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God Is an Octopus

Loss, Love and a Calling to Nature

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God Is an Octopus

By: Ben Goldsmith
Narrated by: Simon Bubb
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About this listen

 Bloomsbury presents God Is An Octopus by Ben Goldsmith, read by Simon Bubb.

'Intensely readable, poetic, truthful, wise and wonderful.' STEPHEN FRY
'An extraordinary book.' SUNDAY TIMES

Struggling to comprehend the shocking death of his teenage daughter, Ben Goldsmith finds solace in nature by immersing himself in plans to rewild his farm.

In July 2019, Ben Goldsmith lost his fifteen-year-old daughter, Iris, in an accident on their family farm in Somerset. Iris’s death left her family reeling.

Grasping for answers, Ben threw himself into searching for some ongoing trace of his beloved child, exploring ideas that until then had seemed too abstract to mean much to him. Missing his daughter terribly and struggling to imagine how he would face the rest of his life in the shadow of this loss, Ben found solace in nature, the object of a lifelong fascination. As Ben set about rewilding his farm, nature became a vital source of meaning and hope.

This book is the story of a year of soul-searching that followed a terrible loss. In an instant, Ben’s world had turned dark. Yet, unbelievably to him, the seasons kept on turning, and as he immersed himself in the dramatic restoration of nature in the place where it happened, he found healing.

In God is an Octopus, Ben tells a powerful, immersive and inspiring story of finding comfort and strength in nature after suffering loss and despair.©2023 Ben Goldsmith (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc Grief & Loss Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Personal Development Science Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Feel-Good

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All stars
Most relevant
As someone who lost her husband suddenly and unexpectedly this year I was drawn to this book. My husband was a true eco warrior and so Ben’s passion for nature and his deep love of Iris and his family found a home in my heart. Highly recommend this book which delivers on so many levels .

Brilliant

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Too beautiful and powerful to review.
This book broke my heart, warmed my heart and fired-up my heart.
Listen and be inspired.

Listen and be inspired

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I held off listening to this until I felt ready as I am still coming to terms with the sudden death of a friend’s fifteen year old son last year.

Ben writes with candour and gives value to the father/daughter relationship, acknowledging and sharing the many layers of his grief. I think he was brave to admit just how often he cried.
The spiritual journey he was propelled upon was rich and varied; the encounter with a Jewish rabbi stood out for me. Unafraid of his own humanity, the rabbi just wept as he was told the story. He suggested that it is for the living to honour the dead.

I shall think of Iris on the anniversary of her death and all whose lives she touched. This book is well worth reading.

A candid story of loss

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This book has taken me through a poetic rollercoaster of feelings from moments of despair and sadness to moments of joy, inspiration and hope. It draws a paralysing line between the human journey, human relationship, and our relationship with nature. how beautiful it all is and how complicated and devastating at the same time. How simple yet unfathomable. God is an Octopus is a must read for every parent, every explorer, every person who wants to learn and grasp why humans need to save nature for humanity’s sake.

A must listen for every parent, every nature lover out there

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Tragedy births brilliance. Should ignite a fire in everyone to become wilder in every sense of their being.

Emotive and moving

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