Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

I really struggled to get into this and found myself unable to finish. It's more than likely not the authors issue but my own frame of mind. I will definitely give this another try at a later date.

Incredibly claustrophobic, but fascinating reading. Think this is one my father will enjoy as a gift.

I thought this book would be interesting and informative but it was rather dull and had phrases that were repeated over and over. Not for me.

Many thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and Richard Humphreys. I love reading nonfiction and whilst I wouldn't normally choose military-based books I really enjoyed this account of the author's 5 years as a submariner. I hadn't realised the sheer vastness of the submarines, nor the number of missiles they carried, and it gave me pause for thought at how awful life under the sea must have been when you were there for weeks on end with no sunlight, enduring cramped and exhausting conditions. A fascinating and thought provoking book.

I was very much looking forward to reading this title and thought the pitch sounded fascinating (great cover too). And parts of it were brilliant and interesting and revealing. But parts also felt rather dry and I wanted more - I wanted the writer to bring us closer and always felt held at a bit of a distance. I also thought that the author had some really interesting views which are touched on but again I would have liked a little more.

An interesting look at life on board submarines. As a ex Submariner onboard a US submarine, I found the stories of interest how other submarine fleet operated during the Cold War. A good book to relax and read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a long read for me. I have picked it up and put it down many times. The strength of the subject is let down by its lack of engaging narrative. It’s an informative read which would benefit an enthusiast more than a general reader. It’s detailed enough that once it finds its niche audience it will excel.

This is the typical genre I would go for, nor the ‘location’ of the book itself, and yet I was encapsulated by the incredible story of Richard Humphreys. An excellent and very vivid account of life in a nuclear submarine, the descriptions were incredible, if not at times off-putting, ha! Brilliant memoir

An interesting memoir about life on a nuclear submarine but a slow read. A good book for naval enthusiasts.

An interesting autobiography from a submariner during the cold war. I've never thought much about this part of the armed forces and it has been eye opening just how dangerous it is to be in charge of nuclear weapons of unimaginable size and mentally tough it is to be at the bottom of the sea with no outside contact for months on end.
This also had me laughing out load in places, in particular the Margaret Thatcher scene (I won't spoil it) and other parts are unimaginable now, like everyone smoking under the sea

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and the author Richard Humphreys.
I made it to about half way through this book before I gave up and skim read to the end. Unfortunately, it was just too dry. This is an extremely rare thing for me to do, and it is actually part of a new decision to abandon books I am not enjoying, because life is too short.
I'm afraid life is too short for 'Under Pressure'.
There are undoubtedly many interesting elements to the story, but they just aren't communicated in an engaging or absorbing way. Hard work. 2 stars.

A brilliant insight into a world and conditions we cannot possible imagine.
Great read, very humorous and brilliantly eye opening.

Such an interesting read about living in the cramped and mysterious world of a nuclear submarine for months at a time. He paints the picture so easily, doesn't get technical and you can nearly smell the smells as he writes about it so vividly

A fascinating insight into another world.

This is a detailed and thoughtful account of the author’s life as a sub-mariner on board a Polaris submarine in the 1980s. His final line provides the key to this view into a little known, submerged world “the hardship was part of the joy.”

The sub-mariners who man our nuclear deterrent are an elite group – the best of the best – who, hidden away beneath the sea, train for and endlessly rehearse nuclear Armageddon.
Their mission is to remain in total isolation, to evade both friend and foe, never to seek and destroy, but to listen. The Silent Service indeed.

This is a world where some 143 men live for months at a time with no natural light and no knowledge of where they are, in cramped and squalid conditions, breathing only recycled air in one of the world’s most demanding environments. From brutal training through to missile launch Humphreys takes the reader into a life whose demands would be intolerable to most of us. He writes in a frank, engaging style – charting the tears and laughter, the stern straitjacket of duty and drill, and the claustrophobia and exhilaration of a sequestered life spent rehearsing a scenario the world as we know it would not survive.

Many of the technical details – revelatory to many I am sure, were lost on me, but what will remain with me is the author’s sometimes painful honesty and his firm grasp of the psychological and physical toll this strange, constrained world takes on those who live in it.

Their fleeting, compensatory pleasures are evocatively described – from copious amounts of alcohol and food to classical music and pornography, films, books and philosophy. The authors’ insistence on study as a means of keeping sane commands respect.

The nuclear sub-mariners’ mission is to keep us safe, and, whether you believe it or not, they live by it and are prepared to die for it. As a portrait alone of men living under extreme stress this would be a fascinating study, but as the author meticulously outlines the details of nuclear weapons deployment and the rationale behind it a piercing and considered insight is gained.

This book is well worth reading.

Charlotte Gower

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

On the whole, I really enjoyed this and found much of it fascinating, particularly how they managed to live on top of each other - and the smell! But I found some of it dragged on, especially the tour of the sub describing where everything was - I'd have preferred more anecdotes. I found the swearwords off-putting and not sure why they had to be there. Not sure if I'd want to meet the author if he swears all the time in real life - he should have grown out of that by now! Also his 'us and them' attitude grated at time. But it did make me want to visit Gosport and see a sub in real life.

A very enjoyable book to read about life under the sea in a nuclear powered submarine. It was interesting reading about the different parts of the boat (not ship!) and how they all combined into keeping everyone safe under the water.

This is a really fantastic book!

It’s a non-fiction book about the author’s time as a submariner on a nuclear submarine during the Cold War. It’s very readable and so informative. It’s an enjoyable read and written really accessibly.

It’s not for the faint-hearted though as there are graphic mentions of sex and bodily substances of all kinds. There is also a lot of bad language.

But if that isn’t a problem for you, then dive in! I am not the biggest non-fiction reader, so I am picky. The one thing I want most out of my non-fiction is readability, and Under Pressure has this in spades. I highly recommend it, especially for reluctant non-fiction readers, like me.

Torn on this one as the content was really interesting and I think did convey what life on a nuclear submarine was like, but I found the writing a bit erratic. Some anecdotes were brilliantly told, but then the book dipped in sections and the technical descriptions really felt like they needed diagrams or pictures. Overall a four from me.

This was a fascinating account of life as a submariner. At the age of 18 Richard Humphreys began his five years service as part 'of an elite group who served aboard Britain's nuclear deterrent...while the Cold War was still hot and nuclear confrontation seemed scarily imaginable'. It's hard to imagine the physical and psychological strength it takes to live in a world, 'without natural light...alongside more than 140 other men', in extremely challenging circumstances. Not knowing where in the world you are, never seeing daylight, claustrophobic, hot and smelly, only the most robust will survive conditions under water. Not to mention that the vessel you are living on has 'nuclear weapons [that] could deliver massive explosive force, more firepower than all the bombs dropped during the Second World War, including the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki'. Richard's first posting was aboard HMS Resolution and he takes us on a tour of this vast behemoth, he describes a typical day/night and the ways of staying sane underwater. Food becomes all-important and booze was a way of letting off steam. He also found solace in keeping fit, reading, music and education. Learning to live in confined quarters with 140 other men was a test of character, and being a team player was crucial. Under Pressure is brilliantly written and an absolutely fascinating insight into a part of the military that largely goes unseen.