A Very Easy Death, Simone de Beauvoir
A Very Easy Death, Simone de Beauvoir
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A Very Easy Death

Author: Simone de Beauvoir, Patrick O'Brian

Narrator: Hillary Huber

Unabridged: 3 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/2014


Synopsis

When her mother was in the hospital with terminal cancer, Simone had time to reminisce about her mother’s early life, as Simone and her sister, Poupette, prepared to face the decision of whether to prolong a life when it is full of suffering. Like most people, they believed that it would be better to die than to continue to suffer, but their mother had a very different view of the matter. Françoise de Beauvoir had finally found happiness in her life, and she truly believed she could find happiness in her own suffering.Considered by many to be the master work by Simone de Beauvoir, A Very Easy Death focuses on death and the other limitations in one’s life and with what attitude one approaches them. Through her mother’s beauty, her smile, and her pride in her life and in herself, Simone learned that to be human and to have individual choice are the most important aspects of existence.

About Simone de Beauvoir

Simon de Beauvoir (1908–1986) was a French writer and intellectual whose works played an important role in the feminist movement. The main idea underlying all of her writing was the idea of freedom, not only for women but also for each individual, which for her necessarily entailed the idea of responsibility.

About Hillary Huber

Hillary Huber is one of the most successful voice talents in Los Angeles. Recent books read for Blackstone Audio include Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read, and A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart.

About Patrick O'Brian

Patrick O’Brian (1914–2000), a translator and author of biographies, was best known as the author of the highly acclaimed Aubrey–Maturin series of historical novels. Set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars ,this twenty-volume series centers on the enduring friendship between naval officer Jack Aubrey and physician and spy Stephen Maturin. The Far Side of the World, the tenth book in the series, was adapted into a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir and starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany. The film was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. He wrote acclaimed biographies of Pablo Picasso and Sir Joseph Banks. He also translated many works from the French, among them the novels and memoirs of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Lacouture’s biographies of Charles de Gaulle.


Reviews

Goodreads review by KamRun on March 28, 2019

1 بزرگ‌ترین وحشت مادربزرگم در زندگی بیماری سرطان بود. با توجه به سنش (شصت و پنج سال) همیشه وضعیت عمومی خوبی داشت، ولی هربار که به دلیلی کارش به دکتر می‌کشید، فورا از مادرم می‌پرسید "اون مریضیه رو که نگرفتم؟" میزان ترس او آن اندازه بود که حتی از به زبان آوردن واژه سرطان اجتناب می‌کرد و خب، شوخی روزگار......more


Quotes

“Shows the power of compassion when it is allied with acute intelligence. This is a fine book.” Sunday Telegraph (London)

“Hillary Huber offers a respectful narration of the intimate story…[Her] matter-of-fact performance retains a nuance of sensitivity in exactly the right measure.” AudioFile

“Simone de Beauvoir’s dusty answer is depressingly effective.”  Kirkus Reviews

“Huber’s portrayal of a vital, intelligent woman in her prime and a frail one at the end of her life is a sensitive masterpiece that subtly captures de Beauvoir’s inner conflicts and her mother’s pain, spirit and dignity.” Kliatt