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What a Shame

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What a Shame

By: Abigail Bergstrom
Narrated by: Heather Long
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About this listen

Adults meets little scratch in this bold, funny and tender debut, which captures the pain of heartbreak and the universal heat of female shame through a very unique journey towards self-acceptance.

The idea of a curse was divisive, but the assertion that I had, for some time now, been 'laden with something dark' was disconcertingly unanimous.

I wondered if this was something you also saw in me, if that was why you left.

There is something wrong with Mathilda.

She's still reeling from the blow of a gut-punch breakup and grieving the death of a loved one.

But that's not it.

She's cried all her tears, mastered her crow pose and thrown out every last reminder of him.

But that's not helping.

Concerned that she isn't moving on, Mathilda's friends push her towards a series of increasingly unorthodox remedies.

Until the seams of herself begin to come undone.

Tender, unflinching and blisteringly funny, What a Shame glitters with rage and heartbreak, an offers up the joy of self-acceptance through an extraordinary rite of passage to overcome the prickly heat of female shame.

©2021 Abigail Bergstrom (P)2021 Hodder & Stoughton Ltd Coming of Age Dark Humour Fiction Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Funny Comedy

Critic Reviews

"Absorbing and clever, I fell in love with Mathilda." (Cathy Rentzenbrink)
All stars
Most relevant  
If youre having a hard right now, can't see the tunnel let alone the light at the end of it...read this.
Beautiful poignant and elegant.
Femininity, greif and all its complicated tendrils.

loved it

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I really loved this book. I fell in love with all the characters. I want more

loved it so much

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I did the dreaded thing of reading gushing reviews before purchasing - consisting of everything from enlightening, soulful, dark, warming, depressing, to uplifting.
It was none of those things in a big way. I enjoyed the story but wouldn't consider it amazing. Maybe I needed to focus more. However, I loved the characters, and the take home message was special for me. 4 stars.

Kept me interested

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