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We All Want Impossible Things (Paperback)
  • We All Want Impossible Things (Paperback)
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We All Want Impossible Things (Paperback)

(author)
£9.99
Paperback 240 Pages
Published: 14/09/2023
Free UK delivery on orders over £25, otherwise £2.99
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Waterstones Says

Full of warmth, heartbreak and humour, Newman’s captivating novel about two best friends and a devastating cancer diagnosis is a narrative masterclass on memory, the messiness of life and, most of all, love.

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self?

Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

For fans of Nora Ephron and Sorrow & Bliss, We All Want Impossible Things is a deeply moving, jubilant celebration of life and friendship at its imperfect, radiant, and irreverent best.

Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 9781529177220
Number of pages: 240
Weight: 189 g
Dimensions: 197 x 128 x 15 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

Rather a treat ... this novel is less about death than it is about life - the messy unpredictability, hideous unfairness and perplexity of it, as well as its one magnificent certainty: love. - THE SUNDAY TIMES

Remarkable ... A whip-smart, funny, beautifully observed and exquisitely characterised novel about how even the deepest of losses can be accompanied by a joyous affirmation of life. - OBSERVER

Imbued with love and humour ... this special book is in a class of its own. - EVENING STANDARD

Newman's clearsighted and bracingly funny first novel is a moving celebration of friendship, love and cherished memories - DAILY MAIL

I adored this book. Jubilant, devastating, tender, heartbreaking, I found myself both in tears and 'snorty-laughing'. I know it will be one of those novels I return to time and time again, and recommend to everyone. There is so much love, funniness, honesty, courage, mess, bounce and surprise in this book, and not shred of it is mawkish. Loss might be the central theme but it is also the most robust and glorious affirmation of life. A masterclass on friendship, family love, memory, and the messiness of life and love and dying. Pure genius. - RACHEL JOYCE

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“Life is full of happiness and tears..”

Edi and Ash both want the impossible. Reading their moving, touching and loving story will really capture every reader’s heart. Newman obviously knows about grief and reflects her own experience of heartbreak and loss... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 38
Jo at Greenwich

“Beaches meets Nora Ephron- In the best possible way.”

This is a wonderful book that will make you laugh hard and sob bucket loads. It is a love song to female friendship through the years. Ash is caring for her terminally ill best friend Edie, whilst navigating family... More

Hardback edition
2 similar books recommended
Helpful? Upvote 30

“This book is everything”

Welcome to 2023 everyone! I have been so excited to share this review. We All Want Impossible Things is sure to be one of my very top reads of 2023 and is most definitely a book I will be recommending to anyone who... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 24

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