Left on Tenth: A Second Chance at Life

(Hardback)

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A magical memoir from the New York Times bestselling writer about coming back from the brink of cancer and finding love second time around. 'Tender, witty and romantic - there is something so calming about Delia's writing that makes you immediately want to get cosy, slow down and shut off the world for a moment.' - Emma Gannon If you pitched a movie about a woman in her seventies, recently widowed, who reconnects with a man she dated in college, leading to a month's long exchange of emails and the pair falling in love fifty years after their first date, the studio exec would say it's far-fetched. And yet that's exactly what happened to Delia Ephron, writer, bestselling novelist and screenwriter of You've Got Mail. When Delia's beloved first husband Jerry died of cancer after thirty-three years of marriage, she struggled without him. Focusing on the day-to-day, she decided to make one small move forward and cancel Jerry's dedicated landline. This spiralled into days of frustration, prompting Delia to turn to words to process her grief and bewilderment. Her New York Times piece about the woes of customer service caught the eye of Peter, who emailed to commiserate. He was recently widowed himself and reminded Delia that years ago, they had been set up by her sister Nora. Cautiously, Delia replied. Over a few short weeks of email exchanges, Delia realized that she and Peter were soulmates. Months later, still caught up in this whirlwind romance, Delia made another life-changing discovery- she was profoundly sick with cancer. Delia and Peter found true love in their seventies, but their relationship was plagued by the fact that their time together could be cut short. Left on Tenth is the spirited story of a second chance at love, and a heartfelt and miraculous account of life after cancer.

Reviews

A tale of brilliant hope, of heartache and uplift, so refreshing - it is a wonderful read. -- Mariella Frostrup * Times Radio *
A beautiful story of finding love again in your seventies ... a story of giddy highs and suicidal lows.' -- Gwendolyn Smith * i newspaper *
Commendable for its bracingly blunt humour ... A searingly honest memoir of a battle against cancer, and a testament to the sustaining power of love. -- Chloe Walker * Culturefly *
A most anticipated book of 2022 * TIME magazine *
Best Non-fiction for 2022 * Daily Mail *

Author Bio

Delia Ephron is a novelist, screenwriter, essayist, and playwright. Her novels include the best-selling Siracusa; her books of essays and humour include Sister Mother Husband Dog, and How To Eat Like A Child. Her many movie credits include 'You've Got Mail', 'Michael', 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' and 'Hanging Up', based on her novel. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. She lives in New York City.