Mad Woman by Bryony Gordon is an excellent follow up to her book Mad Girl which was published in 1996. Like Mad Girl (and all of Bryony’s books) the writing is brutally honest, it is a no holds barred account starting at the end of 2019 whilst she is on holiday with her husband and daughter, when all appears to be going very well. Then hits the first news of the start of the pandemic and for someone with Bryony’s issues, it is expected that she will revert to her previous patterns of behaviour to cope with such a calamity. Mad Woman covers how she dealt with this, becoming peri menopausal and managing day to day life and other health issues.
Because of the subject matter, if such topics were covered by a lesser author, this could have been a very, very bleak read, but Bryony manages to present it in such a way that it is honest, informative, helpful and interesting and finds humour where appropriate. It really is an unique an excellent read. I am sure it will help those with addictive behaviours and those wanting to understand more about this, or anyone just wanting a good read around a woman’s life who happens to be an addict. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

From menopause to mental illness, burnout to binge eating — Mad Woman is an incisive conversation about why so many women today are struggling to keep it together under the intense pressure of a patriarchal, capitalist world.

Part memoir, part recovery guide and part conversation with a good friend; Bryony talks about her own experiences with addiction, mental illness and womanhood, showing her personal journey from the worst moments of her life to the best but without glamourising the struggle and being so realistic but always hopeful.

It read easily, like she was telling us the story directly and talking to us about everything she’s seen, everything that the world puts in the way to make us seem and feel mad. With snippets of phone notes, random thoughts and more structured sections, it had a great pace and I just kept going till I ran out of pages.

And as someone who has dealt with OCD and disordered eating in my life, I found not only a connection but a strange kind of relief and catharsis in her writing just knowing someone out there gets it.

It may be that I've read Bryony Gordon's previous books too many times. And I also re-read Glorious Rock Bottom recently, which doesn't help. But for me there was too much repetition of previous material from Mad Girl, Glorious Rock Bottom, Eat, Drink, Run and The Wrong Knickers. Having seen that Bryony Gordon can write good fiction, at least for young adults, I would be tempted to suggest she choose another subject outside herself for her next book. The other books had some truly eye-watering moments, but the drama in this one is limited to:

- Eating too many sausages
- Taking cough medicine containing alcohol when she has COVID
- A heart problem that resolves itself

I'm glad to see readers are connecting with this, but it was a bit First World Problems for me, even if she acknowledges this herself.

Bryony candidly shares her journey through addiction and mental illness, shedding light on her experiences while navigating the challenges of menopause in her early forties. Despite these obstacles, she gracefully juggles her roles as a wife, mother, writer, and marathon runner—twice over. While Bryony may not see herself as inspirational, her resilience and determination undoubtedly inspire those around her.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Bryony writes honestly and openly about life with addiction and mental illness as well as mentioning the menopause as a woman in her early forties. On top of all of this, she is also a wife, mother, writer, marathon runner (twice!) and an all round inspirational person - even though she probably wouldn’t agree.

Thank you Bryony for writing a book for all of us mad women pushing through life whilst working and raising families then trying to be a good partner and worthwhile friend, to say nothing of keeping fit and healthy whilst spinning 101 different plates.

We are all mad here. This book will resonate in some way with all women.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

On a courageous yet entertaining memoir that challenges our understanding of mental health and living well. Having previously read and enjoyed Bryony Gordon’s ‘Glorious Rock Bottom’ and ‘No Such Thing As Normal’, I got really excited about this book.

This book is really the culmination of everything she has learned throughout the years, with all the humour and compassion I’ve loved from her previous books.

Within the book, Gordon firstly begins to question her understanding of mental illness, whether it’s purely chemical imbalance or a normal response from our brain to tell us that something isn’t right. From binge eating, burnout, endless battle to stay sober to fluctuating hormones and being perimenopausal, the book has it all. Some hit home for me and made me realise that we’re all so similar. Like her previous books, this one is also filled with courage, humour and compassion.

“I realise how very, very mentally unwell I have been for the last three years; how close I came to setting fire to everything. I reflect on the power and tenacity of mental illness. Even when you think you know it intimately, when you believe you have learned all its most cunning and conniving ways, you can never know it fully – and perhaps that is for the best. I think about the menopause, and how at first I believed it had made everything worse. But now I start to wonder if actually, perimenopause might have been the very thing that woke me up and allowed me to start getting better.”

Ultimately, the book is also one that explores her most difficult lesson learned - our notion of what makes a happy life is the very thing that's making us so sad.

Really good.