Holding Her Breath

Author Eimear Ryan
Narrator Clara Harte
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Run Time 7 hours and 18 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Family life fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Coming of age, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Narrative theme: Interior life, Narrative theme: Love and relationships.

Get in the xigxag app

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }}

How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

A young woman comes of age in the shadow of her family's tragic past

When Beth Crowe starts university, she is shadowed by the ghost of her potential as a competitive swimmer. Free to create a fresh identity for herself, she finds herself among people who adore the poetry of her grandfather, Benjamin Crowe, who died tragically before she was born. She embarks on a secret relationship - and on a quest to discover the truth about Benjamin and his widow, her beloved grandmother Lydia. The quest brings her into an archive that no scholar has ever seen, and to a person who knows things about her family that nobody else knows.

Holding Her Breath is a razor-sharp, moving and seriously entertaining novel about complicated love stories, ambition and grief - and a young woman coming fully into her powers.

'A beautiful coming-of-age story told with impressive skill and lightness of touch . . . I absolutely loved it' LOUISE O'NEILL

'Precise, sure, engaging, and a joy to read' RODDY DOYLE

'A nimble account of student life with a darkly enjoyable undercurrent of secrecy and emotional turmoil' SARA BAUME

'Through the dark sky of our times, Eimear Ryan arrives like a comet, a bright talent scorching through every page' DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA, author of A Ghost in the Throat

'Brilliantly realised, gripping, and moving . . . This is absolutely the real thing' KEVIN POWER

© Eimear Ryan 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Critics Review

Funny, dark and unexpected
The Last Word with Matt Cooper
A stunning debut from this new Irish talent, as well as being an exciting page turner it’s also a perfect depiction of how it feels to be lost as you embark on a new chapter of your life
Stellar
From the first sentence to the last, this is a great piece of writing – precise, sure, engaging, and a joy to read
Roddy Doyle
Richly accomplished . . . a true pleasure to read
Business Post
A moving debut with a satisfying conclusion
Irish Independent
Through the dark sky of our times, Eimear Ryan arrives like a comet, a bright talent scorching through every page. To read this book is to feel it blaze to life. I can’t stop thinking about it
Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of A Ghost in the Throat
A beautiful coming-of-age story told with impressive skill and lightness of touch. It marks the arrival of an exciting new voice on the Irish literary scene, one whom I can’t wait to hear more from. I absolutely loved it
Louise O'Neill
Whip-smart observations and addictive prose
Sunday Telegraph
Effortlessly weaving together a gripping, multi-layered plot, while maintaining a profoundly tender touch, Ryan has marked herself as a captivatingly original voice in Irish literature
Hot Press
A delicious read . . . A nimble account of student life with a darkly enjoyable undercurrent of secrecy and emotional turmoil
Sara Baume
A joy to read - disarming, entertaining and life-affirming. A blisteringly good portrayal of complex lives and loves. It’s an enthralling debut from a hugely talented writer
Danielle McLaughlin
Brilliant, vivid – I enjoyed this book ENORMOUSLY
Marian Keyes
Eimear Ryan is a superbly talented writer and Holding Her Breath is a brilliantly realised, gripping, and moving first novel, full of startling perceptions and richly believable characters. This is absolutely the real thing
Kevin Power
A confident, textured, fluent novel about first love – and the campus novel sections are a pure joy
Niamh Campbell
Written with a wonderful clarity and insight, Holding Her Breath lingers in the imagination. Beth’s unravelling and re-ravelling is drawn with great skill and empathy. A brilliant debut
Donal Ryan
Enthralling
Image
So finely polished it gleams, and yet it’s also almost effortless reading . . . new, bright, exciting, glittering. I absolutely loved it
Claire Hennessy
Stylishly written, with strong female voices
Irish Times
Very assured . . . a refreshing, accomplished debut
Sunday Independent
It’s a truly compelling read, and one I wholeheartedly recommend
Buzz
I very much enjoyed reading this one and if you love intimate coming of age tales as much as I do, you have to pick this up
Miriam Stimpfl
An engaging narrative . . . written with perfect poise
Saga

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.

Holding Her Breath

Titles Purchased

Price p/Title

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Critics Review

Subscribe to our newsletter