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The Man Who Forgot His Wife
Unavailable
The Man Who Forgot His Wife
Unavailable
The Man Who Forgot His Wife
Audiobook11 hours

The Man Who Forgot His Wife

Written by John O'Farrell

Narrated by Rupert Farley

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Wandering around a busy railway station, a confused man realises he has suffered a total memory loss. When he is eventually rescued, he is told that his breakdown has probably been triggered by his marital problems.

But then he comes face to face with the stranger he is supposed to be divorcing – and promptly falls head over heels in love with her...

Funny, moving, poignant - the terrific new novel from the bestselling author of An Utterly Impartial History of Britain.

A W. F. Howes audio production.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 1, 2012
ISBN9781471201202
Unavailable
The Man Who Forgot His Wife

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Reviews for The Man Who Forgot His Wife

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

8 ratings6 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Imagine my disappointment when I found this book was not in fact a self-help book...but I read it anyway.A man finds himself on The Tube with no recollection of who he is, how he got there, or where in fact he should be...in what is a very comical, yet somewhat distressing set of circumstances he spends a week at a hospital awaiting, almost hoping, that someone will come and retrieve him. When by chance he remembers a number his best mate (who this guy doesn't know from a bar of soap) takes him home and slowly fills in some details of his former life including his name, Vaughan (which is in fact his surname).Slowly he recalls some memories, albeit somewhat scratchy, and with help from his mate finds out he is married with two kids, however in the same breath learns he is to be in court in a few days time to file for divorce.What follows is a very witty account of Vaughan getting back to some sense of normality when he is diagnosed with a rare mental disorder wiping his entire existence prior to the day on the train which includes him falling in love with his wife/ex again, meeting his kids for the first time, and, with some accurate depiction, losing his virginity to a fellow teacher...sort of.I had high hopes for this book and it did not disappoint excepting some predictable conclusions straight form a Love Actually-esque film, but O'Farrell has a quick wit which does not detract from telling an actual story. There are some real highlights in the book: Vaughan's students at the low-decile school he teaches at wanting to know more about his mental state; his discovery that while the saying "its like riding a bike' applies to, well, bikes, it doesn't necessarily transpose that well to cars; his sudden superstar status as a 40-year old 'virgin'...Yep, worth a looksy for anyone after an easy read which, despite some moral questions being thrown about, does not require too much grey matter.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not laugh out loud but still very witty. An easy and enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Man suffers amnesia on his way home form work; isolation of amnesia well portrayed (I think); slowly pieces bits of life together - is amazed at his lovely wife and children; then discovers he was an idiot who didn't value what he had. Hilarity ensues. This is a funny book with a pretty convincing story line. Lesson in appreciating what you have.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    During a journey on the tube, Vaughan slowly realises that he doesn't know where his, or where he had come from. So begins, a hazardous mental and physical journey to reaquaint himself with his friends and family. This was a laugh out loud story with plenty of charm and pathos.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Lots of husbands forget things. They forget their wives had an important meeting that morning; they forget to pick up the dry-cleaning; some of them even forget their wedding anniversary. However, the catastrophic memory loss Vaughan becomes aware of when he is on a train means that not only has he forgotten that he even has a wife – her name, her face, everything they ever did together, even the fact that they have two children – he has forgotten his own name and everything single thing from his past. Admitted to hospital, it is only when his best friend, Gary, recognises his photograph in a newspaper that Vaughan discovers not only that his wife Maddy exists, but that they are in the middle of an acrimonious divorce. However, as soon as he sees her he falls in love with her all over again and, as his memory gradually starts to return, he becomes determined to learn from his earlier mistakes, to become a better man, husband and father and to win her back. But Maddy remembers all too clearly how he used to behave, so can she really trust the “born-again” Vaughan?Although I found that this story had some thought-provoking observations on the complexities of marital relationships, how couples share parenting responsibilities, reflections on friendships, on how frightening it must be to completely lose your memory, the nature of identity etc., I found far too many of the jokes were reliant on clichés and stereotypes. Much of the time I felt as though I was reading chick-lit for men and so, just as chick-lit for women holds little appeal, I very soon found myself getting irritated by the characters and the storyline. For me there were just too many rather weak jokes which very soon became tedious and, eventually, a major distraction. In my opinion the book would have stood a chance of being better with far fewer of them … and if it had been about a hundred pages shorter! Reviewers claim that it’s a rare treat … hilarious … heart-tugging … a memorable comedy … another slice of comic genius, but I have to admit that I find it difficult to agree with these descriptions! However, I did find the account of Gary setting up a Wikipedia page so that family and friends could post recollections which would help history-teacher Vaughan to build up a picture of his past-history, only to have pupils post all manner of mischievous contributions, very funny. So too was Vaughan’s attempt to give a eulogy at his father’s funeral when he had no recollection of what his father had been like!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    What happens if you suddenly realise that you have no idea who you are or anything about yourself? This is the situation our protagonist Vaughn on an underground train! He gets himself to hospital where all tests show there is no physical reason so what has happened to make him completely forget his life?

    The answer is found when he remembers a phone number and his friend tells him he is going through a divorce.

    This was a short and light read which covers an important question, who are we if we don't have a past to give us reference.

    This was very funny in places although highly implausible in others. It seems strange for instance that he would remember a mobile number when we use our phones memory when calling others. The scenes in the divorce court were very good.

    All in all if you are looking for something to pass a few hours this may be the one.