
Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim (Hardback)
Alexandra Heminsley (author)
£12.99
Hardback
240 Pages /
Published: 12/01/2017
- Not available
Alexandra Heminsley won a legion of fans with her effervescent Running Like a Girl, her manifesto-cum-memoir for anyone who has looked on with sadness at their running shoes lying discarded in the hall. Now Heminsley weaves the same magic in Leap In, her spellbinding account of challenging our basic fears of the water and rediscovering an almost spiritual new realm.
From her all-too-accurate struggle to get into her first wetsuit to a triumphant swim from Kefalonia to Ithaca, the author's enthusiasm and sense of discovery (both of place and her own internal journey) is resolutely infectious, inspiring even the most land-locked of readers to dip their toe into the water.
Meanwhile over on our blog, Heminsley assembles her top tips toward diving into a new life of fitness and meaningful pleasure.
'This is a book that turns out to be about everything in life that cannot be calculated... The nicest thing about this book is its unfussy evangelism. Its intention is that we leap in too. It sets a remarkable example.' - The Guardian
From her all-too-accurate struggle to get into her first wetsuit to a triumphant swim from Kefalonia to Ithaca, the author's enthusiasm and sense of discovery (both of place and her own internal journey) is resolutely infectious, inspiring even the most land-locked of readers to dip their toe into the water.
Meanwhile over on our blog, Heminsley assembles her top tips toward diving into a new life of fitness and meaningful pleasure.
'This is a book that turns out to be about everything in life that cannot be calculated... The nicest thing about this book is its unfussy evangelism. Its intention is that we leap in too. It sets a remarkable example.' - The Guardian
Publisher: Cornerstone
ISBN: 9780091959593
Number of pages: 240
Weight: 368 g
Dimensions: 222 x 144 x 25 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"A joy to read . . . another triumph for Heminsley, a champion of sport in the truest sense, and a wonderfully compassionate voice." -- Kat Brown * Daily Telegraph *
"Genuine and persuasive" * Guardian *
"This is a book that turns out to be about everything in life that cannot be calculated. Heminsley responds to life's uncertainty by becoming decisive: "The grit was in the oyster now. It was the sea versus me..." It sets a remarkable example, and by the end it could not be more obvious: the true grit is not in the oyster but in Heminsley herself." -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *
"Alex Heminsley has the rare gift of being able to take a sport - running or swimming - that most of us find a bit daunting and fill the reader with enthusiasm for it. She comes to sport from the position of the ordinary person - and yet shows that it can change your life in an extraordinary way." -- Jojo Moyes
"Masterful" * Irish Independent *
"Inspirational and thought-provoking, Leap In is the perfect accompaniment to your New Years Resolutions." * The Pool *
"A great entry point to the sport, it's also a searingly honest personal story as she finds solace in the water when faced with tricky times." * Glamour *
"The `woman-versus-sea' narrative makes the book a page-turner. Heminsley tackles head-on the uncomfortable truth that it's hard for an adult to get rid of the fears of decades." * Daily Mail *
"Leap In celebrates the glory of swimming." * New Statesman *
"This is a candid and empowering book. I recommend it." * Frost Magazine *
"Genuine and persuasive" * Guardian *
"This is a book that turns out to be about everything in life that cannot be calculated. Heminsley responds to life's uncertainty by becoming decisive: "The grit was in the oyster now. It was the sea versus me..." It sets a remarkable example, and by the end it could not be more obvious: the true grit is not in the oyster but in Heminsley herself." -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *
"Alex Heminsley has the rare gift of being able to take a sport - running or swimming - that most of us find a bit daunting and fill the reader with enthusiasm for it. She comes to sport from the position of the ordinary person - and yet shows that it can change your life in an extraordinary way." -- Jojo Moyes
"Masterful" * Irish Independent *
"Inspirational and thought-provoking, Leap In is the perfect accompaniment to your New Years Resolutions." * The Pool *
"A great entry point to the sport, it's also a searingly honest personal story as she finds solace in the water when faced with tricky times." * Glamour *
"The `woman-versus-sea' narrative makes the book a page-turner. Heminsley tackles head-on the uncomfortable truth that it's hard for an adult to get rid of the fears of decades." * Daily Mail *
"Leap In celebrates the glory of swimming." * New Statesman *
"This is a candid and empowering book. I recommend it." * Frost Magazine *
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