Swimming the Channel: A Widow's Journey to Life [Hardcover]

Sally Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1996

In a poignant memoir, a woman who decides to fulfill her lifelong dream to swim the English Channel is faced with the new challenge of adjusting to a life unlike the one she had imagined, after the sudden death of her husband.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Painter and long-distance swimmer Sally Friedman has crafted a dry-eyed and moving account of a terrible tragedy in this memoir: the day she was to depart for England to attempt the most fabled achievement in marathon swimming, the crossing of the English Channel, her devoted husband and inspiration, Paul Carter, was killed in a traffic accident in New York. Rather than a soap opera full of uplifting messages, Friedman has produced a sharp, often funny tribute to her husband and to the dedication to a lonely ordeal that kept her training in icy lakes--and that kept her sane after her husband's death. This is a beautiful story that has "movie rights" written all over it.

From Publishers Weekly

At 34, Friedman?a freelance theatrical scene designer who had been both a competitive and a recreational swimmer since childhood?decided to swim the English Channel. She trained with daily, strenuous workouts in city pools, in upstate New York lakes, in the coastal waters of Long Island and wherever travels took her. She tested her long-distance stamina by swimming the circumference of Manhattan Island. On long swims, her husband, Paul, a theatrical consultant, was a supportive presence who followed her in a boat, monitoring her safety and endurance. Just when she felt ready to take on the channel, Paul was killed in a car accident, and the shock and grief destroyed the author's channel-swimming plans. The focus of the remaining half of her book is on the details of her irremediable sense of loss. She describes the memorial service; the handful of Paul's ashes she saved; the unwashed shirt of his she treasures because it retains his scent; the remembered endearments, conversations, and places they visited; her travels abroad, to Cape Cod and elsewhere, vainly seeking solace even work and swimming did not give her. But, unredeemed by notable stylistic grace or outstanding characterizations, this becomes a litany of private sorrows that readers may find difficult to share.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux (T); 1st edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374272301
• ISBN-13: 978-0374272302
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,985,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A real tear-jerker, akin to "Terms of Endearment," excellent, January 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Swimming the Channel: A Widow's Journey to Life (Hardcover)

This book should have a warning lable on it: "# 1 Tear Jerker." Don't get me wrong, Swimming the Channel, does ultimately include the author's triumph over pain and hardship, however it is not as the title might seem to suggest, a book about a swimmer's triumph over the English Channel. The book takes the reader through an artist's struggle to come to terms with the loss of her husband. It is a deeply personal and passionate account of how Sally used her long-distance swimming talent throughout her struggles and losses. The book is written in a journal-style that is sometimes shockingly honest, but always gripping.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book moved me to tears and warmed my heart., April 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Swimming the Channel: A Widow's Journey to Life (Hardcover)

Sally Friedman has written an unflinching account of her very special relationship with her husband. His death on the morning of her journey to swim the English Channel was a heartbreaking tragedy which almost stopped Friedman's own life in its tracks. Instead, she has expressed her love and respect for him in this meaningful testament to the memory of their years together. Forced to face a life that was irrevocably different than the life she loved so much, Friedman has found a way to live on without forcing herself to push Paul out of her mind. At times her honesty brought me to tears; just as often, it warmed my heart. Friedman reminds us that we must all be careful not to waste opportunities for happiness with the ones we love.