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marinaclarke953's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
This has a very deep and informative read about how it is to work within the nhs
patiolinguist's review against another edition
5.0
All facets of life (and death) are here. Tender, honest, moving. Loved it more than I expected.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Bawled my eyes out... repeatedly... warts-and-all nursing tales.
Watson has already written (award-winning) fiction, and at the time of writing this is no longer in a nursing occupation. I have read and enjoyed the genre before - Confessions of a GP, Call the Midwife, Nee-Naw, the behind-the-scenes of the medical and emergency service worlds. It's a world I could never cope with, I know that.
And reading this, I am reminded why. Watson takes us through almost sequentially, from her adolescent leaps into various jobs until finding a niche and a purpose as a nurse. She then takes us through themes and cases, as she moves into more senior posts and looks critically at the medical teams around her.
The hard and emotional cases of illnesses, accidents and deaths are handled with a certain detached ease, though this made me cry all the harder, I have to say.
I did find a few problems with the writing - one child mentioned seems to switch names several times in one paragraph, I just couldn't understand who I was reading about. And several times, a patient is mentioned then brought up again but in more detail, which I thought unnecessary. It marred the flow.
Some issues I cheered to see raised (organ donation, the treatment of the elderly, private wards), others (religion and spirituality) I accepted as a necessary part of many staff/patients' lives, though death is a key factor in nursing. Some discussion of the NHS's funding problems would have fitted in well, it could have been written around the nurse's described duties and frustrations.
I also enjoyed seeing so much of the theories of nursing covered, very interesting for the layperson.
This really is an emotional read, it is powerful and heartfelt but so very, very upsetting.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy, provided for review purposes.
Watson has already written (award-winning) fiction, and at the time of writing this is no longer in a nursing occupation. I have read and enjoyed the genre before - Confessions of a GP, Call the Midwife, Nee-Naw, the behind-the-scenes of the medical and emergency service worlds. It's a world I could never cope with, I know that.
And reading this, I am reminded why. Watson takes us through almost sequentially, from her adolescent leaps into various jobs until finding a niche and a purpose as a nurse. She then takes us through themes and cases, as she moves into more senior posts and looks critically at the medical teams around her.
The hard and emotional cases of illnesses, accidents and deaths are handled with a certain detached ease, though this made me cry all the harder, I have to say.
I did find a few problems with the writing - one child mentioned seems to switch names several times in one paragraph, I just couldn't understand who I was reading about. And several times, a patient is mentioned then brought up again but in more detail, which I thought unnecessary. It marred the flow.
Some issues I cheered to see raised (organ donation, the treatment of the elderly, private wards), others (religion and spirituality) I accepted as a necessary part of many staff/patients' lives, though death is a key factor in nursing. Some discussion of the NHS's funding problems would have fitted in well, it could have been written around the nurse's described duties and frustrations.
I also enjoyed seeing so much of the theories of nursing covered, very interesting for the layperson.
This really is an emotional read, it is powerful and heartfelt but so very, very upsetting.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy, provided for review purposes.
ametakinetos's review against another edition
4.0
A well-balanced blend of personal anecdotes, medical expertise, nursing theory, and philosophy. Watson writes with a bleeding heart, honest and beautiful as she summarizes her 20 years in the NHS. I would highly recommend to all in the health care profession or wondering at the sacrifices their care teams make on the daily.
pam2375's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wonderful memoir of nurse Christie Watson. She takes us through her life as a nurse and gives us a snipit of behind the scenes in a hospital. It is a very touching and heartfelt story of a woman that put her patients and their families first and the toll it has taken on her.
Many thanks to netgalley and Tim Duggan Books for this advanced readers copy.
Many thanks to netgalley and Tim Duggan Books for this advanced readers copy.
almondcookies's review against another edition
2.0
I’m a monster for giving this book such a low rating.
This is a really difficult one, because there were definitely parts that I enjoyed, but I also really disliked many points at the same time. Watson’s stories have the potential to be one of those ‘it changed my life forever’ books, but ultimately she wasn’t able to deliver it in a way that created a lasting impact.
Watson sheds light into the trying world of nursing and being a medical professional. Her book encompasses two major things:
1) her personal experiences and stories/interactions with her patients
2) factual theory: history of medicine/certain illnesses; specific procedures/illnesses; practices in the UK and overseas etc.
Unfortunately, I whilst I enjoyed the former, I really didn’t care for the later.
The factual theory did not appeal to me at all. I assume that Watson does this to give background and context to certain medical things, which I appreciate. However, it is done to an extreme extent, to the point it seemed like it was to fill word count rather than add to the story. I can’t lie, it read like a text book in some places.
I thought her personal experiences were great, in that we really see things from her point of view and understand her mindset behind certain things, such as why she got into nursing in the first place, or the nurse she shadowed and the impact of her first mentor. However, this was ultimately a let down because Watson slips in snippets of her personal life, which sparks interest, but doesn’t expand on it, for example, the Viennetta Eating Consultant who she ends up marrying but doesn’t go into any detail behind that - it’s simply told to us as a fact in passing. In addition, because this isn’t in chronological order (or any order it seems) the story didn’t flow and it was difficult to piece together all the pieces. Ultimately it felt like I was reading a non chronological report summary of certain points in her life, rather than a biography of her experiences and what moved her.
I did expect this book to be uplifting, but the depressing stories far outweighed the positive ones - it was a very bleak and difficult read, to the extent it took me over a week to finish this. Maybe that’s the reality of life in the NHS, and maybe that just goes to show that the headspace you’re in when reading a book really does affect your enjoyment of it.
This is a really difficult one, because there were definitely parts that I enjoyed, but I also really disliked many points at the same time. Watson’s stories have the potential to be one of those ‘it changed my life forever’ books, but ultimately she wasn’t able to deliver it in a way that created a lasting impact.
Watson sheds light into the trying world of nursing and being a medical professional. Her book encompasses two major things:
1) her personal experiences and stories/interactions with her patients
2) factual theory: history of medicine/certain illnesses; specific procedures/illnesses; practices in the UK and overseas etc.
Unfortunately, I whilst I enjoyed the former, I really didn’t care for the later.
The factual theory did not appeal to me at all. I assume that Watson does this to give background and context to certain medical things, which I appreciate. However, it is done to an extreme extent, to the point it seemed like it was to fill word count rather than add to the story. I can’t lie, it read like a text book in some places.
I thought her personal experiences were great, in that we really see things from her point of view and understand her mindset behind certain things, such as why she got into nursing in the first place, or the nurse she shadowed and the impact of her first mentor. However, this was ultimately a let down because Watson slips in snippets of her personal life, which sparks interest, but doesn’t expand on it, for example, the Viennetta Eating Consultant who she ends up marrying but doesn’t go into any detail behind that - it’s simply told to us as a fact in passing. In addition, because this isn’t in chronological order (or any order it seems) the story didn’t flow and it was difficult to piece together all the pieces. Ultimately it felt like I was reading a non chronological report summary of certain points in her life, rather than a biography of her experiences and what moved her.
I did expect this book to be uplifting, but the depressing stories far outweighed the positive ones - it was a very bleak and difficult read, to the extent it took me over a week to finish this. Maybe that’s the reality of life in the NHS, and maybe that just goes to show that the headspace you’re in when reading a book really does affect your enjoyment of it.
lydixmay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Really important read. Deeply inspiring and touching. Beautiful depiction of the mix of hope and sadness