Self Contained
Scenes from a Single Life
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Self Contained
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Narrated by:
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Emma John
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By:
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Emma John
About this listen
There is a piece of cod-wisdom regularly dispensed to single women: romance will arrive when you least expect it. I had assumed it would also make its own travel arrangements, too.
Emma John is in her 40s; she is neither married, nor partnered, with child or planning to be.
In her hilarious and unflinching memoir, Self-Contained, she asks why the world only views a woman as complete when she is no longer a single figure and addresses what it means to be alone when everyone else isn't.
In her book, she captures what it is to be single in your 40s, from sharing a twin room with someone you've never met on a group holiday (because the couples have all the doubles with ensuite), to coming to the realisation that maybe your singleness isn't a temporary arrangement, that maybe you aren't pre-married at all and, in fact, you are self-contained.
The book is an exploration of being lifelong single and what happens if you don't meet the right person, don't settle down with the wrong person and realise the biggest commitment is to yourself.
©2021 Emma John (P)2021 Octopus Publishing GroupWhat listeners say about Self Contained
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Belinda
- 02-03-2022
Successfully Solo
Enjoyable, and reaffirming for me as a 44yr single woman. I recommend women and men to read it.
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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
- 15-05-2021
Simply awesome
A fun and moving reflection about being and remaining single. Read by the author in an engaging way.
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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
- 23-02-2022
Feels like ‘4 Weddings’ … only the fun singleton stays that way
Setting aside what I realised (thanks to this book) I’m looking for in an exploration of contemporary singledom, I thoroughly enjoyed this (I want to say) self deprecating, distinctly (white middle class) English romp of a memoir. It wasn’t the insightful examination of the move towards singledom - its normalisation and eventual celebration - that is occurring across the West as women (in particular) turn away from heterosexual marriage, whether by choice or necessity. The writer herself admits that she is not ‘deep or reflective or introspective’, which makes her any unlikely forerunner of this movement. Nonetheless, her memoir contributes to what will probably be a torrent of similar stories in decades to come. Taken for what it is - a fun if at times ‘slightly’ poignant memoir about an accidentally single life amidst a culture that’s potty for ‘coupling up and getting married’, it was really enjoyable. John’s writing is crisp, her humour well-timed… she could start a new life as a British rom-com writer.
Thoroughly enjoyable (if you’re not looking for depth)
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