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Constellations

Reflections From Life

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Constellations

By: Sinéad Gleeson
Narrated by: Sinéad Gleeson
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About this listen

Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize
Shortlisted for the James Tait Black Biography Prize
The Number One Irish Bestseller

'Utterly magnificent. Raw, thought-provoking and galvanising; this is a book every woman should read.' Eimear McBride, author of A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing.

'Outstanding . . . demands to be heard' Observer

I have come to think of all the metal in my body as artificial stars, glistening beneath the skin, a constellation of old and new metal. A map, a tracing of connections and a guide to looking at things from different angles.


How do you tell the story of a life in a body, as it goes through sickness, health, motherhood? How do you tell that story when you are not just a woman but a woman in Ireland? In the powerful and daring essays in Constellations Sinéad Gleeson does that very thing. All of life is within these pages, from birth to first love, pregnancy to motherhood, terrifying sickness, old age and loss to death itself. Throughout this wide-ranging collection she also turns her restless eye outwards delving into work, art and our very ways of seeing. In the tradition of some of our finest life writers, and yet still in her own spirited, generous voice, Sinéad takes us on a journey that is both uniquely personal and yet universal in its resonance. Here is the fierce joy and pain of being alive.

'An absolutely astonishing, brilliant and beautiful book.' Kate Mosse, author of The Burning Chambers

'Absolutely extraordinary and life-enhancing.' Daisy Buchanan, author of How to be Grown-up.

©2019 Sinéad Gleeson (P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio
Authors Essays Women Nonfiction Ireland
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Critic reviews

"Breathtaking and sublime." (Nina Stibbe)

What listeners say about Constellations

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I really enjoyed this book. Beautiful

Loved the way Sinead intertwined medical terms within the chapters. Powerful and empowering. The last chapter is gorgeous

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Gorgeous and lyrical, the female voice

What a wonderful talent and what a lovely meandering through distinctly female experience. Really enjoy her reading this.

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A Sparkling Memoir

Sinéad writes with such honesty about breadth about the ways her body has caused her pain, birth, motherhood, writing, the importance of women to have autonomy over their bodies and more. It is both personal and universal in the way it speaks to many people's experience of not being believed by doctors. Beautifully narrated, I would highly recommend this, especially for fans of Maggie O'Farrell's I Am, I Am, I Am.

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captivating

the prose being narrated by Sinead herself made this audible book even more alluring. I could listen to her relay her wonderful writings all day.

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A masterpiece with a heart

How lucky we are to live in a world where Sinéad unveils the lives of women through her own life and her astonishing capacity to write down and narrate so much of it in the most beautiful way.

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An Exquisite Read

Sinéad Gleeson reflects on potent themes like motherhood, illness, family, and what it means to be a woman in Ireland today. An absolutely gripping narrative of her her life that will stay with me for a long time. If you think you've had it tough in life, read this! Incredibly brave and revealing. Respect!

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Great stuff, very enjoyable

I was glad to see this title on audible. It's the first book I've ever listened to which took some adjustment. the book is so well written and very enjoyable.

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A unique listen

My sister recommended this book to me and am glad I listened to it. Brilliant

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Reading it was a chore

I don't know why but it just didn't move me at all. I mean, I do sympathise with the author's suffering throughout her life, yet somehow there is no spark to the story, it seems too objective an account, maybe too clinical and polished. Perhaps the monotonous narration does not help. The book reminds me of Notes to Self by Emilie Pine, which was a magnificent and addictive "read". A very similar concept of an intimate memoir but something just didn't click for me here. Very well written though.

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