Quilt on Fire cover art

Quilt on Fire

The Messy Magic of Friends, Sex & Love

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

There is something raw in the fault lines, something wilder and more mysterious. There is beauty in the falling apart, a less polished, more honest version of expression.

In her early twenties, Christie Watson was convinced she'd found her soulmate, in a glowing flash of light that turned out to be her tealights setting her quilt on fire. Twenty years later, her bed is burning once again... as she wakes in a perimenopausal sweat, night after night.

This is the story of her journey through mid-life: of the joy of letting go and the pain of the morning after, of the unstoppable power of female friendship and the struggle to raise teenagers as a single parent. It lays bare the exhilaration, agony, wonder and fears of being a middle-aged woman with a wild heart, a changing body and a new set of challenges. And as her world takes on a different shape, there's something else she starts to feel: the hot flush of possibility.

'I adore Christie Watson. Quilt on Fire is full of her trademark candour, compassion and humour. A wildly entertaining - and necessary book' ELIZABETH DAY

© Christie Watson 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

 Aging & Longevity Love, Dating & Attraction Relationships Women Heartfelt

Critic reviews

Literary, gritty, joyful and very, very funny, reading Quilt on Fire is like hanging out with a best friend, one who knows you so well that she can see inside your soul... Virgina Woolf-sharp (Stacey Duguid)
A superb chronicle of midlife and the chaos of the perimenopause. Candid, humorous, insightful, deeply empathetic, inspiring and utterly necessary
You don't have to be in midlife to appreciate this funny, real, empathetic memoir about the multitudes contained in every woman... You'll feel as if you've found a kindred spirit
[Quilt on Fire] stood out for its honesty and humour... A must-read for any woman in midlife
A funny, frank and informative blend of personal writing, research and conversations with friends... [Watson's] descriptions of her failing body are vivid and unflinching... Passages are moving, humbling and written with beautiful detail (Marianne Power)
[An] insightful and outspoken exploration of middle age and the perimenopause (Kate Kellaway)
Unflinchingly honest and utterly hilarious... An inspiring account of tackling those glorious middle years
I wish I'd had such a laugh-out-loud, haunting and beautifully crafted manual to help navigate my own menopause. The stories filled me with laughter and tears... Many many women will be eternally grateful (Dreda Say Mitchell)
I adore Christie Watson. Quilt on Fire is full of her trademark candour, compassion and humour (Elizabeth Day)
Christie Watson is fierce, funny and endearingly frank in her fantastic new memoir (Jacqueline Wilson)
All stars
Most relevant
What a book. It is about menopause and midlife and full of wise words on these topics. But there’s more. Warm, witty, beautiful and moving i loved this book. It’s about living through midlife, about life in all its peculiar, messy, difficult, silly, amazing ways. It’s about love - for romance, friendship, children and yourself. I long to join the girls - Christie, Orla and especially Joy - a wonderful example of nominative determinism. Get this book. It’s wonderful. Thank you Christie.

A truly wonderful book

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Really enjoyed this book. Wise musings on the mess of midlife. And top tips on how to be Mum of the Year! There’s a gear change when COVID intervenes but Christie deftly relates these experiences back to midlife, without this feeling contrived or sacrificing the central theme of the book.

Poignant, funny and wise.

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Just finished this brilliant book( ilIt was funny, yet factual and the author showed the menopause in the context of everyday life (parents, work, love and friendship) and how every woman’s experience is different. Great writing.

Fantastic and honest

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There were parts of this book that I really enjoyed and could identify with - others less so. It crosses several genres including memoir, academic/textbook as well as novel. She has been open, honest and frank about her thoughts, emotions and feelings. Her writing style is clear and I like the way she weaves her 'academic' research into her own lived experience. I think it was a little bit too long and was verging on the woo woo and self-indulgent towards the end. Nevertheless I respect her prerogative to express herself in this highly artistic and poetic register. Overall, an interesting and insightful read (or listen) and I don't feel as if I wasted my time completing the text.

interesting

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An interesting personal account of perimenopause and its impact, this book ranges over topics and life experiences seen from a post-midlife perspective. Sometimes very funny, slightly repetitive, but still worth a listen, this is not a manual but a personal, informed recollection and reflection. The narration by the author was uneven and the book might have been carried better by another narrator. I’d still recommend it though.

Often deeply insightful

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