Now Is Not the Time for Flowers cover art

Now Is Not the Time for Flowers

What No One Tells You About Life, Love and Loss

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Now Is Not the Time for Flowers

By: Stacey Heale
Narrated by: Stacey Heale
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About this listen

 AS SEEN ON LORRAINE AND FEATURED IN THE TIMES

'Stacey Heale ... has such a muscular take on grief, and her ideas around how we live with profound loss are truly original.' Clover Stroud

When Stacey Heale's husband, Greg, was diagnosed with incurable cancer on their daughter's first birthday, everything changed. She quickly realised how little is spoken about what the harder times in our lives really look like, leaving us lost to navigate the unknown alone.

Confronted with a new life she was not prepared for, Stacey began to untangle the brutal realities of life and death - and the fundamental differences between our expectations and reality.


Now is Not the Time for Flowers is Stacey's unflinchingly beautiful and raw memoir that addresses the big conversations that imminent death dictates, boldly taking the reader on a journey through the full spectrum of our lives and their complexities. Told through vignettes of her own life and the death of her husband, Stacey offers a movingly honest, insightful and humorous account of modern womanhood through the lenses of love, desire, motherhood, death, grief, identity, personal growth and the challenges and questions that our lives force upon us.


Now is Not the Time for Flowers is a powerful call to arms for us to discuss the messy and unexpected truths of our nuanced lives.


'To tell the explicit truths of lives is critical; to refrain from doing so keeps us lonely and isolated. Women are shamed for their emotional natures and their desire to talk so much, so we've shut down these avenues between us. ... To be honest is to show care, for ourselves and others. There is integrity in truth; it is freeing even when it's painful and hard. Sometimes it can land like a blow to the head, but its ripples are in no way as far-reaching as secrets.'©2024 Stacey Heale (P)2024 Bonnier Books UK Grief & Loss Personal Development Relationships Witty Marriage

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All stars
Most relevant  
Stacey is incredibly talented and has such a way with words. I found this so hard to put down. I laughed, winced and sobbed like a baby. There’s many poignant moments, but some that stood out to me when you can hear the agony in Stacey’s voice as she recounts her memories. The respect I have for this woman is insurmountable. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it was to live through this, but then to write about it and read it aloud for the world to hear is just another level. I’m so grateful that she’s shared these vulnerable and beautiful moments.
As someone who struggles with anxiety of death and all it encompasses, this truly was a stunningly written & raw account of the one thing we all struggle to talk about & acknowledge.

I’d recommend this book to EVERYONE!

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I've followed Stacey on Instagram for a while now and eagerly anticipated her new book. The only reason it didn't take me a day to listen to this was because I didn't want it to end! Stacey's memoir is about life, love and loss and had me crying and laughing in equal measure. I just can't recommend this book enough, it's definitely one I know I'll dip back into over time.

WOW, just WOW

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I met Greg and Stacey through my work as a community nurse. Stacey has so beautifully articulated her story of life, love and loss which I’m sure resonates with everyone; which is why I feel this book is so incredibly powerful. Working in palliative care, I often face loved ones of patients who do not know how to feel when facing loss and death. Stacey’s honesty of her own experience absolutely showcases that there is no set way of thinking or feeling, and nobody can tell you otherwise, because it is not their journey and they are not you. There are so many raw and poignant moments that made me smile, laugh, sob and feel immense gratitude, comparable to grief and how we live life after a death. Thank you for your amazing work Stacey, you are incredibly talented.

Raw and real

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Stacey brings truth and reality to the reader in sharing her story and experiences in life and loss. A must read.

Incredible Read

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A raw, honest and incredibly brave memoir. Stacey is such a wonderful storyteller and allows us into her world in such an intimate and utterly brilliant way. This is such an important book. I’m so glad Stacey wrote it.

Incredible power in Stacey’s personal story

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That there is no cure for cancers, the treatment is brutal, that life can be so cruel

Authentic

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Stacey writes beautifully using metaphors and past examples of life as a woman facing the worse news in her life and tackles issues around grief in such a raw stripped back honest and almost unfiltered approach that I found uplifting sad inspiring amusing and shocking . Most of all I felt moved and that’s how I always want to feel reading a book - Thankyou Stacey for being so brave

Delightful messiness

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Absolutely loved this book by Stacey Heale - widow of the late singer/songwriter/guitarist/artist/poet, Greg Gilbert.

It is so sad and had me in tears at times (laughing at others). The author's honesty and great talent in telling a good story with exceptional use of creative language, made the book captivating to the end. A raw account of life with a terminally ill partner and the impact on their family.

Wishing Stacey all the success in the world as she navigates life without her husband 😭

Honest and heartfelt account of life with a terminally ill husband

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A wonderful book, and Stacey’s narration of it just adds a whole new dimension. Congratulations Stacey on the book and thank you for sharing your life and Greg’s death so frankly.
It’s beautiful x

Honest, brave and beautiful writing

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Loved how honest Stacey is with this book. It’s not grief self help guide in the way you would expect but it’s definitely relatable and I think that is down to the candid way Stacey shares her story with the readers.

Honest & Raw

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