Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140029672 ISBN 13: 9780140029673

Publisher: Penguin UK, 1969

When her mother was in the hospital with terminal cancer, Simone had time to reminisce about her mother's early life, as Simone and her sister, Poupette, prepared to face the decision of whether to prolong a life when it is full of suffering. Like most people, they believed that it would be better to die than to continue to suffer, but their mother had a very different view of the matter. Francoise de Beauvoir had finally found happiness in her life, and she truly believed she could find happiness in her own suffering. Considered by many to be the master work by Simone de Beauvoir, A Very Easy Death focuses on death and the other limitations in one's life and with what attitude one approaches them. Through her mother's beauty, her smile, and her pride in her life and in herself, Simone learned that to be human and to have individual choice are the most important aspects of existence.

From the Inside Flap:

A poignant account of her mother's death from cancer.

About the Author:

Simon de Beauvoir (1908-1986) was a French writer and intellectual whose works played an important role in the feminist movement. The main idea underlying all of her writing was the idea of freedom, not only for women but also for each individual, which for her necessarily entailed the idea of responsibility.

Hillary Huber is one of the most successful voice talents in Los Angeles. Recent books read for Blackstone Audio include Him, Her, Him Again, the End of Him by Patricia Marx, A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read, and A Map of Glass by Jane Urquhart.

Patrick O'Brian (1914-2000) was born Richard Patrick Russ in England. During the Second World War, he and his wife were involved in British secret service activities. After the war, he changed his name to Patrick O'Brian and began his career as a novelist, biographer, and translator. He is the author of the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin tales and the biographer of Joseph Banks and Picasso. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Heywood Hill Prize for a lifetime's contribution to literature. In the same year he was awarded the CBE. In 1997 he received an honorary doctorate of letters from Trinity College, Dublin.