The Heart-shaped Bullet

by Kathryn Flett

A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels.Some of our books may have slightly worn corners, and minor creases to the covers. Please note the cover may sometimes be different to the one shown.

Genres: Biography, Biography Memoir, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published April 7, 2000

Reviews

[Jonty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear, oh dear. I used to enjoy Ms Flett's reviews years ago so this was a massive disappointment. Of course, much of the blame for this dreary, self-indulgent drivel must lie with whoever approached her in the first place and suggested this long-form chunk of non-fiction. Also her agent who indulged her. And the whole editorial team who allowed this to progress and be released to the unsuspecting public.
But the greater responsibility must ultimately fall to Ms Flett herself. OK, she had a tough time and struggled to cope. Most of us do at some point. We might scribble our angsty moans in teenagerish fashion in diaries. The best thing to do then is to lock them away or destroy them. I wish she had.
Bizarrely, she not only thinks this is worth sharing, she revisits it years later and judges it as powerful and legitimate piece of work. God knows how. 'It really does stand up.' Er, no it doesn't. It really doesn't.
It is a very dreary, repetitive read. 'Why use ten words when fifty will do?' seems to be her motto. Clauses and subclauses spin out of control. Puns and attempts at humour miss the mark by miles. And then she starts quoting huge screeds of bloody astrology and candle-hugging bollocks! Give me strength. Or give me a paper shredder.
Apparently she's now retrained as an interior designer. Good.

[Rachel Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when it first came out. I was 25 and I loved it but I couldn't relate to it. I read it again in my early 30s, newly single and wondering if I'd ever meet the right guy. I got it then. Kind of. But now, reading it when I'm 11 years into a relationship, when life didn't go according to plan, now I truly get it. An honest, glorious, evocative and sometimes painful story of a divorce, but more than that. A beautfully written account of what happens when life doesn't go according to plan.

[mark goffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful but heart breaking trip down memory lane.

I first read this book 25 years ago, not long after it was published and I never forgot it, Kathryn Flett writes with such insight on the ache of the bust up heart, describing the day to day living of the distraught so accurately, functioning feels like wedding through quicksand, and the fear that it will never stop. However, her sharp, biting observations, acerbic wit, and bemusement at the world around her (that somehow just keeps turning..) stops this becoming a depressing read, I found myself howling with laughter one minute and sobbing the next. Anyone whose heart has been truly and unexpectedly broken can probably find something to relate or resonate with, it helped pull me through mine, and that's why I was so delighted to find a copy on kindle. I cannot recommend this book enough.

[Wendy Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember Kathryn Flett's newspaper column, back in the day, loving her bleak honesty combined with her writing style. I found this book, like the columns painful and yet compulsive in a voyeuristic way. Being plunged into the depths of Flett's vulnerability is extraordinary.

I read the edition which has been published 20 years later with additional retrospection. Romance, views on marriage and commitment demonstrate women's continuing conflict with their love lives.

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I bought this by accident on sale at Amazon: serendipity being what it is however, I found it insightful and a kind of spiritual guidebook. I used to read Kathryn Flett's columns years ago, and reading g the book brings back the sense of the time of the late nineties in my own life.

[Juliana Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book very quickly, partly as a result of being on a conference with work and having 5 hours of train journey and two nights in a hotel to occupy. However, I also read it quickly because Kathryn Flett's style is very accessible and I was intrigued to know how things turned out for her.

Without giving too much away, it's ultimately clear that the book is very much a one-sided account of Kathryn's break up - I wanted to know more about her husband's perspective, though perhaps he really was as cold and heartless as she portrayed! More surprising was her reaction to another break up later on in the book - very dramatic and one that made me wonder if she had lots of other problems at the time that caused her to have such a catastrophic meltdown.

I did enjoy this book and was pleased to discover that Kathryn now seems to have quite a good life (as far as Google can tell me) though I couldn't quite ascertain if she has found true love. I know she's on Grumpy Old Women sometimes though, which I'm guessing can't be a good sign! Still feel a bit sorry for the ex-husband too!

[Pippa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An honest and tragic book. I wondered why she blamed herself when her experiences obviously happened to so many women at the time and were caused by changing societal standards. (Ug, that's an ugly word!) Don't read this if you don't like books that make you cry. I wouldn't have read it if I'd known how desperately sad it would be.

[Charlotte (Buried in Books) · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of a very small number of books that I gave up reading.

It made me extremely angry, seeing how this woman treated her husband, so completely selfish but then so sorry for herself when it all went wrong.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably only interesting if you've been through a break-up recently. Or perhaps informative for those who never have. Nicely written, easy read. Nothing mind-blowing; we all go through the same crises. Perhaps this is the unmentioned crux of this text.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Impossible to feel moved by the breakdown of a marriage when narrated in such superficial, self-absorbed manner. The whole continuous nome-dropping and globe-trotting served no narrative purpose but to make me cringe at the author's lack of self-awareness. One of the worst books I've ever read.

[Alid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite interesting to start with but then I felt that the author lost her way a bit - metaphorically as well as literally. It's difficult to sympathise with someone over their sad lot in life when they seem to be constantly jetting off around the world meeting the great and the good.

[Annukka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow I expected more from this based on the back-cover. Didn't move me as an autobiography, didn't like the author enough I suppose.