Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim

by Alexandra Heminsley

'Remarkable' Observer'A joy to read' Daily Telegraph'Soaringly beautiful' Sunday Times Magazine'Genuine and persuasive' GuardianAlexandra Heminsley thought she could swim. She really did. It may have been because she could run. It may have been because she wanted to swim; or perhaps because she only ever did ten minutes of breaststroke at a time. But, as she learned one day while flailing around in the sea, she really couldn’t. Believing that a life lived fully isn’t one with the most money earned, the most stuff bought or the most races won, but one with the most experiences, experienced the most fully, she decided to conquer her fear of the water. From the ignominy of getting into a wetsuit to the triumph of swimming from Kefalonia to Ithaca, in becoming a swimmer, Alexandra learns to appreciate her body and still her mind. As it turns out, the water is never as frightening once you're in, and really, everything is better when you remember to exhale.What Hemmo's readers are ‘This book is funny, engaging, entertaining, informative, suspenseful, motivating, and inspiring... I've never read anything quite like it’ ­– Nina on Goodreads, 5 stars ‘Just like Running Like a Girl, this was an absolute joy to read. A beautifully written story of swimming, family and being a woman’ – Violet on Amazon, 5 stars‘Fantastic book… Entertaining – often laugh-out-loud funny – and full of really useful advice’ – J. Edwards on Amazon, 5 stars‘A fabulous book that’s beautifully written’ – Nik on Goodreads, 5 stars‘I can't recommend this book enough! I absolutely love Alexandra Heminsley's writing, her attitude towards exercise and her passion for swimming’ – Sarah on Goodreads, 5 stars‘an inspirational and encouraging read’ – Stephanie on Goodreads, 5 stars‘the author’s enthusiasm is contagious… one cannot help but yearn to join in. … A thoroughly inspiring book with a likeable narrator unafraid to share her personal life’ – Eleanor on Goodreads, 5 stars ‘This is a delightful book, a pleasure to read… Unbelievably well written, it flows like the water she loves’ ­– Bobby on Amazon, 5 stars

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Sports, Biography, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Female Authors

226 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2017

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Part 1, which is about leaping into life, whatever that means for you. For her it was about learning to swim, undertaking outdoor swimming challenges everywhere from her hometown of Brighton to Ithaca, Greece, but also getting married and undergoing IVF. I especially appreciated her words on acquiring a new skill as an adult and overcoming your body issues. This is a wonderful little memoir. But it seemed like her publishers said, “Meh, that’s too short; add in some more stuff!” and Part 2 feels boring and irrelevant: it gives the history of swimming, talks about what gear you should buy, answers FAQs, etc. It’s a shame that she was talked into making this a how-to book. I guess she can’t escape what she’s known for: sporting self-help. I skipped Part 2 entirely, and I’m happy with that decision!

[Nandini Chaturvedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One major regret of my life has been not being serious about sports as a kid. Being born in a small town in India, although my parents sent me to the best school, there were no decent training facilities. And nobody in my family was in a position to motivate or guide me.

As I moved to Pune for my first job at age 19, I developed an enormous passion for physical activities including regular gym workouts. I started climbing frequently. Mountains were my first true love. I then knew what makes me happy and emotionally fulfilled. In 2013, I left my job to attend a mountaineering course. I made friends for life; it was a life changing event in many, many ways. Being addicted to keeping busy, I couldn’t live for too long without working and joined another tech company after six months of adventure. I was never so interested and serious in my tech job before taking this break.

Anyway, I knew I could still pursue my passion and also work. I started organizing (free of cost) group hikes and camping trips around Pune. Meeting a new strange group of people (along with old ones) every time, and sharing life experiences and hiking was such a lovely experience. I am really proud to have been a motivator for the first timers who said I changed their life!

Years later, life took me to the United States.

I am a kind of person who is always hungry to learn something new. Swimming was one thing that was new to me. I had tried to go to a public pool and learn swimming in India, but it was not very helpful. So I started asking everybody who could swim their secrets. Everyone had their own different opinions on how to improve; it didn’t solve any of my issues though. Being an adult learner (in my 30s) it was hard and embarrassing for me, since I wasn’t getting better. I was tired of being sick of the dirty and smelly water, and I started losing my interest and stopped going to the pool after months of struggle. My trips to beaches remained the same; I would stand and watch people but not dare to swim in the ocean.

But now I was in the most developed country, the indoor pool was clean and well maintained, and there were not too many people. If I went at right time, I could have a lane to myself. If I bought a onetime punch, I could swim for hours until they shut down, nobody would ask me to get out after every hour, like at the pools I used to go to in India.

My first day was horrible; I couldn’t swim even 25 yards and was out of breath. Thanks to my parents for raising me to be a confident and stubborn kid, I took this as a challenge. I won’t give up until I master it (per my standards!), I promised myself. Another thing that kept me going to the pool was the kids. I swear there is not a more beautiful sight than seeing a kid swimming. I just needed to learn from scratch like a kid, with a complete open mind, and forget that people are going to judge me (nobody actually does).

After almost 45 days I was getting better, and I could swim (front crawl) for an hour -- but I needed to stop after every 100 yards to breath and relax and start again. I watched hundreds of YouTube videos to try to understand where was I failing. There are so many videos explaining how to improve your techniques: bi-lateral breathing, using abdominal muscles, looking down at the bottom, one eye under water to breathe, parallel swimming ,catch, pull, push, etc, etc, etc. I was working on all these techniques at once, but I just couldn’t swim longer than 100 yards. Once I lasted 300 yards, but I had no idea how I did it, and the very next time I could not!

Then I went back to India for almost 2 months and didn’t swim at all.

After my return I went back to the pool, a little afraid, but confident and hopeful I had not lost my fitness. I had not lost much, and started the same training routine, but there was no improvement in my endurance. One evening after the pool, at the library I saw this book: Leap In -- A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim, by Alexandra Heminsley. It caught my eye because the title is very similar to another popular book, Lean In. I immediately fell in love with the title and decided to read it. The author is a media personality and a marathon runner (she has another book about how she started running in her thirties and competed in marathons -- Running Like A Girl). Leap In starts with her first ocean swimming experience in Brighton in the U.K. I like her honesty and funny/witty way of letting readers laugh at her miserable attempts. She wanted to swim in the open water and had a very strong will to learn it at any cost. After her first attempt she knew she needed to work on her techniques so she started taking swimming lessons at the local pool, and like my own story she had big trouble keeping her breathe under control. She talks about how training on exhaling with a relaxed ease changed it all for her. Oddly enough the idea came from looking at an old picture of herself smoking, puffing out the cigarette smoke, and how great that felt to her at the time.

Once she excelled in indoor swimming, she ventured out into the lakes, rivers, and oceans in and out of the country. There were tough times in her life -- medical, emotional, and physical issues -- but she found great joy in swimming and that was a way to escape from all those worries. She never looked back after that, participated in many open water swimming events, and got better and better.

The book is a great example of how persistence and strong willpower are all it takes to achieve life goals. Age is just a number and there is no limit to learning new skills at any point of a lifetime. The human body and brain are much more capable of doing things than we know. It’s also a reminder that women are not weak, as they are often portrayed; we need to break the stereotypes and go for whatever is interesting to us.

After the 3rd day of reading it clicked for me: it was my breathing and particularly exhaling that was in the way of my swimming longer. That afternoon I planned to work on it. I swam for 500 yards nonstop, and I didn’t feel like stopping. That was it!! I had found the key. I was extremely happy for my first 500 yards of nonstop swimming. I know it doesn’t mean a thing to many people but I felt proud. I was relieved. The next day I did 1000 yards. On the third day (just yesterday) I stopped counting laps after 1000 yards and just kept enjoying. It was meditating, relaxing, and extremely satisfying. I was no more swimming; I was dancing in the water.

I am so excited, and so I have started looking for open water swim events. I can’t wait to swim under the sky, in the mineral water, and around a pure natural environment. The winter is long and I am eager. Meanwhile I am determined to practice my techniques and get better and better.

If you are a beginning swimmer like me, or a non swimmer, I would highly recommend this book, not only for swimming, but this book is a great motivation for everybody. At least I believe so. Thank me later!!

Nandini Chaturvedi

[Mayar Mahdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. LOVE IT!

I actually hate swimming, the sea, and how every burkini looks weird and prevents contact with the water. I also don't know how to swim.

However, this book made me feel so good about trying. It's so down-to-earth and makes everything feel approachable and doable. I love the author's voice and how she gives practical advice on almost everything.

This book is helpful, fun, and beautifully written. You should definitely read it.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this 4 stars if I had stopped reading 2/3 of the way through...the last 60+ pages (yes, 60+) were about how to swim, FAQs about swimming, and swim gear. As someone who once called herself a swimmer, it was not interesting at all. Maybe other people find it helpful, but it took away from the writer’s story of her first open water races.

[Lizzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a keen outdoor swimmer, I thought this would appeal to me more, but it never really got going. The writing was fairly bland, and her competitive approach to swimming didn't really resonate with me. The second part that describes how to swim (has anyone ever learnt by reading a book??), a brief (highly westernised) history of swimming and some advice on kit, etc seemed utterly pointless.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational and a great read. Makes me want to start swimming again! Even cold water swims look appealing to me now.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first part of this book is a memoir and the second part is a how to manual. I preferred the first half where the Author is introduced to swimming and immerses herself into the sport. Dealing with her IVF treatments and life as a newly wed while she tackles a new sport made the narrative flow. The second part has a great chapter on other books about swimming as well as a detailed list of equipment needed that would serve any newcomer well.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

[Nicky Bale · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person who was pushed into a pool at age 7 and only learnt to swim after years of fear at age 57, I could completely identify with the author’s feelings at the beginning of her cold water swimming journey. She has now gone on to great things. I am proud of my small achievements, pottering about in a pool still conquering the fears that are under the surface ready to rise up. I also enjoy cold water swimming at the local beach. As the author says, there is more to swimming than just the actions, it’s about community and personal growth. I would highly recommend this book

[Sophie Drt-Pmllr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, an easy and pleasant read. I enjoyed the first autobiographical part about the author learning how to swim properly and exploring cold water swimming, pushing her mind and body - it's actually made me want to pick up swimming lessons! The second part, I mostly skipped with the exception of the history of swimming and frequent misconceptions about cold water swimming. The rest was a bit too niche and technical and felt like an odd way of ending a book that had so far been quite personal and intimate.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm dealing with a nasty addiction, and I'm not sure there's a cure. My battles with insomnia have brought me to many an amazing information juncture. Most of them are flash-in-the-pan things, but one is not. Many years ago, I discovered that if I were awake at 4 a.m. on a Saturday, I could listen to something called "Saturday Live" on BBC Radio 4. I love the hosts; I love the format of the program; I love the fact that they open up part of it to listeners who get to express gratitude to strangers who have helped them in the past--strangers whose names the beneficiary didn't get at the time. Most weeks, the program is so UK-centric that its guests have little value to me, but sometimes that's not true at all. For example, in December 2020, they interviewed Ian Rankin, author of the famous John Rebus series. I loved the interview; now I'm working my way through the series. On January 2, 2021, they interviewed Christi or C. J. Daugherty. Because of that interview, I'm reading her books and enjoying them.

Today, "Saturday Live" featured Alexandra Heminsley. She seemed delightful and approachable--someone you could easily befriend under the right circumstances. Sadly, I can't find an accessible copy of her latest book here. But because Saturdays are days in which I practically drown in the tiny miracles that can make all the difference in the world, I discovered my public library had an audio copy of this book. I don't begrudge those hours of lost sleep. Yes, I promise, it was worth it to be awake at 4 a.m. just to hear Alexandra Heminsley interviewed, and I loved at least the first part of this book.

The author had already become a skilled runner, and she's written about that in a previous book. But swimming, especially in the ocean, seemed daunting. But days after her wedding, she and her then-husband literally took the plunge--a plunge that cost him a wedding ring and helped her discover that leaping in is often the way to make significant changes in your life.

The book is divided into two parts. Part one is the one where the author seems to enter your life and just open up to you about things. Her efforts at swimming originally are fraught with mistakes and the need for do-overs. but she learns; she takes chances; she applies the calming impact of swimming to other parts of her stressful anxiety-ridden life and she is better for the experience. She learned that her body's shape was far less important than her abillity to join forces with it to learn breath control that she could apply to other difficult situations. Change may be incremental but it is inevitable assuming you are willing to take that first step.

There's no over-the-top artificially enthusiastic cheerleading here. She talks about achieving individual success even if it means changing plans and picking a new route and entirely abandoning the initial plan.

the first part of the book is awash in wonderful bits of advice and encouragement you can take to heart and apply to any endeavor. You see all of this author, not just the celebrity glitz. You see the anxiety and the doubts and the lack of confidence. And you see ourage and an ever broadening horizon that results from decisions that may have been small initially that became significan triumphs.

There's much to laugh about here, too. There's a particular scene wherein she describes attempting to ease into a wet suit, finding herself half in and half out. Her descriptions of bifurcated boobs, a crotch that hangs below her knees and so much more are wonderfully funny.

She narrates the audio edition of this, and she is as talented behind a studio microphone as she was today with the hosts of Radio 4.

I didn't read part two It includes a history of swimming and several question-and-answer sections that deal with the art of swimming and the type of equipment you'll need if you're getting started. Part two felt rather clinical and antiseptic. It was a sharp contrast to the wonderfully human heart-touching first portion. Frankly, if you blow off part two, you should still consider yourself as someone who finished this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book serves as a swimming memoir for the author and encouragement for you to get in the water and swim! You get to personally know Alexandra and like her and learn about her and her husbands battles with IVF. This book also serves as a "love your body" guide. I think this book also has mental health undertones. The author explains a lot of her anxiety she experiences when trying to master open-water swimming. Sometimes, it was just a little too much. I could feel the anxiety on the page. Like another reviewer mentioned, the first part of the book is strong and the second part seemed to be more of a filler or serves as a Q and A with the author. I did enjoy the recommendations author made on swim gear and for other swim books to read as I am on a swimming book reading kick!

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Alexandra Heminsley's running book which echoed so many of my own thoughts and experiences about running, and running races (even though unlike her, I've not yet successfully completed a marathon). And, like Alexandra - but for different reasons - I too have recently embarked on a mission to learn to swim properly. Many of her assumptions and misapprehensions about 'proper' swimming chimed with me. Just as she did, I really thought that two or three pool sessions and I'd be the finished article sliding along the pool like a middle-aged torpedo. I remember actually saying to people 'how hard can it be'! (Very!).

Having done a lot of water-sports over the years, I didn't share her fear of open-water, but I've spoken to and met enough people at the lakeside for whom this is an issue to understand how real that fear can be. She also had concerns about the need for an acceptable 'bikini body' - concerns which again I understand - but being a bloke, don't really share. Just like her running book, this one ends with a section of advice for newby swimmers based on her experiences. OK, she's not a swim coach and she doesn't claim to be, but there's plenty of reasonably sound, helpful advice to be found there.

[Natalie (CuriousReader)]

As I stumbled upon this book around the time of its paperback release on International Women’s Day, I picked it up mostly out of curiosity. I’m not a swimmer, nor do I exactly enjoy the experience of swimming or being in water. Rather, my interest lies in learning about other people’s passions and that’s exactly what you get from this book. Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves, and the Will to Swim is Alexandra Heminsley’s memoir of learning how to swim the front crawl, as well as a bit of a general cultural history and discussion on swimming and its place in human history.

Full Review: https://weneedhunny.wordpress.com/201...

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. I enjoy Alexandra's writing and have been looking forward to reading this since I read "Running Like a Girl". The book is separated into two parts: firstly, a memoir - at times, inspirational, funny and moving, but (for me) ended rather abruptly; secondly, a section on swimming itself - including a brief history, stroke and gear suggestions and book recommendations. Has motivated me to consider getting in the water again, and I share the author's relief on finding out that the ability to do a good front crawl is not something naturally bestowed upon us, but requires dedicated practice!

[Mitch Karunaratne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part personal journey, part memoir, part guide, I picked this book to inject some renewed energy into my swim routine and it’s doing the trick. I usually swim 3/4times a week, until I don’t! This break has been longer than it should have been! Although I’m exclusively a pool swimmer, it was great to read about the feeling of the oceans, rivers and tarns -and reflect on what being in water does to the psyche.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like going swimming now!

I would have given this book 4 stars if there was less about research/history of swimming and a shorter recommended reading section.

I quite enjoyed Running Like a Girl by the same author and wonder what sport she might tackle next so I can enjoy another novel about the journey.

[Kerry Crisley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Heminsley's voice, both in Running Like a Girl and Leap In. I find her style funny, relatable and motivating.

[Catherine Muller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn’t even compare to Swimming Studies

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to Heminsley, her desire to become an open water swimmer started because she wanted to take on the sea and win as a kind of revenge. Call me a cynic, but I feel it might have been more strongly motivated by a chat with her agent/publisher along these lines: "OK, you've written a successful book about running, what's next?" "Well, wild swimming is getting pretty popular these days...". The motivation feels a bit contrived - her husband loses his wedding ring in the sea shortly after their wedding, and apparently because of that she decides needs to learn to swim front crawl. How would that have changed the situation?

But whatever her reasons for getting into outdoor swimming and regardless of how genuine they are at the beginning, it's clear that by the end she has developed a real appreciation for its benefits as she struggles with IVF and miscarriage. At this point only the hardest of hearts would not sympathise, and it's clear that she gets real solace from being in the water.

My main problem with this book, though, is that I feel it promotes an elitist view of swimming. At the beginning, she says she thought she could swim, but actually she couldn't. What she really means is that she couldn't swim front crawl. She then details how it took a year's worth of swimming lessons before she could actually swim 'properly' (i.e. do front crawl). Which is great, if you happen to have a pool near you that offers adult swimming lessons, and have the time and money to spare.

The implication is that if you don't have the time/money/facilities to learn front crawl, you might as well not bother swimming, because you'll only embarrass yourself going around thinking you can swim when you really can't. Which is absolute nonsense. If you can float and move through the water, you can swim - it doesn't matter if you're doing front crawl, head-up breaststroke, doggy paddle or a stroke entirely of your own invention. Sure, you won't be able to enter competitive events and get medals and rack up "Achievements", but that's not actually what it's all about. The competitive events described in this book sound pretty awful - with loud, aggressive types shoving past each other to get in front (an aspect of them she does rightly shun herself). The real benefits she gets are from the feeling of being part of nature, observing the world from a different angle and enjoying the sensations (and mental health benefits) of cold water swimming. All these things - the things that matter - can be had without learning to swim front crawl or doing any long-distance swimming challenges.

Heminsley has come at swimming with the competitive mindset she's clearly honed as a marathon runner, but has failed to realise that the type of swimming she writes about is only one of many ways to swim. I highly recommend a book called "Taking the Plunge" (Deacon/Allan) for a more balanced view of the many different reasons for swimming outdoors and ways in which people do so.

There is still plenty of interest in this book, and some useful advice. I already swim outdoors year round, though I can't swim front crawl, and it would take more than Heminsley's view that this isn't really swimming to put me off! But I do worry that it might put others off and stop them from experiencing something that can be truly life-enhancing. I find that quite disappointing given that apparently her aim is to motivate more women to get involved in sports. Of course, if she'd only realised she could swim just fine as it was, there wouldn't have been a book to write...

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexandra dachte, dass sie schwimmen kann. Schließlich ist sie eine erfahrene Läuferin und kennt sich so mit Ausdauersport aus. Aber einmal im Wasser kämpft sie mit unerwarteten Problemen. Ihre starken Läuferbeine können den Beinschlag beim Kraulen nicht meistern und im freien Wasser entwickelt sie eine ungeahnte Angst vor der Tiefe. Dabei will sie doch nach Ithaka schwimmen, wie es Odysseus einst getan hat.

Ich bin, wie die Autorin auch, vom Laufen zum Schwimmen gekommen und kann vieles von dem was sie erzählt, nachvollziehen. Kraulschwimmen ist viel anstrengender als die schnellste Laufeinheit. Umkleidekabinen sind die Hölle und eine passende Schwimmbrille zu finden die kein Wasser durchlässt, ist eine Wissenschaft für sich. Wenn man all diese Hindernisse gemeistert hat, kann man loslegen.

Auch wenn sie von sich selbst sagt, dass sie eigentlich keine Schwimmerin ist, ist sie doch mit ihrer gesamten Familie an ihrem Hochzeitstag in Brighton im Meer schwimmen gegangen. Auch dass ihr Mann kurz nach der Hochzeit seinen Ehering im Meer verloren hat, ändert nichts an ihrer Zuneigung zum nassen Element. Aber warum will sie unbedingt nach Ithaka schwimmen? Von sich selbst sagt Alexandra Heminsley, dass sie lieber Odysseus statt Penelope ist, aber auch das ist nur ein Teil der Wahrheit. Es geht darum, dass es ihre letzte Chance ist, so einen Traum zu verwirklichen, weil sie einen viel größeren Traum Wirklichkeit werden lassen will.




Es geht in diesem Buch nicht nur ums Schwimmen, auch wenn Alexandra Heminsley mich an jedem ihrer Meter im Wasser teilhaben lässt. Sie erzählt von ihrer Unsicherheit, sich im Badeanzug zu zeigen, von ihrem Kampf mit dem ersten Wetsuit und ihrem ersten Wettkampf in einem Fluss. Aber sie erzählt auch davon, wie sie ihren Körper verliert, als sie und ihr Mann versuchen, ein Kind zu bekommen. Es dauert lange, bis sie sich in ihrer neuen Haut wieder so wohl fühlt wie vor der Behandlung. Dass sie so offen darüber schreibt und ihre Leserschaft daran teilhaben lässt, empfinde ich als Privileg.




Am Ende des Buchs schreibt die Autorin über Dinge, die man beim Schwimmen tun oder lassen sollte. Das habe ich persönlich nicht gebraucht, weil ich schon viele Bücher zu dem Thema gelesen habe. Derjenige, für den es das erste Buch zum Thema ist, kann einige Tipps mitnehmen. Auch die vorgestellten Bücher sind interessant, einige davon habe ich selbst gelesen.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you begin reading something and it's like someone has been inside your head? That was very much the experience I had whilst reading this book. I've been struggling with open water swimming for a while and getting more and more dispirited - particularly after I ended up dropping out of a triathlon last year because I completely freaked out in the swim. This made me feel a bit more like those demons could be conquered. As in Heminsley's previous book "Running Like a Girl" the mix of her personal journey and practical advice for would-be swimmers is a really great combination as is the author's relentlessly honest discussion of her experiences. A great read whether you aspire to take up swimming or not.

[Raela]

I'm so excited for this new book of hers! Especially after reading this excerpt. I made the mistake of reading it at work and ended up weeping in my office. I'm just sad we have to wait until July for this book in the US! I absolutely loved her previous book, Running Like a Girl. I felt like she totally got me! It was so encouraging to read about a non-runner (like I had been) becoming a runner. It gave me the confidence I needed to call myself a runner. Ironically, I was listening to that book on audio while training for a half marathon.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Alexandra's "Run Like A Girl" so I borrowed this audiobook from my library as my next read. I couldn't get into this one as much as the first. Perhaps it is simply because I have no real interest in swimming. Still, it was well written and I did enjoy hearing about the history of swimming (chapter 10). That's where I ended.

[Meg]

Trials of learning a new sport when you've become 'fit' doing a different one, light humour through personal embarassment (meh, not my cup of tea), a deeply personal story of grief that ends the book and then a little bit of history about open-water swimming and how to get started. I think I enjoyed her learning-to-run much more, but I still wish I could go spend a week swimming in Greece !

I would recommmend Jessica Lee's Turning: A Year in the Water over this if I'm going to vouch for a swimming book because it's written so beautifully.

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! The audiobook, read by the author, was a great listen and highly relatable. I found it inspiring, so much so that I decided to buy the physical book as well.

[Clare Crick · Rating 4 out of 5]

L

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely Heminsley memoir of mastering a new physical skill and all the feeling and sensations that go along with it. I may have particularly appreciated her assessment of the overly competitive show-off bros one can encounter at races and elsewhere.

I've seen mixed reviews of the second half where she gets very practical about swimming skills and equipment needed for open water swimming, but since she and Bonnie Tsui (in Why We Swim) have both made me curious about the endeavor, count me as appreciating it. Even if you have no potential interest in doing this thing, don't miss her list of additional books musing on swimming and swimming adventures that comes near the end.

A couple of favorite passages that were too long for the private notes are below.
--
"To discover a new skill as an adult is like noticing a door, deciding to open it and finding an entire room in your home home that you never knew you had. And I had done it - I had opened the door to the extra room. Now I wanted to be able to see water, anywhere in the world - oceans, lakes and pools - and sense not fear but adventure and peace." (p. 84)

"As I stared down into the water, a dolphin's fin broke the surface and danced ahead of us....Emotion bubbled up in me as if I'd swallowed a lifetime of inspirational quotes and was struggling to keep them down. Sure, dolphins were lovely, I'd always thought, but I was far from being the sort of dreamer who felt that swimming with them would render my life better lived. In that instant, I saw I had been a fool. Not because the dolphins themselves were going to change the colour and texture of my life, but because only seconds before, I had been feeling so utterly alone, while mere metres from such a magnificent sight....Yes, we swim alone. But we can never truly know what swims alongside us." (p. 115)

[Inga · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 ist ein Schaltjahr, a leap year. Deswegen enthält die Popsugar Reading Challenge dieses Jahr den task "A book with the word "leap" in the title". Es fand sich nichts wirklich Passendes in deutscher Übersetzung, also wurde es ein englischer Titel: Alexandra Heminsley ist eine britische Journalistin und Autorin, die zunächst das Laufen lernte (Running Like a Girl) und sich als nächstes vornahm, in offenen Gewässern zu schwimmen. Daraus resultierte das 2017 erschienene Buch Leap In - A Woman, Some Waves and the Will to Swim.
Der erste Teil des Buches ist eine autobiographische Schilderung ihrer Fortschritte beim Erwerb eines brauchbaren Schwimmstils und dem Überwinden persönlicher Schwierigkeiten. Letztere sind weniger physischer als vielmehr psychischer Natur. Ihre Schilderungen sind emotional, aber reflektieren immer wieder ihren eigenen Prozess und betonen die Wichtigkeit, das Leben zu leben und nicht nur zuzusehen, weswegen sie sich immer wieder neue Ziele setzt, auch wenn sie dabei oder gerade weil sie dabei an ihre Grenzen gehen muss.
Der zweite Teil ist eine Mischung aus einem historisch-praktischen Sachbuch über das Schwimmen, Literaturtipps und ein Ratgeber für Schwimmequipment. Dieser Teil hat mich wenig begeistern können, weswegen ich ihn stellenweise nur überflogen habe.
Insgesamt war es wieder einmal ein durchaus lohnenswertes Buch (bezogen auf Teil 1), das ich ohne die Reading Challenge sicherlich nicht gelesen hätte.

“It had taken years to accept that yes, my body had value, but that value lay more in where it could take me, what it could show me, than in any perceived visual pleasure it could provide for others.”

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time swimmer I was excited to read this book -- I read it at a Master Swim Camp in San Diego -- but some of the early going is a wee bit rough. We, in the swim community know it's work getting into a wet suit so page after page on the struggle is a struggle to read! But like a long distance swim, after the choppy waters at the start the book gets better. The chapter on the author's trip to Greece and the developing swim holiday circuit is very good and her personal reasons for staying with it in the face of some personal troubles is well conceived and well written. At these points, I was reminded of John Jerome's great book on swimming "Staying with It". With the memoir concluded, the book has a coda like section that includes a very good short history of swimming and an interesting catalog of swim related titles. This was an advanced copy I read but I suspect the finished book will be like this with the addendum after the memoir whereas a better book might have incorporated these parts into a single whole.

[Aine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love non-fiction stories about exercise journeys and I’ve read loads about running in the last year so I wanted to branch out. Since I’ve been a swimmer since I was 3 and swam competitively for years a lot of this wasn’t really necessary for me and probably more beneficial for someone with less swimming experience or confidence in the water. I am a less frequent cold water swimmer (mostly due to location) and found learning more about that interesting and helpful as I’d like to get more involved in it. Nevertheless, since Hemingsley takes the reader on a personal journey too, with details of her IVF journey, her marriage and her experience with the swimming community. Because of that, I’d recommend this to more experienced swimmers too, simply for the joy of reading about something you love.
There are also so many practical tips for sea swimmers, outdoor swimming, and swimming in general that could help even seasoned cold water swimmers - from race experience to kit recommendations.