Oh Dear Silvia cover art

Oh Dear Silvia

The gloriously heartwarming novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of Because of You

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Oh Dear Silvia

By: Dawn French
Narrated by: Beattie Edmondson, Celine Rosa Tan, Dawn French, Gareth Armstrong, Jack Lowden, James Fleet, James McArdle, Jane Collingwood, Llewella Gideon, Maggie Steed, Patrice Naiambana, Pauline McLynn, Ruby Turner
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £8.62

Buy Now for £8.62

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.

Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Comedy Funny Heartfelt Tear-jerking Witty Feel-Good
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

Beautifully observed. Makes you laugh on every page
Hilarious. Chortle-out-loud turns of phrase, razor-sharp observations
Fresh, extremely funny
Really enjoyable and highly recommended. Dawn French is a wonderful writer - witty, wise and poignant
A hilarious and compelling read
All stars
Most relevant
When I started this book I regretted choosing it, as it was very slow, the characters didn't interest me, and I found it irritating.



It got better - and the plot developed, but I probably won't listen to it again. It's an interesting subject to write a book about, but it seemed a bit contrived. The characters were either all good, or all bad ... Except Silvia, who remained an enigma....

Dear Silvia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Excellent novel by Dawn French. I expected a funny book as her last novel was a real side splitter. I was a little perturbed when I first started to listen but soon couldn't stop. Fascinating insight, extremely well written. Thank you again Dawn, excellent.

Thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great variety of characters. It kept me interested throughout including twists and a heartwarming end.

Great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up Oh Dear Silvia in three words, what would they be?

Heartwarming, moving and funny

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jo the sister and her wacky ideas about how to bring her sister back!! Although the cleaner Tia has to be up there too the actress reading does a brilliant job with Sylvia's name! A thief, possibly, and just looking after her bosses interests?

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When Sylvia' husband Ed, describes the wood that he bought it sounded so perfect. And that he'd hope he'd be able to take her there again.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Heartwarmingly moving family tale.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book, you won't be disappointed and you may learn something about life and the people in yours...

A really great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Wow really amazing! So very real felt I was watching a drama without the picture loved all the characters so life like truly a pleasure
thank you

Dawn French oh dear silvia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews