Heartbreak

A Personal and Scientific Journey

By: Florence Williams

Narrated by: Florence Williams

In this intimate and voyeuristic audiobook, Florence Williams uses her personal voice diary and journals and conversations with experts, family, and friends to explore the fascinating, cutting-edge science of heartbreak while seeking creative ways to mend her own.

For fans of Wild and Lab Girl, Heartbreak "thrives as an audiobook" (New York Times Book Review), merging science and self-discovery in an immersive experience that changes the way we think about loneliness, health, and what it means to fall in and out of love. When her twenty-five-year marriage unexpectedly falls apart, journalist Florence Williams expects the loss to hurt. What she doesn’t expect is that she’ll end up in the hospital, examining close-up the way our cells listen to loneliness. She travels to the frontiers of the science of “social pain” to learn why heartbreak hurts so much and why so much of the conventional wisdom about it is wrong. Searching for insight as well as personal strategies to game her way back to health, Williams tests her blood for genetic markers of grief, undergoes electrical shocks in a laboratory while looking at pictures of her ex, and ventures to the wilderness in search of awe as an antidote to loneliness.

In the audiobook, Florence invites the listener to hear the entire experience - narrated by her, accompanied by in-the-moment diary recordings, and exclusive (astonishing) bonus material that can only be heard here.

©2022 Florence Williams (P)2022 Pushkin Industries

Critic reviews

"[A] show-stopping, offbeat story about the science of heartbreak.... Unflagging research - [Williams] even flies to London to interview Britain’s first 'minister of loneliness' - and the author’s vulnerability make for an impressive and moving survey. This is a courageous, whirlwind tale of healing and self-discovery." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

Soul Punching

I love the intimacy and truth. Thank you for taking us on your healing journey.

perfection

FANTASTIC. Just what I've been searching for in the wake of my own divorce.. Captivating and beautifully read.

Loved this.

This work had so many things I needed to hear. I needed to know what I’ve been through is expected but can also end one day. If you’ve been divorced or gone through a difficult breakup, you need this.

Absolutely wonderful content and presentation

Florence Williams has outdone herself (Nature Fix being one of my favorite books)! I will listen to this book again and recommend it to everyone. A timely find for me as I reflect on my own heartbreak stories and the importance of nature’s ability to heal and connect us all. The narration was not a typical “author reading book” format. I loved the podcast style- it was like listening to a well done documentary - with its music, audio journal clips. I didn’t want to stop listening! Thank you!

Brilliant

Wow. This book perfectly suited my soul. It gave me the data I needed & spared me the work of having to sort out all the science. Having been wrecked by heartbreak, I needed a story & a few stats to inspire me to hang in there & push forward. I will probably listen to this again in a few months. Only thing I’d change, is more shared time, stories & insights, in the Great outdoors. I’d swap less blood work/ bio marker talk for more river & wilderness encounters.

A real treat

This is the most unique audiobook and should only be experienced in audio form! The author did such a good job of telling a story well, while interweaving the sounds of her research (conversations with friends and researchers) into the book. I have not heard anything like it! Really enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Scientific & heartbreaking

Liked the calming voice. Found myself laying in bed, heartbroken & dumped myself recently. Made me feel less alone.

Helpful insight for anyone suffering from romantic heartache

I went through a divorce that happened early in pandemic. Similar to the author of this book, my fight or flight felt continuously engaged. Couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. After 4 months of this torture, found out my pancreas wasn’t functioning. I was so self-judge mental and blaming myself. Why was I ruining my own health over this divorce. And the divorce was even my choice. I was wrecked with rumination and sadness and second-guessing myself. Hearing about the author’s similar physical ailments helped me feel less alone. I’m not the only smart lady who is normally confident, fun and happy and yet was still shipwrecked by heartache. Two years later I’m still not completely myself. Just like the author said, I still have flashback moments and memories that make me really sad and I wonder why my partner and I couldn’t make it work. But I’m ok. This book is no substitute for therapy. Look elsewhere for Zen studies and CBT that could help you with tangible practice. But this book can make you feel less alone in this world. There is a lot of great production quality in this book with interviews in the audiobook that are so rich, more than I can imagine in the print copy. I also strongly recommend Susan Piver’s “The Wisdom of a Broken Heart” as an audiobook.

Audio enhancements

Absolutely loved this book.
The additions for the audio version were super engaging and fun to listen too! A great team on a universal experience 💕

Heartrending; heartwarming; heart healing.

Insightful blend of science and emotion… revelatory and reflexive. Sweet and also precious. Thank you, Florence Williams.