We're told women are good at listening, but we rarely examine what they're listening to, what their worlds sound like, or how it feels to be expected to listen in a world of noise made by men. Like so many of us, Alice Vincent had become overwhelmed by the sensory overload punctuating our every moment. And then, a baby's heartbeat arrived. A rapid, pulsing whoosh of white noise. An undeniable rhythm. Once again, Alice's life became cacophonous - both with a new child, but also with the societal pressures that motherhood holds. What followed was a personal quest to rediscover sound as something alive and vital and restorative. Beyond music, Alice's journey takes her into new corners of listening: from the phantom crying heard by mothers across the world to the nightingale's song and the crackle of the _Aurora Borealis_. As our attention spans shrink and our sense of disconnection grows, Alice wants to find out if sound - seeking it, trying to hold on to it, making space for it in her life - can reconnect her not only to lost parts of herself but to a life more consciously lived. _Hark_ is a book for women who feel unheard and a means of listening more deeply in a world that has grown too loud. ALICE VINCENT is a writer. She is the author of four books, including _Why Women Grow_ and _Rootbound: Rewilding a Life_, both longlisted for the Wainwright Prize and named as 'Books of the Year' by the _Financial Times_, _Independent_, _Stylist_ and others. Alice is a columnist for the _Guardian_ and _New Statesman_ and writes for titles including _Vogue_, _Financial Times_ and the _Sunday Times_. She writes _savour_, a newsletter dedicated to the delicious things in life, and hosts the _Why Women Grow_ and _In Haste_ podcasts. She lives in South London.