Breaststrokes: 'A study of womanhood, vulnerability, and the secrecy of the inner-life' – Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

· Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Beth Eyre
Audiobook
8 hr 17 min
Unabridged
Eligible
Ratings and reviews aren’t verified  Learn More
Want a 10 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline. 
Add

About this audiobook

A novel on consent told in five acts over the course of one weekend.

Cloe and Gertrude and the Jenkins-Bell sisters, Mathilde and Sarah, have never met. They are strangers who share a city.
 
It is Sunday morning. Cloe has woken-up in someone else’s home; Gertrude starts her shift in the pub kitchen, while Mathilde and Sarah are on their way to lunch.

Soon, these four women’s lives will overlap.

Saturday felt like a normal day, but on Sunday the past will catch-up with them as they realise that there never is only one side to a story.

Sharply observed and painfully relatable, Breaststrokes is a novel that seems to emerge from the haze of our current time. This story of unexpected encounters and intimacies is perfect for fans of Cleopatra and Frankenstein and Beautiful World, Where Are You.

'A study of womanhood, vulnerability, and the secrecy of the inner-life. Vialleron’s writing is laced with a love for these women who can barely love themselves. A novel for anyone interested in the way the body keeps score or in the complex intimacies between women' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

'A tender, lyrical novel about the ripples caused when consent is taken away from women and the loneliness this causes, even when you're surrounded by people. It will tug at your heart strings’ Araminta Hall

'Reading Breaststrokes felt a little like watching ribbons unfurl – or intertwine. Margaux Vialleron writes tenderly and evocatively about female friendship, fear and desire' Chloë Ashby, author of Wet Paint and Second Self   

About the author

Margaux Vialleron is a writer and co-host of the SPK Book Club, a podcast, reading and culinary community. Her short stories and essays have been published in magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Compound Butter. She is the author of The Yellow Kitchen and Breaststrokes is her second novel. Read more from Margaux by subscribing to her substack newsletter, The Onion Papers, or connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @margauxvlln.

Rate this audiobook

Tell us what you think.

Listening information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.