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Leap In
- A Woman, Some Waves and the Will to Swim
- Narrated by: Alexandra Heminsley
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Sports
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Summary
It may have been because she could run. It may have been because she wanted to swim, or perhaps because she only ever did 10 minutes of breaststroke at a time. But, as she learned one day while flailing around in the sea, she really couldn't.
Believing that a life lived fully isn't one with the most money earned, the most stuff bought or the most races won but one with the most experiences experienced the most fully, she decided to conquer her fear of the water.
From the ignominy of getting into a wetsuit to the triumph of swimming from Kefalonia to Ithaca, in becoming a swimmer Alexandra learns to appreciate her body and still her mind. As it turns out, the water is never as frightening once you're in, and really, everything is better when you remember to exhale.
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What listeners say about Leap In
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Purplebirman
- 01-08-17
Very entertaining
This is read by the author, who reads it entertainingly and well, I can't imagine it would be half as good read by another narrator.
The story of her adventures into outdoor swimming is as humourously and well told as her book on running, with little forays into her personal life for added interest.
I can wholeheartedly recommend both Alexandra Heminsley's audiobooks. They have also encouraged me to give running and swimming a good try! Alexandra makes them hard to resist.
6 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 26-10-17
loved it
A very inspiring heart warming and wrenching book.
Alexandra writes in such a way that make swimming feel so much more accessible and less scary even to a reluctant swimmer like myself.
4 people found this helpful
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- Ruby Begonia
- 09-10-18
Well written, inspiring and brave
An interesting read about both open swimming, with practical advice (the second section of the book) and the story of Alex’s conversion to swimming. Alex is brave in also tackling the very emotional subject of IVF and, although not what I was expecting, I admire her brutal honesty and admire her wise and courageous reflections.
So many similarly themed books - charting the highs and lows from starting training to success of some sort - are inspiring but in need of a good edit; this one however is brilliantly written.
An interesting and inspiring read from a talented writer.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 23-04-21
Worth a read if you’re thinking about starting
Quite inspirational for beginner swimmers and with some good tips, especially at the end of the book. However I found the author’s constant moaning and feeling sorry for herself a bit grating. She also seems very judgemental, for some reason especially when it comes to middle aged white men in expensive wetsuits.
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- Amazon Customer
- 15-02-21
Great for those interested in taking up swimming
I could really relate to this story as I have never learnt to swim front crawl but am becoming increasingly interested in the idea of outdoor swimming.
Some great tips on where to start, books to read and swimming holidays as well as a touching insight into the authors life, I enjoyed listening to this all the way through.
Inspiring and motivating.
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- alex
- 05-02-21
I did enjoy it, but not super memorable.
I do love outdoor swimming so parts were interesting, but it was a bit patchy and by they end, I felt a bit meh. The bits about her personal struggles were really pointent, but then we just left that and heard about that earplugs to buy. Jumped around in tone a little.
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- James Brown
- 28-11-20
Enjoyable and inspiring.
It took a little while to warm to this book but I'm glad I did. it's part memoir, part guide to swimming and 100% about how persistence pays off.
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-07-20
Fabulous!
As a keen open water swimmer myself, I was really looking forward to listening to this while I worked, and it didn't disappoint! I laughed, cried, empathised and felt inspired, the whole way through. I have since bought hard copies for swim friends as gifts! Brilliant!
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- m a burleigh
- 14-08-19
amazing
soo loved this book . I signed up for the Blenheim team tri in June to get myself over my fear of open water and swimming.
Wow what I journey that was !, reading your book has given me the confidence to know that I get to love my open water swimming rather than surviving it !! thank you so much . it was as if you were reading my mind on that huge journey , that terrified me , but also saved me ❤🏊♀️❤
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- Mhairi McLellan
- 07-05-19
another brilliant book!
I absolutely loved this book, almost as much as her book about running! Highly recommend it.