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Hermits
Hermits
Jan 28, 2025 5:34 PM

Author:Peter France

Hermits

Ours is an age where solitude tends to be discussed in the context of the 'problem of loneliness'. However in previous ages the capacity to seek fulfillment outside society has been admired and seen as a measure of discernment and inner security. In this lucid and highly readable book, Peter France shows how hermits, from the Taoists and Ancient Greeks to the present day, have something vitally important to say to a society that fears solitude.

Reviews

This wonderful book is many things by turn: history, biography, philosophy, theology and even a spiritual textbook. With deft and approachable analysis, France lays out a cosmology of the eremetic impulse...The author's wit, discernment and sweet reason for spellbinding.

—— Literary Review

Hermits is informative in a variety of ways and it is clearly and enagingly written, with a wealth of anecdote to leaven the spirtitual insights and the psychology of conversion.

—— Barry Unsworth , Sunday Telegraph

This is a fine study of some outstanding hermits and a treasury of the wisdom which they bequeathed to posterity.

—— Tablet

Vividly written and highly accessible, it abounds in insights both spiritual and psychological.

—— Spectator

Like the title says, just go for it

—— Elle

Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway will help turn your fear into confidence and action

—— Deidre Sanders, Sun

Sometimes we all need courage

—— Geri Halliwell, on reading Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway, Evening Standard

The best self-help book I've read ... everyone should read this

—— Health Plus

This job can really accentuate panic and fear. A great book for that is Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway

—— Tony Adams, Football Manager, in Men's Health

Accessible, with lots of exercises and information to dip into and apply to real situations. Life-changing stuff.

—— Spirit and Destiny

The nervous person's bible

—— She

The queen of self-help

—— Express

A captivating journey... These are universal themes, insights into an emotional world we inhabit, often with equal difficulty. A wonderful book

—— Sunday Times

A gripping series of tales

—— Psychologies

The Examined Life is a series of case studies from psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz's 25-year career. They fizz and shimmer with the tension of the finest short story. But they also have a profound vision of the world, which, however distorted it is, makes me examine my own

—— David Giles , UK Press Syndication

So significant that it should be read by absolutely everyone... A masterpiece of observation and empathy

—— Georgia Mizen , Upcoming

The Examined Life is a fascinating and original read. It is inspirational and shows how we can learn more about ourselves by exploring our subconscious thoughts and beliefs

—— Sunday Mail

[Illuminates] the dark recesses of human behaviour with clarity and humanity

—— Good Book Guide

Thoughtful and surprisingly addictive

—— Susie Steiner , Metro

Fascinating… Sincere

—— Emma Norris , Psychologist

Far and away the best non-fiction book this year

—— Hannah Beckerman , Huffington Post UK (Blog)

Wonderfully rich and insightful

—— Julian Ovenden , Daily Express

A brilliant read

—— Nadine O’Regan , Sunday Business Post

Essays true to psychoanalytic principles, but free from jargon; they have the quality of the best short stories.

—— Lorna Bradbury , Daily Telegraph

Grosz is able to expand out creating universal themes and experiences that makes every chapter personally relevant to the reader. It is a fascinating process that challenges you to reflect honestly about your own experiences… Indeed this is both the perfect book for someone with no psychology background or someone who works in the area… I found this book extremely interesting… I would highly recommend to anyone wanting an interesting and fascinating social science read and it is a book you’ll remember long after reading.

—— Topic UK

Grosz’s vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare, illuminating fiction. . . utterly captivating

—— Robert Collins , Sunday Times

Marvellous… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life ought to be given out free at birth

—— Melissa Katsoulis , The Times

Crystal-clear and completely magical…The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders

—— Craig Brown , Mail on Sunday

Engaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories

—— Michael Holroyd , The Spectator

By turns edifying and moving…Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life

—— Trisha Andres , Financial Times

[Grosz's accounts] are shaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be […] distilled through long examination into finely crafted literary form…

—— Alexander Linklater , Observer

Grosz’s message is always affirming…it is possible to change

—— Mark Crockett , The Scotsman

Excellent… Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights

—— Susanna Rustin , Guardian

Intelligent, human and deeply moving

—— Jane Clinton , Sunday Express

'Grosz] writes lucidly and with sensitivity… sprinkled with wise reflections… A gem… highly recommended

—— Leyla Sanai , The Independent

[A] fine and moving book… It is a true literary work and a very modern one…

—— Anthony Rudolf , Jewish Chronicle

That rarest of pleasures: a book I loved, and could recommend to almost anyone

—— John Self , Asylum blog

Enlightening…full of wisdom and insight

—— Sophie Hannah , Metro

Beautifully unadorned writing... He paints a vivid portrait of his patients

—— Sunday Business Post

A rare insight into the life of the psychoanalyst… succeeds in making complex behavioural issues accessible for any reader

—— Kathryn Gaw , Irish Times

Exquisitely written casebook

—— Vantage NW Magazine

The suspense in each chapter is so expert that I had to double check that this wasn’t a work of fiction. Best of all, Grosz manages to give a jargon-free account of how psychoanalysis works

—— The Week

By turns edifying and moving… Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life

—— Trisha Andres , Financial Times

Grosz's vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare illuminating fiction... It is this combination of tenacious detective work, remarkable compassion and sheer, unending curiosity for the oddities of the human heart that makes these stories utterly captivating.

—— Sunday Times

Brilliant…. Grosz is a superb writer, yes, but it is the stories his patients tell him that really make you marvel. An elegant, jargon-free expedition into the secret business of our minds written with such wisdom and kindness… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life out to be given out free at birth

—— Melissa Katsoulis , The Times

A fine and moving book... The tact, patience and understatement, which are particular components of Grosz’s wisdom, remind the reader that this writer’s insights and empathy result from thousand of hours with patients. This book is not polemical literature… nor is it an academic work or a popular self-help book. It is a true literary work and a very modern one.

—— Jewish Chronicle

Crystal-clear and completely magical...The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders: it shows people trapped by their own mysterious impulses, searching for an escape hatch, and often finding it

—— Craig Brown , Daily Mail

Five star review - an intelligent, human and deeply moving book… Grosz is listening for the unspoken and the gaps in between. His book celebrates change and the triumphs and tragedies of humanity

—— Jane Clinton , Sunday Express

Excellent… this book arrives like a box of chocolates. Thirty-one elegantly presented chapters which, when you bite into them, each reveals something sweet, rich or crunchy. Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights.

—— Susanna Rustin , The Guardian

Engaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… A stimulating book.

—— The Spectator

Grosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections... highly recommended

—— Independent

There are many sage lessons here, backed up by research where necessary…fascinating… Grosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections…highly recommended

—— Leylai Sinai , Independent

Intensely readable… As a reminder of the strangeness of human existence, the myriad ways we find of making ourselves unhappy and the perplexing resourcefulness of the unconscious mind, Grosz’s book is a worthwhile addition to the literature of the examined life.

—— New Statesman

Written with real elegance and a strong sense of structure… several chapters read like powerful short stories

—— Readers Digest

Elegantly structured and written… Grosz’s book is intensely readable

—— Jane Shilling , New Statesmen

Shaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be... Gradually accumulating through his book, Grosz provides, not a definition, but an enactment of the purpose of psychoanalysis, which is both modest and profound.

—— Alexander Linklater , Observer

Grosz is an able writer, engaging, frank and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… a stimulating book

—— Michael Holroyd , Spectator

[These] interpretations make fascinating reading, leave you marvelling at the ingenuity of the human subconscious. Grosz’s message is always affirming: if a person can work out what it is that’s driving them, it is possible to change

—— Mary Crockett , The Scotsman

Grosz’s narrative is by turns edifying and moving...tempered by his engaging prose and moments of humour

—— Trisha Andres , The Financial Times

I couldn't put this down—I read about other people, but learned about myself at the same time. Real stories can be so much more fascinating than fictional ones, especially with Stephen Grosz. No preaching, no clichés—just wisdom.

—— Victoria Hislop

Modest and profound

—— Alexander Linklater , Observer
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