Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46240 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 488 pages

Customer Reviews

What A Tonic!
From the first sentence I new this was going to be something really good and very different from the other "self help" or "personal story" books I have read. My partner has had M.E. (or Chronic Fatigue) for many years and this book is just brilliant. It had us both laughing (and sometimes crying) with it's amazing observations on living life whilst trying to stay sane!
This is a truly tender, funny and very original book. Beautifully illustrated too. A great tonic for anyone, not just those that know the real meaning of Chronic Fatigue. Being written in a diary format also makes it very easy to put down and pick up again - great for a fatigued person! Highly recommended.

Dr's should be handing this out!
I can't recommend this book enough! It came into my life at a time when I had had ME for 4 years and was feeling totally isolated and misunderstood.

It's so funny and witty that you can't help but laugh out loud! More importantly it accurately portrays the feelings and frustrations of ME sufferers. I'd be reading parts and look around to tell everyone "That's me, that's me!!!" - of course everyone else was at work, but it made me feel better anyway!

I'd also suggest that friends and family of ME sufferers read this - it'll help explain what happened to that healthy, sane person you used to know!

As one previous reviewer wrote, the book is heavy, but you won't notice once you get past page one! I just felt like I got great value for money! It became like my new friend; whenever someone annoyed me with his or her ignorance, I'd just grab the book and stomp off - well as much as one can whilst limping with a walking stick!

Even if you're lucky enough to live a life untouched by ME, you'll still laugh, cry and enjoy the illustrations! Afterall, there's a little bit of Verity Red in all of us!

ME - A Personal Perspective
Never having come close to M E before this book was a revelation. I could feel the frustration as the author dissected her days into hours... minutes... trapped inside a house from which it was simply too exhausting to emerge.

Reading it from cover to cover in one sitting I was struck by how very much the author was on the outside looking in on all the usual day to day activities which she was unable to take part in. Anyone lucky enough to escape M E should stop themselves before they complain about the daily round of mundane tasks to be grateful that a trip to the dry cleaners doesn't take them a full day to recover from. They should also read this book to give them a real understanding of what it means day to day. It is rare to read a book that details the minutiae of living with an illness - most books are about the crises and dramas but this one gives you a real feeling of the unrelenting nature of coping with M E.

I should perhaps explain I have a personal interest in this book - the author is my sister-in-law who I have yet to meet - she is just not well enough to come along to family gatherings etc. I am now married to the "brother from Devon" described in the book who visits with his then wife and young son bringing the gift of kittens. I hope when we do eventually meet that it will be a less frenetic visit than the one described there. What I do know is that I will be meeting someone with a gentle but wicked sense of humour able to see the funny side in many of the grim aspects of her illness. I look forward to that day.