A LIFE IN DEATH - Memoirs Of A Cotswold Funeral

by James Baker

A Life In Death – Memoirs Of A Cotswold Funeral Director takes the reader into the largely hidden world of death and funerals, as set against the picturesque back-drop of the Gloucestershire countryside. After spending twenty five years in the funeral profession so far, there is much that James Baker can share with readers about his professional journey and his experiences. This book was written not just to entertain, but also to enlighten and hopefully, to reassure. Above all, it opens up a whole new view into the practical reality of death and bereavement in contemporary Britain.
“A Life In Death” was written with a wide cross-section of readers in mind, based on the profiles of people who regularly ask the author about what his work involves. If you identify yourself with any of the following statements, then this book will be of great interest to you:
People of all ages who are fascinated with the work of a funeral director, or readers simply looking for an entertaining and very human account of a unique working life;
Palliative care and/or nursing professionals who want to understand more about the various procedures following a death and the choices open to the bereaved;

Would-be entrants into the funeral profession;
Those who are preparing for an imminent bereavement, or those already bereaved, who are looking for a sensitively written, but honest and truthful insight into the practical realities of death and funerals.

“A Life In Death” fills what is still a huge and lingering gap in the market for an intelligent, comprehensive, but highly readable account of life within the funeral profession. The author deliberately avoids the use of hackneyed, predictably humorous anecdotes and overly-sentimental, or lurid, accounts of tragic episodes. Instead, writing as a West Country funeral director, James Baker offers a sensitive, insightful and nuanced account of what his working life is really like.

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2012

Reviews

[Lucy Betts · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and enjoyable read although not of the calibre of herriott

An interesting read and not at all macabre.
Insightful and well written but not eveyones choice of subject matter. I wonder if there will be a sequel?

[Caroline Aitchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

I loved this book. I have always bee fascinated by death and what happens after we die. The real life encounters were informative as was the changing face of the funeral process. Highly recommend this book.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. Whilst weirdly edited, prosey, and clearly not great literature, it made an interesting change. Normal life by normal people.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recently awarded an 'Honourable Mention' in the Adult Category of The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:

Cover - All 23 of the readers thought the cover was excellent and very appropriate to the subject matter.


Layout - Excellent; no problems.


STYLE/PLOT - The readers described the book in the following way:

"I thought the author did a very good job of describing in an interesting way a difficult profession."
"An unusual subject. I really enjoyed it."
"The author has a way of conveying sadness and then, a moment later, making me laugh."
"A very well-written book."

STATS

Of the 23 readers,

19 thoroughly enjoyed the book.
3 enjoyed it with a few reservations.
1 wrote 'Too depressing for me.'
18 thought the cover was excellent.
12 felt it was articulately written with an enjoyable element of humour.
11 thought the characterisation was your strongest point.

"A perfect mix of humour and sensitivity. Highly recommended." The Wishing Shelf Awards

[Tracy Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by James Baker tells a wonderful story of his life as a Funeral Director living and working in a community that he knows so well.
As with all such works there is a real sense of humanity and humour even at the darkest times.

He also tells of his work with global disaster response team that goes out from the Uk to anywhere in the world that they are needed to perform undertaking duties such as embalming. Vital in hot countries.

It is amazing that people pursue such professional interests to this level. There is a section on what can be learned from air disasters through body retrieval and post Morton examinations. Best not read if you intend to travel soon!

Again this does contain some graphic descriptions although it is not gratuitous in any way. It reminded me of a deathly version of Cider with Rosie.

[Andrew Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent entertaining and informative read. While dealing with the dead James Baker never loses sight of the living.

In addition it gave a great comparison with Funeral customs in the United States vs. those in the United Kingdom.