Life, Almost cover art

Life, Almost

Miscarriage, Misconceptions and a Search for Answers from the Brink of Motherhood

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Life, Almost

By: Jennie Agg
Narrated by: Jennie Agg
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

After losing four pregnancies with no obvious cause, Jennie Agg set out to understand why miscarriage remains such a profoundly misunderstood, under-researched and under-acknowledged experience.

Part-memoir, part-scientific investigation, Life, Almost documents Agg's path to motherhood and her search for answers. Tracing each tentative step of her fifth pregnancy—as her body becomes a creature she does not wish to spook—Agg dismantles the myths that we unquestioningly accept about our reproductive lives:

· Why are we told miscarriage can't be prevented when half of all miscarriages are of perfectly healthy embryos?

· Why is it normal not to tell anyone you're pregnant for the first three months?

· Why don't we know why labour starts?

Drawing on pioneering research and interviews with world-leading experts, Life, Almost is a ground-breaking book that will change how you think about miscarriage, and a moving reflection on grief and love at the edge of life as we understand it.

©2023 Jennie Agg (P)2023 Penguin Audio Medicine & Health Care Industry Physical Illness & Disease Professionals & Academics Science & Technology Sexual & Reproductive Health Pregnancy Infertility

Critic reviews

"Vital and heart-wrenchingly intimate, this is the miscarriage manifesto we need." (Leah Hazard, bestselling author of Hard Pushed)

"Beautiful, powerful and important... Essential reading for anyone who lives in a world where miscarriage happens - a book for us all." (Georgina Lucas, author of If Not for You)

"An urgent, fascinating and thought-provoking book that should pioneer new conversations." (Julia Bueno, author of The Brink of Being)
All stars
Most relevant
Parts of this book was like listening to my own journey but put into words my brain and heart couldn’t do itself, after losing two babies consecutively I went on to bring my 3rd baby into the world safely, I also had a covid baby.

I felt the book was structured in an excellent way and it was easy to keep up with. There was also a lot of information around miscarriages and research and facts and figures but it still remained personal and engaging

A truly wonderful book,

I felt and related to every word of this book!

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Quoting accurate scientific studies and with a powerful female lead narration that leaves you feeling empowered and informed even for areas that haven’t been researched well enough yet.
Very happy and satisfied with the pace, level and audience pitch of this book.

Scientifically sound and well read

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This is the book I didn’t think I needed. I recently had my second early miscarriage and was at a loss of how to feel, behave, what to share with others and what no to. This book has allowed me to feel my loss, allowed the space for my feelings and put them into words better than I ever would have. The personal experience of the author combined with the research was written beautifully and as well as allowing me to open to my feelings, I have also learned some interesting statistics. Thank you for the book and for sharing your story.

Insightful research intertwined with very personal experiences

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Well written, sensitive and kind. Lovely soothing voice from the author. Just beautiful, so glad it exists.

Beautiful

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Having just experienced our fourth miscarriage, I picked up this audio book in hope for some understanding and comfort, and honestly can not believe how much this has helped me with my processing and healing.

Jennie has a gift of accurately portraying honest feelings and thoughts into words, which I continuously related to and has made this process much less of a lonely one. I cried throughout and I'm already looking forward to reading again.

Thank you so much x

Beautiful, powerful and relatable

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