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The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting

A powerful memoir of overcoming an eating disorder

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The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting

By: Evanna Lynch
Narrated by: Evanna Lynch
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About this listen

Gradually, I began to feel this dawning awareness that womanhood was coming for me, that it was looming inevitably, and it didn't feel safe.... While those around me tried to expedite it, simulate it, exacerbate it, I tried to strangle it.

A raw and compelling new memoir from actress and activist Evanna Lynch about the battle between perfection and creativity.

Evanna Lynch has long been viewed as a role model for recovering anorexics, and the story of her casting as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films has reached almost mythic proportions. Yet even after recovery, there remains a conflict at the very core of her being: a bitter struggle between the familiar, anesthetising pursuit of perfection and the desire to fully and fearlessly embrace her creativity. In her memoir, Evanna confronts all the complexities and contradictions within herself and reveals how she overcame a life-threatening eating disorder, began to conquer her self-hate and confronted her fear of leaving the neatness and safety of girlhood for the unpredictable journey of being a woman.

Revealing a startlingly accomplished voice, Evanna uses her book to delve into the very heart of a woman's relationship with her own body. Unwilling to let the darkness of her eating disorder eclipse her dreams, but afraid to fully release the certainty and safety of self-destruction, Evanna explores the pivotal moments and choices in her life that led her down the path of creativity and dreaming and away from the empty pursuit of perfection, and reaches towards acceptance of the wild, sensual and unpredictable reality of womanhood. This is a story of the tragedy and the glory of growing up, of mourning girlhood and stepping into the unknown and how that act of courage is the most creatively liberating thing a woman can do.

©2021 Evanna Lynch (P)2021 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Eating Disorders Mental Health Personal Development Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Women Health Memoir Inspiring Funny Heartfelt Witty Thought-Provoking
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Never have I been so moved by a book ! It provided the words and answers I have spent many years struggling to piece together in my own mind. Evanna does some much justice to the story so many have to painfully go through and it is so refreshing to read a book on eating disorders which explore the true pathology of the illness rather than the stats and figures and calories. All I can say is thank you, thank you for your words, kindness, humour and for sharing your story

Life changing

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Thank you for sharing your journey with us it really helped me to understand how it is not about the eating its about the core problem. I hope you think your as amazing as I think you are

inspirational and informative

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So eye opening. Yet full of humour. Incredible strength of character and honesty. I'm so grateful I've read this book right now.

Thank you

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lovely listen, it really made me feel for evanna, I suffer with a ED when I was younger, an it still niggles away in my head. growing up and loving myself was a lesson I had to learn. x wonderfully written book, I highly recommend a listen if you or someone you love struggles with anorexia. x ✨️

touched my heart ❤️

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I'd heard so many good reviews about this that I really want to read it - or in this case listen to it - for myself.

I think anyone who reads this will be a fan of Evanna, and/or the Harry Potter movies so you will know who she is anyway; you may not know she suffered from anorexia nervosa and was hospitalised at the age of 11.

This was a truly heartbreaking but at the same time inspiring, and insightful, account of Evanna's journey through her becoming anorexic and her recovery, her step into the HP world; and yet so much more once she delves deeper. Not just about anorexia in itself, the mental health aspect of it, and life generally, too. The journey into womanhood which can be really difficult.

I probably wouldn't recommend reading it if you're not in a good place mentally as it can be quite tough at points; I had a bad day where I couldn't bring myself to listen to it because it was so heart wrenching.

But at the same time it's beautiful and I didn't want to stop when I was listening (I would recommend that if you can, then listen - Evanna actually recommends this herself in an article I read afterwards!).

This is one that I will remember for a long while, and I'm probably going to purchase a physical copy of it too.

Very touching and emotional

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