Reading in the sunshine

So much for being ‘a bit more active’ - I’ve spent a lot of today engrossed in this book!

I’m sure many people have read it, or at least heard of it. It’s been around a while and has had a lot of publicity. Telling of the extraordinary journey of a young girl’s heart to a young boy’s body, I was hesitant at first as I thought it would be a bit of a sob story.

Then, when I read the Guardian review and when it was put onto the shortlist for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, I realised it was something else. And it is. This wonderful story is told in an evocative and humane manner, but it is also an account of the feats of medical innovation over the years that have enabled this to happen. And it is a eulogy to the skill, expertise and dedication of so many people whose roles are crucial in such events. And a recognition of how wonderful our NHS is. An excellent book.

I am not impressed with the fiction shortlist for the Women’s Prize but these non-fiction contenders are turning out to be very good indeed.