The Examined Life

I was enthralled… profound and moving, packed large ideas into a slim volume

Lucy Lethbridge, Observer Books of the Year

With deceptive simplicity and gentle wisdom, Grosz teases out a lesson or chases down a fugitive insight. I have distrusted psychoanalysis for years, but I would leap onto Grosz’s couch

James McConnachie, The Sunday Times Books of the Year

This moving book of patient portraits by the psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz will make the reader think of Freud’s keenly observed and literary-minded case studies. Writing with sympathy and insight, Mr Grosz distils 25 years of work into a series of slim, piercing chapters that read like a combination of Chekhov and Oliver Sacks

Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

The success of The Examined Life by the psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz has, I think, relatively little to do with his clinical know-how; it rests, as Freud's did, on his story-telling abilities

Rachel Cooke, Observer

Grosz is a superb storyteller and tells lots of his patients' stories with sensitivity, but also with great acuity. You might keep thinking you recognise things about people you know

William Leith, Evening Standard

A wonderful example of a book that provides a safe space that can be used as a base to explore the less safe

Alex Clark, Guardian

Riveting... Grosz is adept at uncovering the little lies we tell ourselves and he's very perceptive about the potentially positive effects of bad experiences

Daily Telegraph

Because of [Grosz's] skill at getting to the heart of the matter, we forget the distance separating us and become quickly involved in the lives of those he discusses

Mail on Sunday

Absolutely fascinating. You’ll be amateur psychoanalysing yourself and everyone you know

Independent on Sunday

It made me stop and think, and it has stayed with me. Grosz is a superb storyteller and tells lots of his patients' stories with sensitivity, but also with great acuity. You might keep thinking you recognise things about people you know

William Leith, Scotsman

One of the many attributes of a good psychoanalyst is restraint, and Stephen Grosz's first book puts it to graceful, literary use

Talitha Stevenson, Observer

Grosz strikes the right balance of professional detachment and compassion, coupled with humility and self-awareness... The most helpful book I have read in recent months

Juanita Coulson, Lady

A captivating journey... These are universal themes, insights into an emotional world we inhabit, often with equal difficulty. A wonderful book

Sunday Times

A gripping series of tales

Psychologies

The Examined Life is a series of case studies from psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz's 25-year career. They fizz and shimmer with the tension of the finest short story. But they also have a profound vision of the world, which, however distorted it is, makes me examine my own

David Giles, UK Press Syndication

So significant that it should be read by absolutely everyone... A masterpiece of observation and empathy

Georgia Mizen, Upcoming

The Examined Life is a fascinating and original read. It is inspirational and shows how we can learn more about ourselves by exploring our subconscious thoughts and beliefs

Sunday Mail

[Illuminates] the dark recesses of human behaviour with clarity and humanity

Good Book Guide

Thoughtful and surprisingly addictive

Susie Steiner, Metro

Fascinating… Sincere

Emma Norris, Psychologist

Far and away the best non-fiction book this year

Hannah Beckerman, Huffington Post UK (Blog)

Wonderfully rich and insightful

Julian Ovenden, Daily Express

A brilliant read

Nadine O’Regan, Sunday Business Post

Essays true to psychoanalytic principles, but free from jargon; they have the quality of the best short stories.

Lorna Bradbury, Daily Telegraph

Grosz is able to expand out creating universal themes and experiences that makes every chapter personally relevant to the reader. It is a fascinating process that challenges you to reflect honestly about your own experiences… Indeed this is both the perfect book for someone with no psychology background or someone who works in the area… I found this book extremely interesting… I would highly recommend to anyone wanting an interesting and fascinating social science read and it is a book you’ll remember long after reading.

Topic UK

Brilliant…. Grosz is a superb writer, yes, but it is the stories his patients tell him that really make you marvel. An elegant, jargon-free expedition into the secret business of our minds written with such wisdom and kindness… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life out to be given out free at birth

Melissa Katsoulis, The Times

[These] interpretations make fascinating reading, leave you marvelling at the ingenuity of the human subconscious. Grosz’s message is always affirming: if a person can work out what it is that’s driving them, it is possible to change

Mary Crockett, The Scotsman

Excellent… this book arrives like a box of chocolates. Thirty-one elegantly presented chapters which, when you bite into them, each reveals something sweet, rich or crunchy. Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights.

Susanna Rustin, The Guardian

Grosz’s narrative is by turns edifying and moving...tempered by his engaging prose and moments of humour

Trisha Andres, The Financial Times

A rare insight into the life of the psychoanalyst… succeeds in making complex behavioural issues accessible for any reader

Kathryn Gaw, Irish Times

By turns edifying and moving… Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life

Trisha Andres, Financial Times

Enlightening…full of wisdom and insight

Sophie Hannah, Metro

Written with real elegance and a strong sense of structure… several chapters read like powerful short stories

Readers Digest

Elegantly structured and written… Grosz’s book is intensely readable

Jane Shilling, New Statesmen

Grosz is an able writer, engaging, frank and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… a stimulating book

Michael Holroyd, Spectator

I couldn't put this down—I read about other people, but learned about myself at the same time. Real stories can be so much more fascinating than fictional ones, especially with Stephen Grosz. No preaching, no clichés—just wisdom.

Victoria Hislop

Grosz's vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare illuminating fiction... It is this combination of tenacious detective work, remarkable compassion and sheer, unending curiosity for the oddities of the human heart that makes these stories utterly captivating.

Sunday Times

A fine and moving book... The tact, patience and understatement, which are particular components of Grosz’s wisdom, remind the reader that this writer’s insights and empathy result from thousand of hours with patients. This book is not polemical literature… nor is it an academic work or a popular self-help book. It is a true literary work and a very modern one.

Jewish Chronicle

Engaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories… A stimulating book.

The Spectator

The suspense in each chapter is so expert that I had to double check that this wasn’t a work of fiction. Best of all, Grosz manages to give a jargon-free account of how psychoanalysis works

The Week

Intensely readable… As a reminder of the strangeness of human existence, the myriad ways we find of making ourselves unhappy and the perplexing resourcefulness of the unconscious mind, Grosz’s book is a worthwhile addition to the literature of the examined life.

New Statesman

Shaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be... Gradually accumulating through his book, Grosz provides, not a definition, but an enactment of the purpose of psychoanalysis, which is both modest and profound.

Alexander Linklater, Observer

Grosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections... highly recommended

Independent

Modest and profound

Alexander Linklater, Observer

Five star review - an intelligent, human and deeply moving book… Grosz is listening for the unspoken and the gaps in between. His book celebrates change and the triumphs and tragedies of humanity

Jane Clinton, Sunday Express

Exquisitely written casebook

Vantage NW Magazine

Crystal-clear and completely magical...The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders: it shows people trapped by their own mysterious impulses, searching for an escape hatch, and often finding it

Craig Brown, Daily Mail

There are many sage lessons here, backed up by research where necessary…fascinating… Grosz writes lucidly and with sensitivity, treating his patients with respect. The cases are sprinkled with wise reflections…highly recommended

Leylai Sinai, Independent

Grosz’s vignettes are so brilliantly put together that they read like pieces of bare, illuminating fiction. . . utterly captivating

Robert Collins, Sunday Times

Marvellous… After reading [Grosz’s] absorbing accounts of his patients’ journeys you might feel that The Examined Life ought to be given out free at birth

Melissa Katsoulis, The Times

Crystal-clear and completely magical…The Examined Life is a book full of troubles, but also of wonders

Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday

Engaging, frank, and with many penetrating insights. His short, succinct chapters have both the tension and the satisfaction of miniature detective or mystery stories

Michael Holroyd, The Spectator

By turns edifying and moving…Grosz offers astute insights into the perplexities of everyday life

Trisha Andres, Financial Times

[Grosz's accounts] are shaped like short stories, but true and moving in ways that fiction cannot be […] distilled through long examination into finely crafted literary form…

Alexander Linklater, Observer

Grosz’s message is always affirming…it is possible to change

Mark Crockett, The Scotsman

Excellent… Every one of these case histories bears repeating. All offer worthwhile insights

Susanna Rustin, Guardian

Intelligent, human and deeply moving

Jane Clinton, Sunday Express

'Grosz] writes lucidly and with sensitivity… sprinkled with wise reflections… A gem… highly recommended

Leyla Sanai, The Independent

[A] fine and moving book… It is a true literary work and a very modern one…

Anthony Rudolf, Jewish Chronicle

That rarest of pleasures: a book I loved, and could recommend to almost anyone

John Self, Asylum blog

Beautifully unadorned writing... He paints a vivid portrait of his patients

Sunday Business Post