BLOG TOUR: The Key - Kathryn Hughes

Today I'm taking part in the blog tour for The Key by Kathryn Hughes.  This is an absolutely breathtaking book that I will remember for a very long time.  You can read my review below and you can also click here to read an extract comprising the prologue that made me gasp out loud and chapter one set in 2006.

1956

It's Ellen Crosby's first day as a student nurse at Ambergate County Lunatic Asylum. When she meets a young woman committed by her father, and a pioneering physician keen to try out the various 'cures' for mental illness, little does Ellen know that a choice she will make is to change all their lives for ever...

2006

Sarah is drawn to the abandoned Ambergate Asylum. Whilst exploring the old corridors she discovers a suitcase belonging to a female patient who was admitted fifty years earlier. The shocking contents lead Sarah to unravel a forgotten story of tragedy, lost love and an old wrong that only she may have the power to put right . . .

What did I think?

I was a late entrant to join The Key blog tour and I thought that I would struggle to read the book in the time given, but I couldn't have been more wrong.  No sooner had I picked the book up than I was wiping my eyes after turning the final page.  Kathryn Hughes is such a talented author that she effortlessly weaves so much emotion into the pages that even the coldest heart can't fail to be moved.

The prologue is set in 1956 with an attempted dual suicide and murder that made me gasp out loud, but we are teasingly left dangling for quite a few chapters before we pick up this thread again.  As we meet Sarah in 2006 we discover the abandoned Ambergate Lunatic Asylum and Sarah is determined to tell its story through a book she is writing.  Sarah befriends a homeless young man who is sheltering in the asylum and the pair investigate the empty corridors and empty rooms together.  One day they stumble across the attic filled with suitcases and one suitcase in particular is like opening the wardrobe door to Narnia as we glimpse into the past of 1956.

Student Nurse Ellen Crosby is very empathetic and wants to make a difference; her outspoken views often get her into trouble with the sister and the doctor, but I loved her standing up to them to get her point across.  Ellen is drawn to Amy Sullivan who is admitted on the same day that Ellen started at Ambergate and is the same age as her.  Amy's story is terribly tragic and her misery is compounded as each day of her incarceration in Ambergate passes.  In 2006, Sarah traces Amy via Ellen and the whole heartbreaking story is revealed.

I had to brush a few tears away whilst reading The Key; the pain and suffering must have been immense for the men and women forced into institutions, many of them as sane as  you or I.  It's quite shocking to think that places such as Ambergate Asylum actually existed.  Thank goodness for Enoch Powell, then Minister of Health, who promised to close many of these asylums in his 'water tower' speech delivered in 1961.  

The Key is a completely heart-wrenching and poignant story that left me completely powerless to prevent my eyes blurring with tears as the story unfolded.  It reminded me of the TV show Long Lost Families as my happiness for the characters at the end of the book was coupled with a lone tear trickling down my face.  It's a beautifully written novel, inspired by the real-life discovery of a room filled with suitcases in a derelict asylum in Willard, New York.  In addition to reading The Key, it's well worth visiting the Willard Suitcases website to read more about this amazing story.  I definitely won't forget The Key anytime soon.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon


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With the End in Mind - Kathryn Mannix

In this unprecedented book, palliative medicine pioneer Dr Kathryn Mannix explores the biggest taboo in our society and the only certainty we all share: death.

Told through a series of beautifully crafted stories taken from nearly four decades of clinical practice, her book answers the most intimate questions about the process of dying with touching honesty and humanity. She makes a compelling case for the therapeutic power of approaching death not with trepidation but with openness, clarity and understanding.

With the End in Mind is a book for us all: the grieving and bereaved, ill and healthy. Open these pages and you will find stories about people who are like you, and like people you know and love. You will meet Holly, who danced her last day away; Eric, the retired head teacher who, even with Motor Neurone Disease, gets things done; loving, tender-hearted Nelly and Joe, each living a lonely lie to save their beloved from distress; and Sylvie, 19, dying of leukaemia, sewing a cushion for her mum to hug by the fire after she has died.

These are just four of the book’s thirty-odd stories of normal humans, dying normal human deaths. They show how the dying embrace living not because they are unusual or brave, but because that’s what humans do. By turns touching, tragic, at times funny and always wise, they offer us illumination, models for action, and hope. Read this book and you’ll be better prepared for life as well as death.

What did I think?

I'd heard a lot about With the End in Mind so I was thrilled to win a copy in a Goodreads giveaway.  I like to read a non-fiction book now and again, and what a great choice this was.  It is the perfect book to dip in and out of, in fact I recommend reading only one chapter at a time.  This way you can fully appreciate each story as, the way it is so warmly written by Kathryn Mannix, each person is brought to life so magnificently that I needed a few moments to get over the pain of their loss as their chapter ended.

Before reading, I didn't realise that Kathryn Mannix was a consultant at the RVI in Newcastle, but there were little regional hints in the book that led me to google her.  The warmth, vigour and resilience of the North Easteners is evident in the book as we read about some amazing people who Kathryn has helped as they commenced their final journey.  The writing is so soothing, warm and respectful that it easily draws you into each person's story and I felt so honoured to get a glimpse into such personal moments in a person's life.  

Although it is a difficult subject, as nobody wants to admit their own mortality, With the End in Mind is very easy to read and takes the fear out of dying.  The book is written in 6 sections: Patterns, My Way, Naming Death, Looking Beyond the Now, Legacy and Transcendence.  Within each section there are some very imaginative, often musical, chapter titles and I take my hat off to Kathryn Mannix for coming up with them.  Each section starts with an introduction, then there are a few stories of actual cases before the section finishes off with Pause for Thought, leaving us with a thought-provoking summary.

I don't know about you, but when I think of death I imagine gasping for breath and feeling pain before suddenly expiring, but now I know that is not the case.  It's a sobering and emotional book; I read some stories with tears rolling down my face but not necessarily with sadness as I couldn't help but smile at the strength and character of the wonderful people in the book.  Kathryn Mannix has written a very fitting testament to so many remarkable people and has taught me not to be afraid of saying the 'D' word.

With the End in Mind is a recommended read for people of all ages, religions and beliefs.  I'm not going to part with my copy, it is a book I can see myself turning to for comfort when I need it, but also to read the amazing stories again when I need a little boost of strength or courage.  Although death is not everyone's preferred reading matter, I urge you to read this outstanding book which, to me, is more about the amazing gift of life than the finality of death.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Don't Wake Up - Liz Lawler

Alex Taylor wakes up tied to an operating table. The man who stands over her isn't a doctor.

The choice he forces her to make is utterly unspeakable.

But when Alex re-awakens, she's unharmed - and no one believes her horrifying story. Ostracised by her colleagues, her family and her partner, she begins to wonder if she really is losing her mind.

And then she meets the next victim.

So compulsive you can't stop reading.

So chilling you won't stop talking about it.

Don't Wake Up is a dark, gripping psychological thriller with a horrifying premise and a stinging twist . . .

What did I think?

There is an abundance of psychological thrillers out there with the emphasis on police procedures, so Don't Wake Up was something so completely different as it was set in a hospital.  I was not surprised to learn that Liz Lawler had a long-standing career as a nurse as this was so procedurally accurate that I felt as if I was in the hospital at times.

Alex is a popular doctor in a busy A&E department, but one evening as she leaves work to meet her boyfriend she finds herself on an operating table.  With her legs in stirrups she feels violated but then next thing she knows she is found fully dressed in the car park so nobody believes her story.  When another apparent victim appears in casualty, Alex knows she didn't imagine what happened to her but more and more evidence seems to point at Alex being unhinged and dangerous.  Something happened in Alex's past that she doesn't like to talk about but it might just hold the key as to the identity of the person who has set out to destroy Alex.

Don't Wake Up is a really enjoyable, fast-paced medical thriller.  Alex is a character that you can see falling apart in front of your eyes and, as a reader, you are helpless to stop it.  I wanted to shout: 'I believe you, Alex!' as she felt so very alone.  I could have given her boyfriend, Patrick, a good slap as he doesn't even hide the fact that he doesn't believe her.  What a detestable man - as a vet, I do hope he was kinder to animals than he was to someone he was supposed to love.  It just shows what great characters Liz Lawler has created to make me display such feelings.

If you're looking for a different thriller, I'd definitely recommend Don't Wake Up, although I definitely wouldn't give it to somebody to read whilst in hospital.  

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Angels of Lovely Lane (Lovely Lane #1) - Nadine Dorries

It is 1953 and five very different girls are arriving at the nurses' home in Lovely Lane, Liverpool, to start their training at St Angelus Hospital.

Dana has escaped from her family farm on the west coast of Ireland. Victoria is running away from a debt-ridden aristocratic background. Beth is an army brat and throws her lot in with bitchy Celia Forsyth. And Pammy has come from quite the wrong side of the tracks in Liverpool.

The world in which they now find themselves is complicated and hierarchical, with rules that must be obeyed. Everyone has their place at St Angelus and woe betide anyone who strays from it.

But when an unknown girl is admitted, after a botched late abortion in a backstreet kitchen, a tragedy begins to unfold which will rock the world of St Angelus to its foundations.

What did I think?

Although I do tend to call this type of book a "Mammy's book", I did rather enjoy my first Nadine Dorries book, Ruby Flynn, so I had no qualms about reading another and hopping on the blog tour bus.  I didn't enjoy this one as much as Ruby Flynn, but I think anybody who likes a Liverpool family saga type book will absolutely love it.

The book starts in Liverpool in 1940 with Emily Haycock returning home to her sick mother, dreaming of one day becoming a St Angelus nurse.  As the air-raid sirens sound, Emily is near the docks with her heavily pregnant neighbour, Maisie Tanner.  As the bombs fall Emily worries about her family and as the sun rises on a new day, life will never be the same for Emily.

Twelve years later, Emily is Nursing Director at St Angelus Hospital and keen to keep her lowly origins hidden from the high and mighty consultants and snooty Matron.  When a new bunch of trainee nurses arrive at St Angelus, Emily keeps her eye on Pammy Tanner, the baby that Maisie was carrying on that fateful night in the air-raid shelter.  Pammy makes friends with Dana Brogan, a farm girl from Ireland, and Victoria Baker, a rich girl from an aristocratic family.  These unlikely friends form a strong alliance as they stick together to help each other pass their training and become Angels of Lovely Lane.

The NHS was formed in 1948 and it was really interesting to read about the resistance to this new regime, that I'm sure was very true to life.  As changes and improvements were made to medicine, the old consultants and matrons were left behind as junior doctors and trainee nurses embraced the new culture.  It's amazing how far we have come from these early days of the NHS; just think of how quickly women leave hospital after childbirth now, in the not so olden days they would have been confined to weeks of bed rest.

There are a lot of characters in this book and it sometimes got confusing.  I wasn't sure who the main character was supposed to be; Emily or Dana.  Although there is a lot going on, there are some interesting and tragic stories unfolding and I would be interested to read the next book to see how the characters have developed.

The Angels of Lovely Lane is a solid introduction to a new series of books by Nadine Dorries; although it felt a bit busy as we have been introduced to so many characters at once, I firmly believe that all will slot into place when it is read as part of a series.

I received this book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

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