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A Hymn to Life
- Author
- Gisèle Pelicot
- Narrator
- Emma Thompson
- Publisher
- Random House
- Publish Date
- 17 February 2026
- Run Time
- 7 hours 24 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Memoirs, True stories of survival of abuse and injustice, Sexual abuse and harassment, Feminism and feminist theory
- Rating
- 5.0 (10 reviews)
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What to expect
The sexual assault that rocked the world. A courageous woman’s rallying call for ‘shame to change sides’. For the very first time, Gisèle Pelicot tells her story.
Narrated by Academy Award winning actress Dame Emma Thompson.
*A BEST BOOK OF 2026 FOR THE OBSERVER, TELEGRAPH, GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY MIRROR, IRISH TIMES, GQ, LIT HUB, BBC AND MORE.*
One November day, Gisèle Pelicot was called to a local police station and life as she knew it ended. Her husband of fifty years had been caught by a supermarket guard filming up women’s skirts. But on his computer was shattering evidence: for nearly a decade, he had been secretly drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to abuse her.
Four years later, he and fifty other men were put on trial and Gisèle’s courage in waiving her right to anonymity made global headlines. ‘Shame must change sides,’ she declared, giving voice and hope to millions. Her words became a rallying cry and her decision marked a turning point in public feeling about sexual violence.
For the first time, and with unwavering honesty and grace, she describes a difficult childhood, first love, her career and motherhood. It is a life in determined search of happiness, both before and after her devastating discovery. She is an ordinary person who faces extraordinary catastrophe, whose example changes the world.
Ultimately, Gisèle Pelicot emerges with a renewed passion and reverence for living, and for love. A Hymn to Life is an unforgettable testament and promise: that victims have no reason to feel ashamed; that even after unimaginable betrayal we can go on; and that colour will always return to life.
'Extraordinary … inspires courage and compassion, but also, crucially, demands change' EMMA THOMPSON
'This is quite something – a really brave, honest and heart-rending memoir' SARAH JESSICA PARKER
‘A Hymn to Life is novelistic and resounds with grace … An extraordinary achievement’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘A unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power’ GUARDIAN
© Gisèle Pelicot 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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Extraordinary … vibrates with necessity … A Hymn to Life is novelistic and resounds with grace. The language is precise and vivid; the story reverberates with echoes and patterns … an extraordinary achievement … There is beauty, love, hope. And there is rage, loss and fear of the void beneath her feet ... Many could be enriched by this alertly human account of 70 years of life. Here is a perspective that is full, candid and instructive
Financial Times
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Extraordinarily courageous … what makes it so compelling is that it shows what happens when an atomic bomb of cruelty erupts within a seemingly normal family … Her modest humility makes her courage all the more impressive
The Times
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A unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power … alive with the kind of detail that wouldn’t look out of place in a good novel ... Pelicot's riveting account of her ordeal refuses to conform to any agenda but her own
Guardian
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Gisèle's humility and courage elevates A Hymn to Life ... What makes it so compelling is that it shows what happens when an atomic bomb of cruelty erupts within a seemingly normal family … The book's translators, Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver, have done an excellent job of capturing Pelicot’s tone of determined control and occasional broken anguish
Sunday Times *Book of the Week*
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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Extraordinary … a powerful tale of a mighty woman
Daily Telegraph
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An emblem of resilience for women everywhere
Vogue
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The bravest woman in the world ... A powerful and devastating memoir
Daily Mirror
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[A Hymn to Life] is gripping, it is heart-breaking, it is beautifully written
New York Times
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Stunning, admirable
Elle
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A Hymn to Life is a reminder of organised narrative’s simple power ... Replete with details of modest domesticity in modern France, A Hymn to Life is also a rousing feminist manifesto ... It seeks a proper transfer of shame from sex-crime victims to their perpetrators, and the perpetrators’ enablers
New York Times Book Review
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
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5.0 5.0
A truly deserved 5 stars from me. The way you have bravely explained and navigated this horrific ordeal is most honourable. Emma Thompson reads it with dignity and grace. I highly recommend this audio book, although like Gisele have so many questions as to why a man/the men could treat a woman like this. I hope Gisele finds peace and true love with her new partner.
JennyMason 2026-07-13 -
5.0 5.0
Clear, honest and genuine.
What an incredible life, what an incredible woman. She explains grief in her childhood perfectly and how she dealt with what happened to her is something she should be so proud of.Pammy1962 2026-03-31 -
5.0 5.0
I couldn't stop listening to this. Gisèlle Pelicot came to the attention of the world through the trial of her husband and 50 other men for drugging and raping her. Her dignified conduct made her an icon for women and her insistence that shame should be carried by the perpetrators of rape rather than the victims is inspiring. This account fills in the back story of her and her husband's families. It's a story of sadness, abuse and survival, and yet, as the title signals, she wants not to be remembered as a victim and has found life. This is a remarkable story of a remarkable woman.
Emma Thompson's narration is brilliant. Giselle writes about having to restrain her emotions in public, and this comes through in a narration which is sympathetic but not over-emotional.
I only just discovered Xigxag and this was my first book. It's a really user-friendly app with an amazing range of titles, so thank you: I will be back!Alison A 2026-03-25 -
5.0 5.0
Emma Thompson’s reading is outstanding and it helps that she can pronounce the French place names. The story is well told and deserves to be heard.
berylb 2026-02-26
Details
- Author
- Gisèle Pelicot
- Narrator
- Emma Thompson
- Duration
- 7 hours 24 minutes
- Release Date
- 17 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529970081
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Random House
- Genre
- Memoirs, True stories of survival of abuse and injustice, Sexual abuse and harassment, Feminism and feminist theory
- Rating
- 5.0(10 reviews)
- Narration
- 5.0(10 reviews)
Synopsis
The sexual assault that rocked the world. A courageous woman’s rallying call for ‘shame to change sides’. For the very first time, Gisèle Pelicot tells her story.Narrated by Academy Award winning actress Dame Emma Thompson.*A BEST BOOK OF 2026 FOR THE OBSERVER, TELEGRAPH, GUARDIAN, FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY MIRROR, IRISH TIMES, GQ, LIT HUB, BBC AND MORE.*One November day, Gisèle Pelicot was called to a local police station and life as she knew it ended. Her husband of fifty years had been caught by a supermarket guard filming up women’s skirts. But on his computer was shattering evidence: for nearly a decade, he had been secretly drugging and raping her and inviting dozens of strangers into their home to abuse her.Four years later, he and fifty other men were put on trial and Gisèle’s courage in waiving her right to anonymity made global headlines. ‘Shame must change sides,’ she declared, giving voice and hope to millions. Her words became a rallying cry and her decision marked a turning point in public feeling about sexual violence.For the first time, and with unwavering honesty and grace, she describes a difficult childhood, first love, her career and motherhood. It is a life in determined search of happiness, both before and after her devastating discovery. She is an ordinary person who faces extraordinary catastrophe, whose example changes the world.Ultimately, Gisèle Pelicot emerges with a renewed passion and reverence for living, and for love. A Hymn to Life is an unforgettable testament and promise: that victims have no reason to feel ashamed; that even after unimaginable betrayal we can go on; and that colour will always return to life.'Extraordinary … inspires courage and compassion, but also, crucially, demands change' EMMA THOMPSON'This is quite something – a really brave, honest and heart-rending memoir' SARAH JESSICA PARKER‘A Hymn to Life is novelistic and resounds with grace … An extraordinary achievement’ FINANCIAL TIMES‘A unique memoir by a figure of astonishing power’ GUARDIAN© Gisèle Pelicot 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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