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Meet Ella

The Dog Who Saved My Life: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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Meet Ella

By: James Middleton
Narrated by: James Middleton
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*A Sunday Times Bestseller *
'Astonishingly raw' DAILY MAIL
'A love letter' THE TIMES

'An unflinching account of how anyone can find themselves in the darkest times, and the healing power of love and friendship.' - Bryony Gordon, Journalist, Podcaster, bestselling author and award-winning mental health campaigner

'It's been a long time since a book has touched me this much. Beautifully written, utterly enchanting, searingly honest and deeply moving' - Peter James, bestselling author and creator of the Superintendent Roy Grace series

'Meet Ella is so profoundly moving. It greatly resonated with me, both personally and professionally, and James' story is written so beautifully, and with such clarity and honesty' - Joanna Cannon, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep

When he was a child, James Middleton wanted nothing more than a dog of his own.

Struggling to connect in the classroom, James would often take off in pursuit of nature and animals - adventuring in the Berkshire countryside, tinkering with rusty farm machinery, performing locum care to injured creatures, and losing himself for hours to the outdoors.

Then, finally, his pleas for a dog (made via handwritten letters to his parents) were answered.

Meet Ella traces the extraordinary bond between James and his beloved first pup, Ella. From their enchanting introduction when James was just twenty and their many expeditions, from Scottish mountain sides to royal weddings, their journey is marked by love, loyalty, and unexpected twists of fate. Ella, the well-mannered and kind-natured companion, accompanied James everywhere, even playing a pivotal role in introducing him to his future wife, Alizee.

But beyond the glamorous veneer of society engagements and entrepreneurial achievements lies a deeply personal account of James' battle with depression. Through unconditional love, Ella emerges as an intuitive friend, reading James' moods and offering solace during his darkest hours, becoming the catalyst for his healing journey, and helping him to see all the good in his life and future.

Touching, honest and life affirming, Meet Ella is both devastating and wonderfully heart-warming. A love letter to man's best friend, and a beacon of hope to anyone struggling through hard times.



Meet Ella was a Sunday Times bestseller in October 2024©2024 James Middleton Dogs Mental Health Pets & Animal Care Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Feel-Good Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

A Sunday Times bestseller
A love letter
Astonishingly raw
All stars
Most relevant
I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates total honesty true life with all its ups and downs rather than read this book I chose to buy and thoroughly enjoyed listening to James reading his own words. The Event take you to the highest of highs and the very lowest of Lowe’s. And somewhere in between.> it touches on reality for both two legged, and four legged in such an honest manner. I will admit it brought me to tears on many many occasions and being an absolute lover of animals especially my dogs black labradors I felt the pain immensely but also enjoyed hearing about the pure joy and love they bring to us…… a fantastic listen

Fantastically Honest, utterly raw and incredibly heartbreaking at times

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A wonderful, personal story with, I’m happy to say, a beautiful ending. Brought back memories of growing up with Lady, our beautiful, gentle family pet.

Love of dogs

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James has had quite a ride in is life. He has had more than his share of ups & downs. I fully understand how the love from Ella helped him keep it all together. The love of a dog is priceless.

Love for Ella

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Sad and made me laugh and made me cry and cry such a wonderful feel to the story being told the heartbreak only dog parents can feel I believe Ella new and held on for you so glad I picked this book 📕 and you choose to use your own voice made it feel alive thank you for sharing 😊

A Must listen to wonderful book 📖

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What a wonderful story. Putting aside the Royal connections – which only serves as an interesting but unintrusive backdrop to this story – James takes you on his journey, from childhood ups and downs, through his Uni years and onto starting his own business. Along the way, in one form or another, he was accompanied by a four-legged friend, the most important of all being Ella, his first that he could call his own, to keep him company through Uni. The journey, the life they lived together was full and rewarding, never more so than when James, for seemingly no reason and from out of nowhere, became depressed, anxious and a loner – his mental health took a drastic nosedive. It was in these times when Ella really came to the fore – and she saved his life.
A heartwarming story full of love, full of highs and lows and searing honesty about mental health and how it can drastically affect not only the one who suffers from it, but all those around, too. Thanks to Ella, James came through it, and I think this story will give comfort and strength to many, like me, who have had similar struggles along life’s unpredictable road.

And this story reaffirms my belief that we humans are truly unworthy of the absolute love, loyalty and companionship Dogs afford us – but by god are we thankful of it.

Touching - honest - insightful - sad - hopeful.

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