Save Me from the Waves: An adventure from sea to summit

by Jessica Hepburn

An adventure story – with a difference
Jessica Hepburn is an unlikely athlete – she was labelled the ‘arty’ not the ‘sporty’ one in school. She hates exercise and believes the only reason to do it is for food, booze and box-sets on the sofa. However, in her forties, following a succession of hard and sad life experiences she started to try and exercise her way out of heartbreak. She has now become one of the world’s most extraordinary endurance athletes. The first and only woman (currently) on the planet to have completed the ‘Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ – which is to swim the English Channel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest (which she calls Chomolungma – the mountain’s original Sherpa name). And possibly the only woman (although this can’t be officially certified) to have listened to eighty years and over 3,000 episodes of her favourite radio programme -  Desert Island Discs .

Save Me From The Waves  is an inspirational story of physical and mental endurance which starts on the streets of London and culminates on top of the world, fuelled by song. It explores the redemptive power of music and mountains. How family and friends can be lost and found in the most unusual places. And encourages everyone to live big and bravely when life doesn’t go to plan. Because sometimes we all need saving from the waves. And whether it’s high and far away or closer to home and in your head, an adventure will always change your life for the better.

Genres: Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

Published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-athlete Jessica Hepburn goes from midlife despair to world champion, as the first woman in the world to finish the Pond to Peak Challenge ... running the London Marathon, climbing Mount Everest, and swimming the English Channel. An inspiring, compelling memoir!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of love and care very clearly went into this book, and it shows.

Would recommend if you want a relatable read and love music.

Thank you Aurum for the advance copy.

[Debby Binns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots to love about this book - especially if you are a Desert Island Disk Fan (as I am). Jessica is an Adventure Activist - not something I'd ever heard of before reading this book. She is an unlikely athlete and believes the only reason to do it is for food, booze and box-sets on the sofa. I couldn't help but love her - and I loved her story. I am going to hear her talk in Falmouth at the end of this month and am really looking forward to it.

[Ashleigh Davidson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple book that should have taken me a day took me a week to read, and I only finished it because I forced myself to. Which is a real shame because I gave her last book 5/5 and was really looking forward to reading this. Didn’t enjoy the set up at all, felt like a collection of facts on a different subject to what was billed. A few enjoyable bits but overall very disappointing

[Nelli Lakatos · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ℐ 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑔𝑒𝓉 𝑜𝓇 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎. 𝒮𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝓂𝓊𝒸𝒽 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝒾𝒸 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈. 𝒪𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝒶𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒'𝓈 𝓉𝑜𝑜 𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓂𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝑜𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝒾𝒸.“

A beautiful journey of survival, faith and music.

Jessica is the first and currently only woman to have completed the ‘Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ - which is to swim the English Channel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest. All the things she’s been through and have achieved is incredible to me, she describes herself more of an arty type rather than sporty.

Jessica Hepburn is such a brave and inspiring woman who reminds us to never give up on our dreams.

I highly recommend reading this book especially if you love music!

[Alma Wardrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It was so interesting and moving to hear about Jessica's life story and her sea, street and summit challenge. It was also educational giving great insight into the wealth of amazing people and musical content on the Desert Island Discs archive. Do hope Jessica manages to get a slot on it at some point. Lots of good motivational and encouraging messages throughout the book.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have enough praise for this journal-memoir of an Adventure Activist. . .before opening the book, I'd never heard of her, or her quest (Pond to Peak Challenge) or the subject of her mighty obsession (Desert Island Discs - BBC's Radio 4). And here I am putting off committing my review to print because I want reasons to keep reading over sections. . . .but the time has come. . .

Jessica Hepburn starts out explaining her purpose in writing - her love of lists, and keeping track of things. She's had a rough road, but there are two major life loves that have helped her through it all: Adventuring and Music - and the best of all her worlds are the combining of both. She explains that she's not the one you'd think of as the athlete, but that she is the only woman to have completed the "Pond to Peak Challenge," which is to say English Chanel swum, London Marathon run, and the Sherpa's Chomolungma (you may know it as Mt Everest) climbed. In addition, she walks and walks and walks and walks - throughout the world. Getting through the sad, the happy, the worry, the warp and the weft one foot in front of the other. She's claimed the title of Adventure Activist - and her main point to you, dear Reader, is to become one, too. That therein lies the way through this life.

But wait, there's more! That's only half of her message - the other is AMAZING - MUSIC! Remember she loves lists? All of that stuff she did (and still does) in the previous paragraph? She did them as she listened to MUSIC! She's got 8 of her playlists for your review (as your homework is to think about building your own):

* Songs of Childhood
* Songs of Home
* (If You Still Believe In) Love Songs
* Sad Songs
* Happy Songs
* Songs for a Wonderful World
* Songs of Faith and Survival
* Songs to Die to

I wish I could list them all for you, but then you might not have all the fun I did as I went through and found every one and added them to my lists (or didn't if they didn't hit my spots). I cried as I listened through the sad songs, and a few of the songs to die to. . .others had me up dancing, bouncing around and startling all my home mates. It was a blast! ("?did she just samba through the kitchen?!" "yep, she's doing laundry to the Girl from Ipanema, just clear the way through.")

The author's passion for music has been fed over the years by a world treasure that I (a music person) had never heard of: BBC's program, running since 1942 - every week - 3000+ programs to listen to, called Desert Island Discs wherein guests are invited to be interviewed and respond to a scenario, always the same for all these people famous and not, professional and not, in all walks of life - the list is impressive. The scenario is this - If you were sent off to a desert island, never to return and could take 8 pieces of music to listen to, 1 book, and 1 luxury (an inanimate luxury) - what would you take with you? This scenario sparks the most surprising interviews, weaving in the reasons why they make the choices they do - and the final question, which is the reason for the title of this book - of the 8 choices if you had to save only one of those pieces of music from the waves - which would it be and why? I've found the program and am now a new fan and listen every day (the archives have my favorite Jimmy Stewart - so lovely to hear him and others who've already gone to their Islands. . . .)

I will indeed save Jessica from the waves. . .this book is a delight. One of those that you can take in bits and pieces - to help you get to that new place you want to go for a long walk, or swim across, or climb near or far. Her words may trigger for you the right tune to soothe, amplify and acknowledge the hireath that's overcome you of late. She may not have exactly what you like, but she's got the wisdom to point you in the right direction. Adventuring with Music is her recipe for getting through this life. . .(I actually have images of you all out there moving, dancing, bouncing as you read this. . .it's quite nice. . . )

Lastly, a note for those who only go by genre tags. This book is tagged with nonfiction and Autobiography & Biography genres. It's so much more than that, in my opinion - this is also Music / Art / Outdoor Recreation / Performing Arts / Sports & Recreations / Travel / Women's Health (she talks about her IVF struggles and the grief of leaving that battlefield unwon).

With my wand I grant more than 5 stars. Probably 8 with a couple of luxuries thrown in for good measure.

*A sincere thank you to Jessica Hepburn, Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion, Aurum, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.* #SaveMefromtheWaves #NetGalley 52:26

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Save me from the waves Jessica Hepburn preview copy

I find my old lists confusing if I go back to them and trying to read someone else’s lists could also be confusing. This certainly is the case with Jessica’s third autobiography, until you get to grips how lists outline her chapters and give definition to the book. Each of the eight main chapters has eight subsections. The book is about how her marathon task of listening to eighty years of Desert Island discs, inspired her in her adventure’s. They also helped her to reassess her past and to reflect and remember those meaningful experiences and relationships that each included song reminded her of. She also wanted to find her own list of meaningful songs.

Seeing the book in this light was inspirational. How Jessica organised her stories into coherent thoughts that inspired you to think about how certain lyrics have inspired your life. Or been descriptive factors in certain episodes and experiences in your life. There’s also certainly a numerical theme running through the book that is interesting. The length of the climb up Everest, the number of years of desert island discs listened to and the fact that each episode and chapter has eight different song lyrics and stories are all based on the same number, eight. Interestingly she has to tackle a figure of eight abseil on her Everest climb! I would loved to have known how that worked?

Initially I thought this would be an adventure log of Jessica’s three marathon events. Namely the London Marathon, swimming the English Channel and climbing Everest. However it is much more than this. I did find myself wanting to know more about her marathon experience’s than she included. Yet in retrospect, I think I would have become bored with the narrative if that had been the case. This book is about more than an expedition journal. Jessica’s conversational style draws you in and you find yourself wondering how certain events or musical lyrics would have influenced you?

There certainly seems to be a number of dualities in the title and the book . The songs that are saved from the waves and how Jessica and others have been lifted from the waves and saved from that which might have overwhelmed them in life.
Also her three physical challenges are underpinned by her desire to find her own musical playlist. Which she says will enable her to go off to her own desert island. Which in itself is intriguing. Because she seems to want to conquer some monumental events and challenges in the world and then to retreat into isolation? She mentions Covid and lockdowns. These were for many times of desert like experiences. However for Jessica, the desert island disc’s listening challenge saved her in the worry, disruptions and difficulties of those times.

The book is a great synopsis of a vast number of celebrities who have taken part in Desert Island discs and inspired their audiences by their stories and choices of songs. It’s certainly an inspiration to listen to a few episodes in a totally different way. Not just hearing and appreciating certain celebrities choices of music, but listening and thinking about what they say has happened to them and made them who they are today. Thinking about how their reflections might change or challenge you?

Perhaps one of the most important themes in the book is, ‘the power of imperfection’. A theme that is revisited often. Accepting what is good enough and moving forward, not trying to change or improve past experiences. It’s an ongoing thread, as the title implies. Not saved, but save me from the waves.
In conclusion a quote from the book that has certainly inspired me and rung true as I enjoyed reading this,
‘My castaway companions provided me with so much insight into human experience and endeavour, and their music fuelled my movement.’

[DeniseK · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Surprising Read
I read a proof copy of this book as a member of a book club and, not being a great one for extreme sports and adventures, wasn’t expecting to warm to it, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Whilst Jessica’s journey to the top of the world is undoubtedly a fundamental part of the story, I was completely enthralled by the cast of ‘friends’ who accompany her. They provide her with solace and inspiration and on occasion direction. Being an avid user of the ubiquitous spreadsheet (for almost anything!) I entirely understood her obsession with lists and found myself compiling my own as I was reading.
Her Songs of Childhood and Songs of Home brought back my own memories of my parents (dancing in the kitchen as it happens), my childhood and youth. I’ve subsequently started to create my own playlists and am determined to compile one based on the selections from each of Jessica’s chapters.
As her story unfolds and you learn more of the life events that have set her on her path, I feared that the later chapters would become rather morose but I didn’t find them so. I even found the ‘Sad Songs’ section, whilst poignant, surprisingly up lifting. Life is hard and sad and random and unfair but with good friends and music to have a good sob to now and again it’s surprising how you do get through.
I can’t say that I relate to Jessica’s drive for an ‘endurance’ based remedy to heartache … but we each have our own preferences. As one who suffers from vertigo when on a ladder, I found the section describing the ascent of Chomolungma absolutely horrifying but I completely understand how, at the top of the world, after the trial to get there, you could find a true sense of yourself.
I would absolutely recommend this book but with the caveat that it might not be what you expect. It is more than the sum of its parts and I’ll be dipping back into it from time to time to find new music to inspire me.

[NoMo Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Across the pages of Save Me from the Waves, the author and adventure activist Jessica Hepburn takes us with her on the ups and downs of her latest expedition - a simultaneous musical and mountain exploration. Jessica set herself the challenge not only to summit Mount Everest (as someone who never previously went up mountains), but also to listen to every episode of the BBC Radio series Desert Island Discs whilst readying for it. Each chapter of this book sings with musical moments and life wisdom that Jessica discovers through the guests on Desert Island Discs, set against the footpaths, hillsides and mountains that she trains on.

Jessica is a well-loved figure within the childless community. Her previous books explore her experiences around IVF and childlessness - also incorporating a plan to swim The Channel. These ordeals mean that she's built up years of endurance that have given her tremendous strength; including enough strength to summit her biggest challenge so far. Although, the plan to conquer Everest is far more arduous than Jessica could have imagined when she first set out, and there are some darker and more reflective moments that she wrestles with both at the top of Everest and whilst recovering afterwards.

Towards the end, Jessica includes the quote: "Tell the story of the mountains you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else's survival guide." This perfectly embodies Jessica's Everest story - a moving and epic tale of both physical and psychological obstacles, full of hard-won insight for us all, wherever we are in our own adventure.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘That is the power of music. It can bring back the past or a person in an opening bar.’

Let me grab your attention and tell you this is a five star read and one of the most enjoyable and enriching books I will read this year.
In case you are not familiar with Desert Island Discs - my favourite radio programme - I will tell you that celebrities, scientists, composers, film stars, politicians etc etc. are notionally cast adrift on a desert island with 8 music tracks, one book and a luxury item ..Through discussions of their choices they reveal deeper sides of their life, loves and losses and what is important to them..
This book is divided thematically into 8 sections and just as each desert island disc provides a framework for discussion on the programme, so the author uses these themes to take us on a journey through her own life whilst linking together anecdotes, observations and musical lists which she has drawn together from listening to all the episodes - there are 3000 of them!
Jessica’s biography on the back cover states that she is ‘an author, arts producer and an adventure activist…’ She has climbed Mount Everest, run the London Marathan and swam the English Channel. In her forties she and her partner went through multiple rounds of IVF; the relationship broke down. Jessica has written a Desert Island playlist for the child that she never had, for the partner that left..Exercise was Jessica’s way back from heartache and she exercised to the soundtrack of Desert Island DIscs.
I defy anyone not to get something out of this wonderful book. It is in part a biography; it is an inspiration It is a sharing of difficult and personal experiences. It is for people who want to meet an endurance athlete, who want to find a way back..It is for fans of celebrities who want to know things like who chose to take marijuana as their lucky item..
Above all it is about music and how it provides a soundtrack to our lives. This book had me creating Spotify playlists.. It had me listening to music with my eyes closed, dancing in the kitchen, singing at the top of my voice.

[P J · Rating 4 out of 5]

SAVE ME FROM THE WAVES by Jessica Hepburn

This is an extraordinary book, by an extraordinary person, recounting extraordinary adventures and challenges and family history.
I had never heard of Jessica Hepburn and glad to "have met" her through this book which was given to me at The Three Horse Shoes book club. Apart from the very quirky but revealing attachment to Desert Island discs and the music there in which adds a colourful and often revealing picture of Jessica, the book contains motivational and thought provoking messages.
The book is written in such a conversational style it feels like a long letter from a friend who is not hesitant about sharing her pain and as she describes it "her truth". (The section in her book on the Italian concept of ," your truth, my truth, the truth" gave pause for thought) I was quite shocked as she recounts, not only the awful accident on the mountain but, the unforgivable behaviour of a once trusted man who was with her .
Her ability to so thoroughly research and record Desert Island Discs is matched by her amazing training plans and determination to achieve reaching the summit of Everest, or indeed swim channel and run the London Marathon just left me amazed. Even as she talks about this her feeling of loss and desperate longing with the failed, gruelling IVF treatment and her marriage break up, her determination, positivity and strength shines through.

[The Book Elf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book that I am having to review before I have finished it due to that fact that it is taking a long time to get through it. This is not because the book is hard to read at 290 pages, far from it, it has me completely hooked. The reason it is taking me so long is that the whole narrative is interspersed with titles from Desert Island Discs and who inspired her choices whilst she was building up her athletic endurance achievements. Consequently after three weeks I am still only half way through due to the fact that I keep downloading the songs, and in some cases the whole Desert Island Disc podcast and listening to them to understand why Jessica chose them. That also means that I am now also addicted to Desert Island Discs and there must be a good chance that I am not far behind Jessica in how many I have listened to !!!! Consequently Jessica's unlikely, but incredibly amazing, achievements are beginning to take second place as I am looking forward to turning the page to see what I will be listening to next.

As you will possibly have realised this is not a book to rush through, but one to read slowly and let it guide you as to what you listen to, developing your musical knowledge and understanding as you go , whilst learning about the different guests on this long running radio programme.

Don't forget there are over 3,000 episodes to listen to and Jessica has listened to them all !!!!

[Lisanne Mealing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was extremely excited by this book being such a lover of desert island discs and I had also used the BBC downloads whilst completing the Moonwalk Marathon many years ago. What a fabulous companion they make, full of love, laughter, sadness, inspiration and any other number of emotions. It’s an incredible work for any enthusiast of the programme and makes an excellent reference book for the rest of us mortals who haven’t done this amount of research. But it’s a book that’s really two books and the life stories of the author that run along side the catalogue don’t always merge as one. It’s very sad in many places and I hope it was cathartic for the author but I did struggle to relate to much of it and didn’t enjoy the author creating lists for other people, even if it is as a kind of homage to them. I said it’s really two books and I feel the adventures she has undertaken could be explored in so much more detail, I so wanted to participate more in her triumphs. I will keep this book for reference and have already compiled playlists and used her ideas of creating lists for times of life when your emotional wellbeing can be supported by the power of music. Thank you for all that research which I felt was a personal gift for my 60th birthday which fell on the book release date. I live in hope of happiness and joy for the future of this author.

[Karen Venn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jessica Hepburn is quite remarkable in being the first (and currently the only) woman to achieve the Sea, Street, Summit challenge. As a result, I had expected more of an in depth insight into how she changed her life through training and endurance. However, instead of hearing about any really arduous schedules, we are treated to a well-documented catalogue of all of the episodes of Desert Island Discs where the guests were seen by Jessica as her companions and motivational coaches leading up to and during her challenges. This approach gave the book an unusual format which was not what I was expecting.

There were some lovely Desert Island Disc highlights such as the cracked bell in Leonard Cohen’s ‘Anthem’ which allows light to get in. Also, a reference to different types of friendships in ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’ - some friendships are constant and some come to an end when the time is right. I felt that the song choices add another dimension to the book and I look forward to revisiting the book to explore those in their own right.

Jessica Hepburn gives encouragement to everyone to go on adventures because they will always change your life for the better. Not all adventures have to be huge physical challenges, some can be like listening to all episodes of Desert Island Discs.

I read this book as one of the members of The Three Horseshoes Reading Group.

[Development · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you a lists person, what does your music taste say about you?
I thought this book would be about Jessica’s physical challenges, like running marathons and climbing Everest, but it’s more than that – it’s about how music and life experiences intertwine. Jessica’s writing style makes you feel like you’re chatting with a friend, making you reflect on your own life and the songs that define it.
Listening to songs from Desert Island disc hits, Jessica takes you on a journey of her own adventures, discovery, and achievements. Her story is full of personal reflection, and self belief, it celebrates imperfection and resilience. It reminds you to embrace life’s challenges and grow from them.
Jessica’s journey will inspire you to look at your own life through the lens of music and self reflection.

[Sarah Farmer-Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Jessica Hepburn is an inspirational woman there is no doubt - she turned her grief became the catalyst to sparking her use of exercise as a means to find healing. I find it awesome that someone who has never so much as climbed a mountain before might think that attempting to summit Everest might be a good idea! Add to that her swim across the Channel and completing a marathon then she is nothing short of amazing. Predominantly it’s a book about the history Desert Island Discs and how her favourite radio programme accompanied her on her tough physical and mental challenges and helped her to grieve - I would have liked to have known more about her endurance challenges but nonetheless it did ignite some nostalgia for me with the songs on her playlist and find me playing a few along the way! Ultimately it’s a book about prioritising joy and what’s not to like about that!

[Tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I've just finished reading Save Me from the Waves by Jessica Hepburn. What an amazing story of determination, endurance, grief and joy. This book took me from the depths of heartbreak to the heights of ecstasy and human achievement and to the depths again (and the heights again!) - and all with the most comforting soundtrack from Desert Island Discs (a longtime favourite of mine).
More than the story of climbing Chomolungma (Mother Goddess of the World, also known as Mount Everest), Jessica's account is also a story of family, heartbreak and the healing power of community and music.
The book has inspired me to revisit the Desert Island Discs archive and, as Jessica advises, to live big and bold, though it feels scary at times.
I'm looking forward to hearing Jessica on Radio 4 when she is castaway on the island with her 8 records, a luxury and a book.

[Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love adventure stories, all of them. I love the journey, the way we learn about the challenges and see how every person fav s those moments in a different way. I particularly love and adventure story where someone is overcoming something or a series of things, in their life, that have tried to take them down and really meant that they are struggling through and trying to o find their own path. 

This book really delves deep into that and looks at how someone who was not traditionally looked at as the sporty person becomes one of the best at something, one of the first of something and what it takes to overcome the hurdles to do something phenomenal like that. 

I really enjoyed the book and liked the way it was written. It had a very inspirational look at the journey and was made a really exciting read by the detail that was invluded. Overall, a brilliant book. 

[Kath Qualtrough · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this book it was like losing a friend. The courage, vulnerability, fun and vitality with with Jessica describes her darkest and brightest moments in life are incredible. It reminds you that whilst the human life can be so hard, it also offers so many opportunities for laughter, love and light. I understood, at the end, why Jessica had written so much about her life and journey towards climbing Everest as she did, before describing the summit itself: you will too, when you read this. It is shocking, yet part of life and artistic in how it exemplifies why the journey is perhaps even more important than the final destination sometimes. Having never (!) listened to desert island discs I now understand exactly what it is and have learnt about so many wonderful people I would never have looked up otherwise. What lives we all have: what lives we all can have.

[Luca Nicoletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure is something special. The story the author tells us is unremarkable. I enjoyed the story from start to finish. Maybe because I love being active as much as the author does, maybe because many of the quotes she shares resonated with me; for whatever reason, this book kept me reading it repeatedly.
I like the separation of chapters in the book, with different themes, and various songs for each one, following a natural and easy-to-follow order.
There are maybe too many quotes to highlight, so I won't write them all down, but this book is highly recommended to everyone, you'll learn a few things along the way for sure, and won't regret reading it.

[Michele Sandhu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, although I may be biased. I’ve been following Jessica on social media for several years and have read her first two books. She even responded when I messaged her with my thoughts on childfree women! She’s a really inspirational woman and I was thrilled to meet her in Plymouth in September where she signed my book in the pub after her show. There’s A LOT of detail in the book about Desert Island Discs which I’ve never listened to (although might start now). My main reason for reading was because I wanted to know more about her battle to climb Everest. As always a fascinating story. Well done Jessica!

[Caroline Priddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I dipped in and out of this one. I loved Jessica Hepburn’s other two books and loved the concept of this - climbing up Everest whilst working through the entire back catalogue of Desert Island Discs. It was a bit slow and I’d have preferred to hear more about the final trek rather than the training walks. I wonder if the fact that there wasn’t a deep emotional story going on alongside this one like there wasn’t a with the others made it not as gripping. There wasn’t a bit at the end that I wish she’d explored further although I respect why she didn’t. Still love Jessica and keen to hear if there is another adventure planned.

[Paula Learmouth · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jessica Hepburn hits 40 years old she wants to change. At school she believed the only reason to exercise was for food, booze and box-sets on the sofa. Jessica is the only woman that has completed the "Pond to Peak Challenge" which is swim the English Chanel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest (known to her as Chomolungmo), but it was hard work to get there. There has been one thing that has been with her through everything and that's music and Desert Island Discs. Jessica has added her music lists throughout the book, Childhood Song List, Songs of Home, (If you still believe in) Love Songs, Sad Songs, Happy Songs, Songs of Faith & Survival, Songs to Die To, along with Endnotes. This is a book of what you can achieve if you put you body and mind to it.

[Georgiana Spijker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly I bought this book hoping to read about running swimming and hiking/mountain adventures, but this is just the author’s music diary. This is not an adventure book, but someone’s spotify list. No thanks!

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Jessica’s story really inspiring! I love that she isn’t your usual adventurer but never let that or the other set backs in her life stop her. So many of the things she wrote resonated with me. I also found myself tearing up at unexpected moments and then laugh on the next page.

[Ian Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as the story of the woman who channels heartbreak to become the first woman to swim the channel, run the marathon and climb Everest in fact it becomes a love letter to Desert Island discs and therefore the meaning and power of music. entertaining nonetheless

[Suzy Purse · Rating 4 out of 5]

She always finds an amazing way to write a book and to look at life

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly inspirational story! And so interestingly written through music, with the songs that reflect her life. Read as part of Coundon Library Book Club

[Yvonne Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected enjoyable read