Oh Dear Silvia: The gloriously heartwarming novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of Because of You

· Penguin · Narrated by Dawn French, Beattie Edmondson, Celine Rosa Tan, Gareth Armstrong, Jack Lowden, James Fleet, James McArdle, Jane Collingwood, Llewella Gideon, Maggie Steed, Patrice Naiambana, Pauline McLynn, and Ruby Turner
5 reviews
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9 hr 20 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook

Dawn French, number one bestelling author of A Tiny Bit Marvellous and one of Britain's best loved comic writers, returns with Oh Dear Silvia, a darkly comic pageturner that will have you hanging on her every word.

Who is in Coma Suite Number 5?

A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless martyr? A bad mother? A cherished sister? A selfish wife?

All of these. For this is Silvia Shute who has always done exactly what she wants. Until now, when her life suddenly, shockingly stops.

Her past holds a dark and terrible secret, and now that she is unconscious in a hospital bed, her constant stream of visitors are set to uncover the mystery of her broken life. And she must lie there, victim of the beloveds, the borings, the babblings and the plain bonkers.

Like it or not, the truth is about to pay Silvia a visit. Again, and again and again...

Oh Dear Silvia is the brand new novel from one of Britain's most loved comic writers and the number one bestselling author of A Tiny Bit Marvellous.

Praise for Dawn French:

'Extremely funny' Sunday Times

'A fantastic slam-dunk pageturner' Mail on Sunday

Dawn French has been making people laugh for thirty years. On purpose. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country's most long running, cherished and celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, The Comic Strip Presents. . ., Murder Most Horrid, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, Lark Rise to Candleford, and more recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In.

Her bestselling memoir, Dear Fatty, was published to critical acclaim in 2008. Her first novel, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, was also a great success, going straight to No.1.

Dawn French, number one bestelling author of A Tiny Bit Marvellous and one of Britain's best loved comic writers, returns with Oh Dear Silvia, a darkly comic pageturner that will have you hanging on her every word. Who is in Coma Suite Number 5? A matchless lover? A supreme egotist? A selfless ma...

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Ratings and reviews

5 reviews
Kitty Pole
November 30, 2025
At first I thought what relevance this book would be for me and I was pleasantly surprised. It is not a happy book unlike other books written by Dawn French. I had faith in the fact that she wrote it that it would be good and I wasn't disappointed. You feel like you are with the family in their loss and saying goodbye to a family member. As someone who has been at death beds of strangers, it rang so true of every goodbye. It appropriately follows the different grieving journey of each of the characters and how there is an unspoken connection at the end. Do not read this book if you are expecting a comedy because it is not, although there's comedic moments looking back on someone's life. You feel drawn into the families journey and you empathize with them all. It is refreshing to have a book about the end of someone's life and it not being about how wonderful someone was. In contrast it looks at how damaging Sylvia was and how that effected everyone.
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Theresa Wall
May 16, 2023
Well written ,captivating, great characters, funny and sad great book
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Joanne Hunn (JOH)
November 2, 2023
brilliant.
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About the author

Dawn French has been making people laugh for 30 years. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country's most long-running and celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, and more recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In. Her first three novels, A Tiny Bit Marvellous, Oh Dear Silvia and According to YES, are all Sunday Times bestsellers.
Dawn French has been making people laugh for 30 years. As a writer, comedian and actor, she has appeared in some of this country's most long-running and celebrated shows, including French and Saunders, The Vicar of Dibley, Jam and Jerusalem, and more recently, Roger and Val Have Just Got In. Her ...

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