being sent away to boarding school, they get a ‘family’ dog!! Made me sad.
Where was the help for his ADHD and dyslexia??
I feel his declining mental health could have been helped earlier by his parents when he was young.
This next part I am critiquing as a dog rescuer.
James is a fabulous dog owner and looked after his pack well, BUT, gosh with all the thousands of wonderful dogs in shelters across the country desperately looking for a home, why oh why couldn’t he adopt rather than buy??
And then to make it worse, he breeds from them all, thereby adding to the fact that there are too many dogs.
All in all, I was disappointed in this.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!