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seasaltlatte00's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
kira_dylan's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
3.0
I have been trying to write this review for ages because I have warring opinions.
Generally, this book was incredibly interesting and I loved that it was easy to read but still packed with information, facts and real cases. It was quite emotive due to the nature of the cases, despite the actual writing tone being matter of fact and as unemotive as the author.
I did not mind the concurrent chronicles of Shepherd's personal life - mainly because I am a nosy bitch. I thought that seeing the impact on Shepherd personally and on his family life was a consequence that many do not consider when thinking of the life of a pathologist - all glammed up by CSI type shows.
I did not find the chronological approach the easiest to follow. I thought that it would have been better to chapter off the different cases and weave the personal elements into the cases. As it was, the cases stretched over a number of years and I struggled to keep track of where some had finished when they were mentioned later. I also felt that the personal elements were tacked on the end rather clunkily because they fit with the timing.
My biggest issue however was with the tone at times, finding it often arrogant and at times it came.aceoss as biased. I also found the tone infuriating when speaking of women.
The marriage to Jen was written in a way that suggests that Shepherd's life would have been easier if Jen hadn't wanted to further her career and become a Dr. There were times when he really spoke about her as if she should have been willing to sacrifice her life for his career. Then he would tack a sentence on saying, but I was proud of her so I suffered! Heaven forbid that he had to look after his own children to help his wife. There was also this compulsive need to remind us that he was a good father.
Secondly - and I cannot stress how much this pissed me off. We have spent the whole book being told about the careers of the white men folk and how hard they worked and how skilled they were. Then in walks Vesna Djurovic. Dr Djurovic is an eminent pathologist. Yet this is how Shepherd describes her when she starts working at Guys:
'...tall, blonde, leggy woman...who wore a short skirt and a friendly smile.'
Absolutely no indication of her skillset or experience.
He then speaks of her being 'claimed' by his boss Iain. Like she is a goldfish at the fair. Iain eventually marries her, congrats to them. Shepherd seems to give more respect to the dead than a live woman with a sterling career.
Likewise, Jen became a Dr while raising kids with a largely absent husband and later in life. But when asked about the issues in his marriage he doesn't admit that he cannot connect to her emotionally or that the absences of BOTH OF THEIR JOBS are taking a toll, he says that she doesn't make him dinner. That is why their marriage isn't working. That traditional role of the little lady that proves her love for her husband. Dr Jen doesn't make him dinner. Bad woman.
It was clear that Shepherd harboured ill-feeling when he described Iain and Vesna as a star couple of the pathology world. Citing their forays into social life and noting that he couldn't have this role because bloody Jen had decided to better herself and her job as a Dr meant that they didn't have the time to party. Honestly, I really felt for Jen throughout this book.
I genuinely thought that this was going to be a strong 4, if not 5 star review but as the tone of arrogance grew and Shepherd seemed more incapable of taking criticism or admitting to errors, whether personal or professional, I started losing my interest in Shepherd and my rating dwindled
Generally, this book was incredibly interesting and I loved that it was easy to read but still packed with information, facts and real cases. It was quite emotive due to the nature of the cases, despite the actual writing tone being matter of fact and as unemotive as the author.
I did not mind the concurrent chronicles of Shepherd's personal life - mainly because I am a nosy bitch. I thought that seeing the impact on Shepherd personally and on his family life was a consequence that many do not consider when thinking of the life of a pathologist - all glammed up by CSI type shows.
I did not find the chronological approach the easiest to follow. I thought that it would have been better to chapter off the different cases and weave the personal elements into the cases. As it was, the cases stretched over a number of years and I struggled to keep track of where some had finished when they were mentioned later. I also felt that the personal elements were tacked on the end rather clunkily because they fit with the timing.
My biggest issue however was with the tone at times, finding it often arrogant and at times it came.aceoss as biased. I also found the tone infuriating when speaking of women.
The marriage to Jen was written in a way that suggests that Shepherd's life would have been easier if Jen hadn't wanted to further her career and become a Dr. There were times when he really spoke about her as if she should have been willing to sacrifice her life for his career. Then he would tack a sentence on saying, but I was proud of her so I suffered! Heaven forbid that he had to look after his own children to help his wife. There was also this compulsive need to remind us that he was a good father.
Secondly - and I cannot stress how much this pissed me off. We have spent the whole book being told about the careers of the white men folk and how hard they worked and how skilled they were. Then in walks Vesna Djurovic. Dr Djurovic is an eminent pathologist. Yet this is how Shepherd describes her when she starts working at Guys:
'...tall, blonde, leggy woman...who wore a short skirt and a friendly smile.'
Absolutely no indication of her skillset or experience.
He then speaks of her being 'claimed' by his boss Iain. Like she is a goldfish at the fair. Iain eventually marries her, congrats to them. Shepherd seems to give more respect to the dead than a live woman with a sterling career.
Likewise, Jen became a Dr while raising kids with a largely absent husband and later in life. But when asked about the issues in his marriage he doesn't admit that he cannot connect to her emotionally or that the absences of BOTH OF THEIR JOBS are taking a toll, he says that she doesn't make him dinner. That is why their marriage isn't working. That traditional role of the little lady that proves her love for her husband. Dr Jen doesn't make him dinner. Bad woman.
It was clear that Shepherd harboured ill-feeling when he described Iain and Vesna as a star couple of the pathology world. Citing their forays into social life and noting that he couldn't have this role because bloody Jen had decided to better herself and her job as a Dr meant that they didn't have the time to party. Honestly, I really felt for Jen throughout this book.
I genuinely thought that this was going to be a strong 4, if not 5 star review but as the tone of arrogance grew and Shepherd seemed more incapable of taking criticism or admitting to errors, whether personal or professional, I started losing my interest in Shepherd and my rating dwindled
xchloe_bxx's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
char_722's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A really well written, honest and open look into the author’s life - not just as a forensic pathologist but how that interacted with his personal life. Very interesting book.
alexandraalouisee's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
georgieg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
5.0