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darleebriar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
poppyjessica's review
5.0
Adam Kay has compiled this celebration of the NHS, a wonderful collection of letters, poems and stories about how this national institution has touched the lives of everyone in this country. The ultimate message of this book is joy, love and hope; I finished it feeling uplifted and proud of all the workers within the NHS who are striving to keep us safe in these awful times. Many entries are hilarious but counterbalanced with some quite hard-hitting stories. When you read about Graham Norton being stabbed as a student, Greg James almost dying as a baby, as told by his mum, and the multiple families ripped apart by cancer, the book really packs a punch. However, it makes some entries look a bit weak (here's looking at you Joanna Lumley). Regardless, the stories which engage the reader far outweigh the less convincing entries, making this book well worth a read.
Whether you take this book in all at once, or dip in and out of the different stories, depends on your capacity to handle the grief of the book's darkest moments. Some of the stories of ailing grandparents hit too close to home for me, particularly the descriptions of those at the end of their lives. Many entries repeatedly remind the reader of their own mortality, quite a heavy burden to ponder for too long at such a draining time. Kay has done a good job of sequencing the stories to bring light and new life to some of the more harrowing contributions.
All in all, this book is 109 chapters of admiration and celebration. Who knew you needed so many stories about childbirth, appendicitis and fingers being cut off in one place! If you love the NHS, read this book and enjoy sharing in the joy and grief it brings, remembering those amazing people who work tirelessly to keep us well. Thank you Adam Kay for such a lovely project.
Whether you take this book in all at once, or dip in and out of the different stories, depends on your capacity to handle the grief of the book's darkest moments. Some of the stories of ailing grandparents hit too close to home for me, particularly the descriptions of those at the end of their lives. Many entries repeatedly remind the reader of their own mortality, quite a heavy burden to ponder for too long at such a draining time. Kay has done a good job of sequencing the stories to bring light and new life to some of the more harrowing contributions.
All in all, this book is 109 chapters of admiration and celebration. Who knew you needed so many stories about childbirth, appendicitis and fingers being cut off in one place! If you love the NHS, read this book and enjoy sharing in the joy and grief it brings, remembering those amazing people who work tirelessly to keep us well. Thank you Adam Kay for such a lovely project.
billyk26's review
5.0
One of the most moving publications of this year, in a time when we’ve needed the NHS more than ever. This had me laughing (Chris O’Dowd, Jack Whitehall) and crying (Dawn French, Benjamin Zephaniah). We are so lucky to have such a wonderful healthcare system that - even with its flaws - is one of the most invaluable services we can ever have in the UK. It’s something that has sometimes been taken for granted or sometimes under-appreciated but we should feel immensely proud of all of those who work in the NHS. One I’ll be reading again and again.
stacevox's review
4.0
Aside from being for a wonderful cause, this book was very heartwarming. The book is a series of short anecdotes, messages, and poems dedicated to our beloved NHS from 100 famous people. If your eyes are rolling when I say famous people, just wait. What this book reveals is how much we in rely on the NHS, most of us are born in it, and most of us will die in it at the very least, and hearing that from the great and the good, rich and famous is a reminder that in the eyes of this wonderful institution and it’s workers, we are all the same. If this pandemic is not enough to stir up your love for the NHS, then this book might help, and together we can make sure than when we come through this we start to hold governments accountable for adequately funding and staffing the lifeblood of our country.
ruth_power's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
We are immensely lucky to have the NHS. It is always there for us, no matter who we are. I enjoyed the stories of how the NHS has been there for these celebrities - some were funny, some sad, some were just a big thank you. Recommend dipping into this book along with reading others as, although they're all vulnerable stories, it does begin to drag because there's so many
laracampbell's review
i feel it would be wrong to give this a star rating as it’s real peoples stories of the NHS and it feels cruel to rate such vulnerable stories out of 5. i enjoyed this, i feel it humanised a lot of celebrities and showed fame cannot fix everyone and at the end of the day, they are just people, and it also showed the NHS in a great light and showed how lucky we are to have it
sarah_kearney's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
kindledspiritsbooks's review
4.0
As England was preparing to enter its second lockdown, this felt like the right book to be reading. It’s a collection of short thank you letters to the NHS, collated by Adam Kay who wrote the fabulous yet devastating This is Going to Hurt. The letters are written by a wide range of celebrities, including Emma Watson, Louis Theroux, Paul McCartney, Malala Yousafzai and Dawn French. Some of the stories they tell are heartbreaking, some are hilarious and each captures the depth of love and gratitude the people of the U.K. feel for the NHS. Proceeds from the sale of this book go to NHS Charities Together and the Lullaby Trust but even if it wasn’t supporting two incredibly worthy causes and still be encouraging you to pick up a copy of this brilliant little book.