Customer Reviews
A breath of fresh air. - By: J. Charlesworth, 29 Jun 2008 
I picked this up after reading a review in the Guardian, & couldn't put it down until I'd finished reading it.
Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is the beautifully written story of an outwardly successful, mid-30s journalist who, inside, is feels like her life is in chaos. Despite being a cynical, 'stoic, doughty Scot' she decides to give therapy a go for a year, & this book, plus a magazine column are the result.
I could relate to so much of what she says & experiences in this book, especiallly her feelings that nothing definable is wrong with her, & her description of The Fear. Although she is brutallly honest, & at times extremely self-critical, her writing remains humorous; this is not a miserable book. It is, in fact, quite clever in its premise- Lorna Martin is recognisably the same woman after her year of therapy, & goes onto repeat some of the same mistakes she is beating herself up over at the start of the book but at the end of it she is more accepting of her own & other peoples' failures. Which, as psychotherapy aims to help us readjust our perspective, is kind of the point.
Frankly, I thought this book was brilliant. I'm keeping it by my bed to re-read.
great book - By: K. Annamaria, 30 Apr 2008 I read it in two days & re-lived the past ten years of my life with
huge intensity. Also, I had always been interested in what psychotherapy
is like, so it was fun to find out about it the cheap & quick way...
I felt like she had written down my own thoughts & experiences and
fears, which was just amazing.
Five stars!
Brave and Inspiring - By: Ms. Alison Black, 25 Apr 2008 I read this book in one weekend- couldn't put it down. It's brave & it's funny & reallly well-written. The questions she raises about her own life apply to so many of us. It could have been a pile of self-indulgent tosh, but it was the opposite.
Dreary solipsistic misery memoire - By: Grassy Knollingford, 24 Apr 2008 
Having read the first whining chapter of this book, I found great therapeutic value in throwing it in the bin
Brilliant, honest, am now going to read it all over again! - By: C. Bourg, 23 Apr 2008 I love this book! I usuallly pass books on when I finish them, but this one, I am going to keep & read again. Lorna Martin is reallly honest, the benefits of therapy shine through & I could reallly identify with so much of what she's been through, having been there myself!!
