The Reading Cure cover art

The Reading Cure

How Books Restored My Appetite

 Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Reading Cure

By: Laura Freeman
Narrated by: Laura Freeman
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

At the age of 14, Laura Freeman was diagnosed with anorexia. She had seized the one aspect of her life that she seemed able to control and struck different foods from her diet one by one until she was starving. But even at her lowest point, the one appetite she never lost was her love of reading.

As Laura battled her anorexia, she gradually rediscovered how to enjoy food - and life more broadly - through literature. Plum puddings and pottles of fruit in Dickens gave her courage to try new dishes; the wounded Robert Graves' appreciation of a pair of greengages changed the way she thought about plenty and choice; Virginia Woolf's painterly descriptions of bread, blackberries and biscuits were infinitely tempting. Book by book, meal by meal, Laura developed an appetite and discovered an entire library of reasons to live.

The Reading Cure is a beautiful, inspiring account of hunger and happiness, about addiction, obsession and recovery, and about the way literature and food can restore appetite and renew hope.

Read by Laura Freeman.

2018, The Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award, Short-listed

©2018 Laura Freeman (P)2018 Orion Publishing Group Biographies & Memoirs Eating Disorders Personal Development Mental Health

Critic Reviews

[A] beautifully written hybrid of memoir and literary criticism... This book is about the anguish of anorexia, written by a bookworm unfurling her wings as a writer of considerable power. (Cathy Rentzenbrink)
A miraculous memoir ... Anyone who has encountered anorexia, either first hand or in someone they love, will recognise this harrowing yet heartening portrait. The Reading Cure is a book for the bookish, for those hungry for self-knowledge, or for those who are just hungry. (Daniel Johnson)
In its subtle, undogmatic way, The Reading Cure is a tale of joy winning against piety, and the triumph of life over death... both a stimulating argument for the power of fiction as a force for personal change and a wise memoir of anorexia. Moreover, it is never pat, always intelligent, full of enthusiasm, and almost entirely free of self-pity. (Craig Brown)
Gentle in its tone and astute in its insights, the book is a treat... [and provides] sound evidence for the ability of literature to affect life. (Ada Coghen)
The most moving, most evocative book. (Sophia Money-Coutts)
You might not expect a book on anorexia to be a joy to read, yet somehow this is. Laura Freeman is unflinchingly honest about the loneliness and misery of suffering from an eating disorder: the desperate calculations over 'an inch of almond milk', the 'shivering hunger'. But her pleasure in the food of literature - from sweets in Harry Potter to roast goose in Charles Dickens - is infectious. The Reading Cure will speak to anyone who has ever felt pain and found solace in a book. There are no easy epiphanies here, but you are cheering Freeman on, page by page, as she slowly recovers her appetite, both for double-cheese toasties and for life. (Bee Wilson)
The Reading Cure is a painful exploration of anorexia but also a love letter to the healing power of books written with expert care, talent... and hope. (Francesca Brown)
Freeman's writing throughout is beautiful and bountiful; her descriptions of food are full of flavour and temptation; her journey to wellness an inspiring one. (Lucy Pearson)
[An] honest, beautifully written account. (Eithne Farry)
Warm and insightful, Freeman takes us on an exhilarating journey. (Bel Mooney)

What listeners say about The Reading Cure

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com.au reviews

Amazon Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User

super interesting and candid!

I really appreciate Laura Freeman's honesty. This is such a unique bibliography and memoir. If you or anyone you know has suffered from an eating disorder, or if you love food, or if you love reading, I recommend this book!

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Bree

So wonderful

As an ex-anorexic & a bibliophile myself, I just loved this book. I bought the beautiful hardback copy years ago, & enjoy it so much. I was delighted to not only find it on Audible, but that it was read by the author, & read so well! I enjoyed her quality narration even more than reading the book myself (a rare occurrence). I’ve had a year of being unwell, & it’s been so lovely to curl up in bed in the dark on rainy days & listen to her descriptions of food & comfort. It’s been food for my soul. She’s an excellent writer & her enthusiastic recommendations have led me to add so many books to my To Read list.

So many books about anorexia go into great detail of the pain, torment, & ever inventive ways to starve yourself, but have little about the road to recovery. They always made me worse. But this book is so inspirational, motivational, & hopeful. It’s a beautiful light at the end of a terrible tunnel. That recovery is not quick or easy, but possible & manageable. A one-foot-in-front-of-another approach to lasting change about how one views food during & after anorexia. That food is not only not to be feared, but something to nourish us, build us up, & even to be enjoyed. I relished this book & highly recommend it.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.