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beccajreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Ableism, and Excrement
glory317's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
A thoroughly engaging, and often surprisingly entertaining, account of the authors adjustment to life as a tetraplegic after a horse riding accident.
Definitely makes you think about your privilege and how often disability is overlooked, looked down upon or just ignored in day to day society.
Definitely makes you think about your privilege and how often disability is overlooked, looked down upon or just ignored in day to day society.
kalkie's review
3.0
This is a hard book to review.
I’ve read some autobiographies that are very similar to this. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” by Jean-Dominique Bauby and “The Little Big Things” by Henry Fraser immediately spring to mind. In both cases the authors suffered extensive life changing injuries and their books told the story of their struggles. Not dissimilar to Reid’s book. But whereas both Bauby and Fraser were charismatic and inspiring, I found Reid to be prickly and abrasive.
I think a lot of that is to do with a shell she has built up around herself - possibly to protect her reputation as a journalist. But the result for me was a kind of detached telling of her story, with bits that were repeated in an almost disbelieving kind of way. As if repeating things multiple times may change the outcome. This is most likely due to the book being an extension of her “day job” as a writer, whereas the other books I mentioned have probably been written more as reflective therapy and are a bit more personal.
That said, where we did see glimpses of her emotion and humanity you really did get a sense of the person underneath all the anger. And I am not for one second taking away anything to do with the utter tragedy of her accident or how hard she has worked on her recovery. I have had up close, personal experience of the recovery involved in a traumatic brain injury, and I can only imagine how hard Reid has had to work to overcome her even more extensive injuries.
It’s a very readable book and I did enjoy it and hope that Reid continues to improve every day.
I’ve read some autobiographies that are very similar to this. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” by Jean-Dominique Bauby and “The Little Big Things” by Henry Fraser immediately spring to mind. In both cases the authors suffered extensive life changing injuries and their books told the story of their struggles. Not dissimilar to Reid’s book. But whereas both Bauby and Fraser were charismatic and inspiring, I found Reid to be prickly and abrasive.
I think a lot of that is to do with a shell she has built up around herself - possibly to protect her reputation as a journalist. But the result for me was a kind of detached telling of her story, with bits that were repeated in an almost disbelieving kind of way. As if repeating things multiple times may change the outcome. This is most likely due to the book being an extension of her “day job” as a writer, whereas the other books I mentioned have probably been written more as reflective therapy and are a bit more personal.
That said, where we did see glimpses of her emotion and humanity you really did get a sense of the person underneath all the anger. And I am not for one second taking away anything to do with the utter tragedy of her accident or how hard she has worked on her recovery. I have had up close, personal experience of the recovery involved in a traumatic brain injury, and I can only imagine how hard Reid has had to work to overcome her even more extensive injuries.
It’s a very readable book and I did enjoy it and hope that Reid continues to improve every day.
isering's review against another edition
3.0
Heavy-going. Reid revisits her experience breaking her neck in a riding accident, being in hospital, improving, getting worse, what it's like being in a wheelchair, riding, etc. A touch on the long side. At the outset, she thinks, "I should write about this, it's so fascinating". But the book doesn't feel like she's fascinated - understandably, she's quite bored of e.g. not reaching things, needing assistance. The NHS comes out quite well.
hanshailmary's review against another edition
4.0
love love love. 4.5 stars, so insightful, so profound and thought provoking.
june_englit_phd's review against another edition
2.0
This is a moving account of The Times journalist, Melanie Reid, and her rehabilitation following a horse-riding accident that left her paralysed (except for her right hand). Reid describes her inner monologue as she is initially admitted to hospital, the scary prospect of facing the rest of her life in a wheelchair, and the long and painful physiotherapy sessions she endured. Within the text, Reid has supplied black and white photographs which show images as diverse as her in action show-jumping, to her broken limbs and anatomical drawings. Peppered amongst the personal and poignant reality of her situation, are some comic character descriptions of fellow patients, of her own mishaps during convalescence, and her humorous struggle with reality versus the potent effects of Tramadol.
It’s an interesting and enjoyable read. Reid’s conversational tone draws you into her turmoil allowing for the reader to sympathise fully with her. Well worth reading.
It’s an interesting and enjoyable read. Reid’s conversational tone draws you into her turmoil allowing for the reader to sympathise fully with her. Well worth reading.