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What Women Want

Conversations on Desire, Power, Love and Growth

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From a young bride-to-be struggling to accept her sexuality, to a mother grappling with questions of identity and belonging, and a pensioner falling in love for the first time, What Women Want is an enthralling and deeply intimate examination of womanhood.

With empathy and bravery, psychotherapist Maxine Mei-Fung Chung delves into what makes us who we are. Through her conversations with her patients, she lays bare our fears, our secrets, our wants, and ultimately, our capacity for healing.

To desire is an action. This extraordinary book liberates and empowers us to claim what we truly want.

'Full of wisdom and insight ... I cannot recommend it enough' Julia Samuel

'Brilliant' Katy Hessel

'Fascinating ... a valuable contribution to a wider debate about how women are permitted to own and express their desires' Guardian

© Maxine Mei-Fung Chung 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

 Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Thought-Provoking Mental Health

Critic reviews

This début from a leading psychotherapist is an enthralling, intersectional investigation of female desire
I couldn't stop thinking about these women's stories. The best book on female desire and longing since Three Women
Maxine's book is insightful, tender and brilliant. I am enraptured by these women's stories.
A rich and intimate examination of female desire, Maxine's book is full of wisdom and insight. I cannot recommend it enough
A compelling read
Brave, deeply honest, and beautifully written, What Women Want makes the personal universal.
A call to arms [...] This is a gripping debut that is searing in its honesty and vulnerability [...] Exploring trauma, gender, sexuality and mental health, the insight on female desire is so thought-provoking, the stories dealt with in a captivating and gentle way. Read it.
Fascinating [...] Makes a valuable contribution to a wider debate about how women are permitted to own and express their desires in a patriarchal culture that still prefers us quiet and non-disruptive.
All stars
Most relevant
Loved this book. Powerful insight into the benefits & art of psychotherapy as well as a deep understanding of women.

Fabulous

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I listened to Maxine the author on Audible as I really wanted to imagine in her voice how she felt about these seven brave women. The relationships between therapist & patient I have always found to be one sided as we’re the ones with the problems right. Paying for someone to listen to our inner most secrets puts us the patient in a one down position. But in What Women Want I feel like it addresses this balance. Maxine shows how much her patients are involved in her life, not just in the consulting room but in her outside life, writing this book. I can’t recommend this book enough as we are all figuring stuff it out, right?

I wished my therapist was like this!

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I’m deeply moved by this book. The stories of the women in this book are beautifully described and have stayed with me after listening. I’d recommend it to all women.

Powerful

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I found the stories of the 7 women in this book emotional. However, based on the title of this book, I wanted it to be inspiring & empowering & I just didn’t feel that. It’s certainly worth listening to, but it wasn’t 100% what I was hoping for.

Worth a listen

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