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Best books to gently heal a broken heart

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Kritika Kukreja
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Best books to gently heal a broken heart

Check out this list of books that will help heal a broken heart.

In this age of millennial relationships, we've all gone through a tough break-up. Although we might have different coping mechanisms, the ache of a broken heart is something we all can relate to. But as they say, time heals all wounds. But you need to do something productive with your time after the break-up so you don't end up in a helpless loop of negativity and depression. That's where books come in.

Books not only take you into a magical land of imagination and knowledge, but they also give you a new perspective. You might be surprised at how simple certain things become when you read during the most difficult periods of your life. A break-up is exactly like that.

So if you are going through a rough break-up or simply need to gain a new perspective to deal with a broken heart, here is a list of books that will definitely help you -

1. Stag's Leaps: Poems by Sharon Olds
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2013, Sharon Olds wrote a set of poems after her marriage of 26 years fell apart. This book will give you the courage to let go of the past and move on for the better.

2. Dolores Clairborne by Stephen King
If you need a reminder about your resilience and power, this book is for you! This book is about a powerful, determined and strong woman dealing with a drunk husband and the injustice she faces in her life.

3. Instead of a Letter by Diana Athill
Diana Athill was engaged to an army pilot at the age of 15. This book is about how her fiance abruptly stopped writing to her and asked her to release him from the engagement of 2 years so he could marry someone else. Before she could confront him, he died overseas. The frankness and vulnerability in this memoir are simply breathtaking.

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“In this memoir, we witness a soul first being drained of vitality, then slowly, painstakingly returning to life. We see Athill emerge, not only alive, but full of vivacity, blessed with a way of seeing that is lyrically sensitive yet grounded in a thumpingly pragmatic, sensibly-proportioned approach to herself and to life.” From the Introduction to Instead of a Letter, by Andrea Ashworth. ** I bought this memoir, described as “Athill’s most personal book”, not long after her death in January at the age of 101. Without even consciously realising it, so much of my reading lately has been in the same theme: women struggling to find their core selves separate from their relation to others. (Thank you Lorde, Lessing and Lara Feigel.) ** It’s the right season for rebirth. ** Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it - and for everyone else, I hope you enjoy this long holiday weekend. In London, we are being blessed by good weather! ** #insteadofaletter #dianaathill #booksandflowers #hyacinths #booksandchocolate #goldeneggs #easterweekend #figurativerebirth #readeveryday #bookstagramit #bookstagramfeature #memoir #granta @grantabooks

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4. Two Cures For Love by Wendy Cope
Wendy Cope discusses millennial issues of temporary relationships, falling in love and falling out of love as well. It's a very realistic eye-opener for the type of relationships happening in the current times.

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Another Unfortunate Choice. Wendy Cope I think I am in love with A.E. Houseman, Which puts me in a worse-than-usual fix. No woman ever stood a chance with Houseman And he’s been dead since 1936. Happy Valentines Day y’all! I don’t normally celebrate this day: not just because I’m a dedicated singleton, but also because Love isn’t just for one day. However, it is a day for lovers and so I shall be spending it in the company of people who love translation, at an event taking place at @caravanserail.london tonight. There’ll be many good friends, colleagues and like-minded people attending, and I can’t think of a better way to spend a winters evening. These pics have nothing to do with that, but they represent two things I need to work on loving more: poetry (though Wendy Cope is easy to love, as is her short, sharp, clever poetry for cynical people like me) and water... I have gone to extreme lengths to get myself to drink more of it, by hiding it in a gin bottle and adding chrysanthemum heads in a bid to add flavour without sweetness. I also have a bottle of cuCumBa water handy, but that’s less picturesque. The book of poetry was given to me by a work colleague, as a Thank You after she left to do extraordinary things (she also once bought me a pair of scissors with my name engraved on them. She knew me well). I enjoy dipping into this one, as Cope and I understand each other. #valentinesday #love #poetry #water #translation #flowers #WendyCope #TwoCuresforLove #book #books #read #mustread #instabooks #bookstagram #booksofinstagram #igreads #mustdrink #morewaterplease

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Also Read: Thank you Zaara for changing the way we perceive Love

 5. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
There's possibly no woman on Earth who hasn't heard about this book (or movie). After going through a bitter divorce, the protagonist takes on a journey to Italy, India and Indonesia. She finds spiritual peace and discovers herself in ways she couldn't imagine. It's a must-read to get a new perspective on a bitter break-up.

6. The Days Of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
A real and heart-wrenching story about a woman whose husband walked out on her and her children for a younger woman. The story takes a very dark turn in unraveling the emotions of the woman as she discovers freedom and power in her situation.

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“Every once in a (long) while, one comes across a novel like Elena Ferrante’s The Days of Abandonment. Its prose delivers such an intensity of raw feeling, that the words seem to burn on the page. ✨ This novel is about a 38-year-old woman, Olga, who is abandoned by her husband and left to take care of their children, Gianni and Ilaria, and their dog Otto. Told in the first person, this novel takes you into the darkest depths of Olga’s despair. Ferrante’s female characters are unarguably my favourite in literature — they realise they live in a world that is kinder to men than it is for women and they’re haunted by past women and their pain, be they mothers or female figures in their childhood. This book is subtly about a woman living with the shadow of another woman from her childhood, who was also abandoned and had a tragic fate. Ferrante’s writing style is flawless, as always, and some sentences beg to be marked in the margin. One of the best books I’ve read this year so far!” @jasmine.alexa97

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7. Before We Met by Lucie Whitehouse
Ever think you've been in a relationship with a sociopath? Before We Met is a story about a woman who is 18 months into her marriage and discovers that her husband has suddenly gone underground with her bank account emptied. A dark, creepy and mysterious story begins to unwind in this book.

8. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Often times, life throws curve balls at you that you least expect! But no matter what, you have to deal with the situation that's presented to you. Ethan Frome is about an old man who falls for his ill wife's caretaker.

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@rorygilmorekitapkulubu Ağustos kitabına hızlı bir giriş yaptım. Bugün başlandı ve iğrenç İstanbul trafiğinde bitirildi. O kalabalığa ve garip insanlara dayanmamı sağlayan bir akıcılıktaydı şükürler olsun ki. Edith Wharton okuduğum ikinci kitabı olmasına rağmen sevdiğim yazarlardandır. Düşünceleri, yazımı, hayatı hep ilgimi çekmiştir. Bu kitap da beni alıp götürdü, sonunda da hoş ve karanlık bir sürprizle taçlandırdı okuma serüvenimi. Daha ne isteyeyim! Yalnız ben burada durup bir de @helikopteryay dan bahsetmek istiyorum. O nasıl güzel baskılar öyle. Kapak mumsu, kağıtlardan kalite akıyor, kırmızı dikişli, yetmezmiş gibi sayfa kenarları da kırmızı. Bir klasik almadan önce helikopterden çıkmış mı diye bir bakın bence. ♥️ #kitapyorumu #bikahvebikitap #okumahalleri #rgkitapkulubu #ethanfrome #edithwharton

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9. Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
When we're pining over a person, it's easy to just sit by the phone waiting for a single call or text from them. But life is about so much more! Bridget Jones' Diary talks about how to seek your individuality and develop yourself before you're lovesick for anybody else.

10. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Why should all break-up stories be from the female's perspective? This story is about a music addict who has decided to make his break-up playlist.

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Do you have a book that no matter what happens you always come back to and it’s as if you never left? This is it for me, that’s what all favourite books should do, right? Sure, Rob is an arsehole (it helps for me to imagine him as John Cusack ?), but I can’t help getting sucked in by his lists and musings... not to mention adding to my ‘records to buy and listen to’ list. If only I could still physically make and listen to a mixtape: Spotify playlists just don’t have the same level of commitment! Also, this copy perfectly accentuates the Christmas nails... #sorrynotsorry #highfidelity #highfidelitybook #nickhornby #favouritebooks #loveatopfivelist #championshipvinyl #bookstagram #whatimreading #readersofinstagram #readersgonnaread

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It isn't easy to heal a broken heart but these books are certainly a ray of hope for feeling better.

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