Readers' Letters - 2008 archive

I received this book as a birthday present after seeing it reviewed somewhere I can't now recall...sorry. Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed...yes, enjoyed it. It has everything...humour, pain, characterisation, existential angst...the way you write about Faith and God is just incredible and has really helped me at a difficult time....I am pregnant and facing death from cancer...according to Dr..prognosis about a year...baby is 24 weeks. I have also just relativel returned from a week in Leeds with my fathers inquest. And, I worked for a long time with drug and alcohol abuse...so everything...I love the way you change the tense so seamlessly. I work now for CRUSE Bereavement Care and a Child Bereavement Charity and I would like to put you book on to our requred reading for a students if that would be OK. I have been out of hospital for 3 weeks...reading text has been hard but I have been gripped and I read it in 2 nights...yes, I was awake most of both but so worth it. I look forward to getting you other books....CHOSEN sounds great too.
Many Thanks

— Lydia, Tuesday 11th November 2008

Started your book last night – finding it most compelling.

— Celia Bowring of CARE, Monday 20th October 2008

I have read A Painful Post Mortem with much interest and I am greatly impressed with the book and, not least, your actual written style. Congratulations!

I have only one critical comment and that is the use of the word ‘ruddy’. Your character Mark would, I suspect, have been far more likely to say ‘bloody’.

It reminds me of W.S.Gilbert’s response to the suggestion that his operetta, originally spelt ‘Ruddygore’, might just as well be called ‘Bloodygore.’ He replied ‘you might well think that if I say that I admire your ruddy countenance it’s the same as if I said ‘I like your bloody cheek!’ Well – it isn’t – and I don’t’

— Michael Saward - Canon Treasurer St Paul's Cathedral (rtd), Wednesday 15th October 2008

Hi Mel,
I’ve just finished your book and I’m most impressed! Quite seriously, you made the point in the interview at the end that one of your aims was to get people to identify with incidents or people or attitudes in the book. May I say that there were two points of this kind in the story which I found extremely helpful, the characters helped to clarify a niggle that’s been at the back of my mind for many years. Two points may not seem very much but they were both very important in relation to my foster-son and his situation.

— Graham, Malvern, Tuesday 9th September 2008

I’m not normally a reader; however, I could not put this book down. I felt privileged . . . This is an honest account of the difficulties that are all too often encountered behind the scenes. Thank you . . . For those of you have not read it, I strongly encourage you to (do so).

— Penny, Torquay, Monday 25th August 2008

I loved the bereavement poem in the book. It was so moving . . .

— J . . . Long Crendon, Sunday 6th July 2008

Your book was a good read with a lot of raw emotion. You portrayed the struggle the family had really well.

— Sandra, Sussex, Friday 30th May 2008

Although I found the book very moving (it made me weep in places) I found Mark’s “ruddy” very annoying, especially when not directly speaking.

— Helen, New Zealand, Tuesday 6th May 2008

. . . the working through of emotions and spiritual realisations were fluid and helpful.

— Ros, Devon, UK, Tuesday 6th May 2008

I’ve just switched off the telly, having watched you - it was great seeing you. It was a very nice programme. Now I shall be looking forward to publication of the book!

— Doreen, Bath, UK, Tuesday 6th May 2008

I enjoyed seeing you (on TV). I thought the interview went very well and I taped it so I could show other people.

— Jana, Tonbridge, UK, Tuesday 6th May 2008

Greetings from USA. I just wanted to let you know that (a friend) sent me your book and I was really impressed with it. It is very moving and so well written – a literal “can’t put down” book. It conveys all the agony and trials so well . . . a vibrant multicoloured picture (and) a moving story of courage . . .

— Liz, Warrington, USA, Tuesday 6th May 2008