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The Outrun

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The Outrun

By: Amy Liptrot
Narrated by: Tracy Wiles
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THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE 2016 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 ONDAATJE PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2016 WELLCOME PRIZE

At the age of thirty, Amy Liptrot finds herself washed up back home on Orkney. Standing unstable on the island, she tries to come to terms with the addiction that has swallowed the last decade of her life. As she spends her mornings swimming in the bracingly cold sea, her days tracking Orkney's wildlife, and her nights searching the sky for the Merry Dancers, Amy discovers how the wild can restore life and renew hope.

©2016 Amy Liptrot Addiction & Recovery Alcoholism Mental Health Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Women's Voices Inspiring Thought-Provoking Heartfelt Health Substance abuse
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Critic reviews

"A lyrical, brave memoir. It's Liptrot's aptitude for marrying her inner-space with wild outer-spaces that makes her such a compelling writer . . . I enjoyed this book enormously" (WILL SELF)
"The sheer sensuality of Liptrot's prose and her steely resolve immediately put her right up there with the best of the best. Liptrot is an Orcadian warrior with the breeze in her blood and poetry in her fingers, and The Outrun may even be a future classic. Wherever she journeys next, you will want to go with her"
"An exhilarating memoir . . . Anyone who has ever been unhappy or unwise will find much that resonates in this powerful, beautiful writing" (CATHY RENTZENBRINK)
"An uncompromising account of addiction and recovery played out against the blasted fields of Orkney. Liptrot's writing is strong and sure. The Outrun is a bright addition to the exploding genre of writing about place and our place in the natural world"
"Remarkable . . . a meditative interior journey which Liptrot elevates to an art"
"An unflinching examination of trauma, addiction and the restorative power of the natural world . . . It is a wild, wind-lashed book, and you come away from reading with the taste of salt spray on your lips" (Evie Wyld)
"Brilliant . . . one of the most scabrously honest, sassy and moving books about addiction and recovery that I have read"
"An astonishingly beautiful book. Amy makes most nature writing seem flat and pedestrian. Her account of her addiction and recovery is electric, sexy, immediate and raw, leaving the reader reeling in her wake . . . This is a luminous, life-affirming book, and I have no doubt that I'll be pressing it into people's hands for years to come" (OLIVIA LAING)
"There is a great deal of frank, flinch-making writing in this book, but it is always balanced by a sublimity and graciousness that is rare. This is a bold-hearted and brave-minded book. It is both terribly sad and awfully affecting. I look forward to its presence on some prize lists"
"Clean, clear and impressive . . . a sensuous book, full of summer nights and winter water. Liptrot swims, walks, lives alone on uninhabited islands and observes. And from that comes a portrait of the natural world she is absorbed into"
All stars
Most relevant
Interesting and well-written but would have benefitted from editing to reduce unnecessary length, I think.

Worth listening

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Story had lots of detail of life in the Scottish Islands and in the big smoke of London. Interlaced with the characters drinking and sober journey. Uplifting in lots of ways x

From broken to uplifting

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Loved the descriptions of nature/ the universe and her journey and struggles through life. Ultimately uplifting although with grit and a realness of living with addiction. Xx

Fabulous book.

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With destructive influences from her past Amy has succeeded in providing an interesting insight into her struggle with her demons. Well presented and clear recital from audiobooks.

A brave story

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I wasn't sure how this would be but I loved it -the balance between the author's story of becoming sober,her childhood on Orkney,and Orkney now was perfect for me.It evoked very strongly the contrast between London,which feels like the archetypal city,and the island.
Highly recommended!

Fantastic

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