It Ended Badly

Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History

By: Jennifer Wright

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History is a history of heartbreak - replete with beheadings, uprisings, creepy sex dolls, and celebrity gossip - and its disastrously bad consequences throughout time. Spanning eras and cultures from ancient Rome to medieval England to 1950s Hollywood, Jennifer Wright's It Ended Badly guides you through the worst of the worst in historically bad breakups. In the throes of heartbreak, Emperor Nero had just about everyone he ever loved - from his old tutor to most of his friends - put to death. Oscar Wilde's lover, whom he went to jail for, abandoned him when faced with being cut off financially from his wealthy family and wrote several self-serving books denying the entire affair. And poor volatile Caroline Lamb sent Lord Byron one hell of a torch letter and enclosed a bloody lock of her own pubic hair. Your obsessive social media stalking of your ex isn't looking so bad now, is it?

With a wry wit and considerable empathy, Wright digs deep into the archives to bring these 13 terrible breakups to life. She educates, entertains, and really puts your own bad breakup conduct into perspective. It Ended Badly is for anyone who's ever loved and lost and maybe sent one too many ill-considered late-night emails to their ex, reminding us that no matter how badly we've behaved, no one is as bad as Henry VIII.

©2015 Jennifer Wright (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

Just the chapter on Anne Boleyn alone is worth it

What did you love best about It Ended Badly?

The part about how Anne Boleyn reacted to a "breakup." Never thought about it this way before until the author laid it out. Anne Boleyn gets the Nobel Prize in accepting a breakup with grace. She should be remembered in history better than she is for that alone.

What other book might you compare It Ended Badly to and why?

I Don't Care About Your Band. Another delightful collection of breakup stories.

What about Hillary Huber’s performance did you like?

The snark comes across in delightful manner. There was enough snark in the author's original wording to come across in a robot voice, but the narrator really made it come alive.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Don't cry, Sugar--no man is worth it."--Some Like it Hot

Any additional comments?

Love history AND snarky dating/relationship advice books. What a perfect combination!

History CAN BE fun ! Trust me

If you could sum up It Ended Badly in three words, what would they be?

entertaining, engaging and well-researched

What was one of the most memorable moments of It Ended Badly?

The story about Lord Timothy Dexter really had my attention, but it's hard to pick a most memorable moment. To see (hear?) these historical figures exposed about their matters of the heart . . . well, it was fascinating. I enjoyed it start to finish.

Which character – as performed by Hillary Huber – was your favorite?

No favorite character - Hillary Huber did a fine job with narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book made me laugh out loud several times. And maybe scared me a time or two - some folks really can not deal with a break up.

Any additional comments?

A fine romp through history. Ah, . . . tales of LOVE . . LOL

Good Premise, No Animation

First. I liked the story. It was interesting and has sparked my need for more information (which as any writer of historical expose will tell you is the sincerest form of flattery of their work). That said, I would much prefer to read a book like this, with humor embedded in the side notes and anecdotes, and create my own animated voice for the narrator (rather than have the narrator’s nasal, nay almost monotone voice drying it out and not appealing to those of us who find the sound of a “polished society voice”, one without any real inflection bordering on emotion, as abhorrent as the behavior of many of the spurned lovers in this book. I had to force myself not to turn this off until I was embedded in the narrative. And while this voice talent may have been what the audible originals’ talent agents wanted to showcase, for me I would have much preferred a more neurotic, emotional narration to this, which to me always sounded like it was being read by a disinterested party rather than someone invested in the premise of lives lost and denied and the insanity that ensued.
This may well be a personal preference, therefore you will note that my overall rating is still a solid four stars. I only disliked the performance, but the story was wildly entertaining. So my advice, if you love audible humor told with a humorous voice, read this on the page and let your own imagination narrate it as you desire.

Jennifer Wright is so much fun!

After listening to Wright's, "Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them," I had to have more!

Jennifer Wright uses witty sarcasm, snarkiness, and humor to make history memorable and enjoyable. I think it's obvious she clearly enjoys her work.

The book isn't all laughs. There are moments in between chapters where she might talk about life and the lessons we can learn. That love is possible for all.

She is much better however in conveying this concept and more and doesn't over sell it.

I recommend all Jennifer Wright's book's to anyone who likes their history with blunt facts, some outrageously funny and/or possibly horrible anecdotes, with a few bits of bad language and don't forget the witty sarcasm.

I like my history shaken not stirred, dirty with 3 olives...

All in good fun!

The narrator reads just how I picture the author sounds but probably doesn't, still.
Hillary Huber does a great job and gets 5 stars!

This will make you feel better about any breakup.

Has your breakup ever caused a war? No? Then you're doing better than most of the couples featured in this book.

A funny, but also insightful look into some of the biggest breakups in history, spanning the course of thousands of years. While not quite as good as "Get Well Soon", by the same author, this is still a nice easy listen that's guaranteed to make anyone feel a little better about their relationship.

People are insane

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Hillary Hubert was perfect. I felt like I was listening to a close friend tell me juicy gossip over coffee.

Any additional comments?

Jennifer Wright is an amazing author. Everything I have read/listened to of hers is interesting, thought-provoking, entertaining, FUNNY, and educational. I wish I could go back in time and have her write all of my high school history books. History is SCARY, FUNNY, ABSURD and yet most history books are SO BORING. Wright makes history (albeit history revolving around insane love stories) human, relatable and interesting.

More hilarity from Jennifer Wright

On the strength of Get Well Soon, I went looking for Jennifer Wright's other books, and have not been disappointed.  It Ended Badly is characterized by the same dry, offhand, and often gruesome humor as her other work, and kept me chuckling, even at things which really shouldn't have been funny.

If you think you've had a bad break-up, read this book and be grateful that you got ghosted instead of kicked to death while pregnant (Nero and Poppea), or beheaded (Henry VIII and two of his wives), or had your ex's affair smeared all over the popular press (Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, and Liz Taylor.) And also consider that Liz and Debbie, who had been best friends before Fisher, ended up best friends afterward, and Fisher ended up a broke, virtually forgotten drug addict, which is, in my opinion, probably the best possible scenario under the circumstances.  Ovaries before brovaries.

The narrator, Hillary Huber, who I thought couldn't possibly be better than Gabra Zackman who narrated Get Well Soon, was fantastic, more than a match for Wright's sense of the absurd. Jennifer Wright has been fortunate in her readers.

I'm telling you, if you need a lift, and your sense of humor has a dark turn, find a Jennifer Wright book, and savor it.

LOVED

Please make more books like this it was so funny and so fun I devoured it!!! Great narration great story, I feel like I never finish Audible books but this one I couldn't stop!!!

Fun and interesting

If you like snarky history books this one is for you. It's full of interesting (sometimes sad) stories about terrible people and their break ups. The author has a humorous style of writing and it shines here. It's an entertaining, well researched book.

Depends on what you're looking for

I think the divergence in reader reviews reflects the readers' expectations going in. This is a fun, lightly recounted set of stories about disastrous romantic liaisons. Most people I know don't even fully understand their own breakups, nor do the people closest to them agree about what went down. Accordingly, it's silly to expect a real history lesson here, or for book like this to dig deep into the facts. Not all of the jokes land, but it's amusing on the whole. And I appreciate the author's frequent admissions that no one really knows what happened. Enjoy the stories for what they are and learn a little history along the way. And be reminded that love makes us all a tad crazy sometimes.