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This Is Not About Me cover art

This Is Not About Me

By: Janice Galloway
Narrated by: Janice Galloway
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Summary

From her earliest years with a boozy, accident-prone father and a reluctantly pragmatic mother, Janice Galloway grew up as a watcher - careful and vigilant. Then her parents’ marriage broke up and mother and daughter moved to an attic above a doctor’s surgery. When her big sister Cora returned home, with a steady stream of boyfriends, snappy dress sense and matching temper, evasion became a way of life.

This is a funny and telling book about the routine dependencies and confusions, hopes and triumphs of childhood; it is also a book about emergence, as, slowly, the beginnings of unsuspected rage pushed the silent girl towards her voice.

Janice Galloway is the author of five critically celebrated works of fiction and two memoirs. Her first novel, The Trick Is to Keep Breathing, is now widely regarded as a Scottish contemporary classic, with a stage adaptation performed in Glasgow, Toronto and London; while her second book, Blood, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. In August 2012 All Made Up, the sequel to This Is Not About Me, won the Scottish Book of the Year award at the Edinburgh Festival.

©2009 Janice Galloway (P)2013 Audible Ltd

Critic reviews

"Sublime prose and fierce honesty set it apart - part of Galloway's skill in This Is Not About Me is how she keeps a child's sense of bewilderment and secret understanding." (Daily Telegraph)

"Blistering, terrifying, always moving." (Independent on Sunday)

"Galloway provides sentences blazing with light, a gorgeous draft of terror." (Observer)

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What listeners say about This Is Not About Me

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Loved this

Written directly from the point of view of the child this manages to be funny, grim and sad all at the same time. Beautifully written and read and a testament to Janice's ability to survive and thrive against the odds. Look forward to the next book

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Searingly Honest

Loved this audible book , searingly honest , Janice’s voice is wonderful , the tone is so forgiving , she demonised no one , her understanding and forgiveness are awesome, I long to know more.

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Simply Outstanding!

Raw emotional real life. I loved every bit of this book and didnt want it to end, l can see it as a film. So much quietly lived trauma l felt so much for Janice. Was rooting for her all the way!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Great but shame about the editing

Such a great listen & only spoiled by bad editing. why can Audible not edit these books properly & remove errors & passages that are then re-read?

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Beyond expectations

Brilliant in every way. A memoir which leaves one in awe of how the author depicts her life and the people in it with such humbling talent. Read brilliantly too.

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Brilliant story and performance let down by terrible editing

I love this retelling of Janice Galloway’s childhood and the author reads it brilliantly. I laughed and cried along with her, but am also furious on her behalf that the audio book has not been properly edited! There are long pauses, repetitions and mouthing sounds which should have been edited out. This is not the listening experience I expect from Audible.

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DREADFUL EDITING!!!

the worst edited audible book i've ever heard, SUCH a shame a wonderful book, simply spoilt by the editing

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