The Madness of Grief

The No. 2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the author of the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling Canon Clement Series

'Immensely moving and disarmingly witty' Nigella Lawson

'Such a moving, tough, funny, raw, honest read' Matt Haig

'Beautifully written, moving and gut-wrenching, but also at times very funny' Ian Rankin

'Captures brilliantly, beautifully, bravely the comedy as well as the tragedy of bereavement' The Times

'Will strike a chord with anyone who has grieved' Independent

When the Reverend Richard Coles' partner died suddenly, shortly before Christmas in 2019, what came next took Richard by surprise. Despite his years of experience assisting his parishioners in examining life's moral questions, Richard now found he needed guidance himself. Much about grief was unexpected: the volume of 'sadmin' that must be undertaken, how much harder it is travelling solo for work, the pain of typing a text message to your partner - then remembering they are gone. This deeply personal account of life after grief will resonate, unforgettably, long after the final page has been turned.

'Astonishingly brave' Dr Rachel Clark

'Brief, wise, frank' Daily Telegraph

'Moving and candid' i Newspaper

'Massively comforting' Dawn French

'Will strike a chord with anyone who has grieved' Independent

'Has an immediacy that is not born of long reflection and it is all the better for it' Financial Times

'An honest book, and a brave one' Oldie

“You don't need to be religious to find comfort in this book. Anybody who has experienced a similar complex grief will relate to many of Coles's anecdotes”

Beautiful, honest and massively comforting -- DAWN FRENCH
Immensely moving and disarmingly witty -- NIGELLA LAWSON
Will strike a chord with anyone who has grieved . . . shines with the sort of wry, self-analytical wisdom you might expect from Coles. Full of resonating reflections, ones that urge us all to be kinder, to love more strongly INDEPENDENT
Such a moving, tough, funny, raw, honest read. The beautiful articulation of Richard's grief will be a comfort to so many -- MATT HAIG
Captures brilliantly, beautifully, bravely the comedy as well as the tragedy of bereavement . . . simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, painful and strangely comforting as it confronts the reality of what happens to us all in the end THE TIMES
Beautifully written, moving and gut-wrenching, but also at times very funny, each smile and laugh a candle in the dark -- IAN RANKIN
An astonishingly brave, bold and honest book about the tragedy - and unexpected comedy - of bereavement. Such a harrowing, hopeful and comforting book. If I could prescribe Richard Coles, I'd administer him stat to us all Dr Rachel Clarke, author of DEAR LIFE
This is not a self-help book on how to cope with death and loss, it is an honest, raw and personal account of a man's descent into the Madness of Grief. Richard provides a frank account of the trials and tribulations he endured during the weeks between the death and the funeral of the man he loved. Funny, sad, touching and thought provoking, it reminds us that grief has no normality, no time limit and most importantly, no rules -- PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK, author of ALL THAT REMAINS
Bold, intimate writing . . . THE MADNESS OF GRIEF is not a manual for the bereaved, but as a vivid account of how it feels when the world suddenly falls away, it performs another kind of service THE SUNDAY TIMES
Deeply moving . . . has an immediacy that is not born of long reflection and it is all the better for it FINANCIAL TIMES
Heartbreakingly sad and searingly honest . . . For those who find themselves bereaved, this book is sure to help DAILY MIRROR
-- Helen Brown THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
In this memoir, Coles shares his truth, stays kind, and, when possible, brings a smile . . . By reflecting the hurts of others' losses with such beauty and integrity, he confirms that it is his open humanity that is priestly. It gives me yet another reason to admire him CHURCH TIMES
An honest book, and a brave one THE OLDIE
Moving and candid, this book will resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one, or has had to cope with someone they love whom they just cannot help I NEWSPAPER
Although not a self-help book, the homilies, experience and catharsis within creates invaluable solace. It will resonate for the myriad struggling with grief wrought by the pandemic THE QUIETUS
Beautifully written, raw and deeply personal . . . A revealing and often funny insight into love and loss ATTITUDE
This brief, wise, frank book deals with the surreal mundanity of bereavement THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, Books of the Summer
His reading is pitch-perfect . . . creating an aural kaleidoscope. It is, at heart, a meditation on the nature of loss and one that is as strangely comforting as it is wrenching and painful -- Alex Clark FINANCIAL TIMES, Audio Books review round up
A WORTHY heir to C. S. Lewis's 'A Grief Observed'... To be in Coles's company is always uplifting, even when he's writing about unbearable sadness and loss. -- Ysenda Maxtone-Graham DAILY MAIL, Best Books of 2021

THE REVEREND RICHARD COLES is a writer, broadcaster and an Anglican priest. He co-presented Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4 for a number of years and appears, from time to time, on QI, Have I Got News For You and Would I Lie To You? He has won Christmas MasterChef, Celebrity Mastermind twice, and captained Leeds to victory in Christmas University Challenge in 2019. A contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2017, he scored a lamentably low mark for a paso doble.

He writes regularly for the Sunday Times, and is the author of half a dozen books, including a bestselling autobiography, Fathomless Riches, and the bereavement bestseller The Madness of Grief, written after the death of his partner, David Coles. Murder Before Evensong, the first book in the Canon Clement Mystery series, was an instant no.1 Sunday Times bestseller.

The #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the author of MURDER BEFORE EVENSONG 'Immensely moving and disarmingly witty' Nigella Lawson 'Such a moving, tough, funny, raw, honest read' Matt Haig 'Beautifully written, moving and gut-wrenching, but also at times very funny' Ian Rankin 'Captures brilliantly, beautifully, bravely the comedy as well as the tragedy of bereavement' The Times 'Will strike a chord with anyone who has grieved' Independent When the Reverend Richard Coles's partner died suddenly, shortly before Christmas in 2019, what came next took Richard by surprise. Despite his years of experience assisting his parishioners in examining life's moral questions, Richard now found he needed guidance himself. Much about grief was unexpected: the volume of 'sadmin' that must be undertaken, how much harder it is travelling solo for work, the pain of typing a text message to your partner - then remembering they are gone. This deeply personal account of life after grief will resonate, unforgettably, long after the final page has been turned.

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