In the midst of life...

A moving meditation on the ways in which we have treated our dead and, in turn, how they have treated us. From the great urban necropolises to the secret burial grounds of the excluded, these spaces serve as repositories of collective and personal memory, holding up a two-way mirror to us in which we can see ourselves reflected in the dead, and them in us.
One thing, however, remains constant. We are no nearer knowledge of what, if anything, lies the other side of the great divide than those early humans who first put flowers in with their dead.

Thanks to Headline Publishing and Netgally for this ARC

A Tomb With a View takes us through graveyards, ossuaries and mortuaries in order to discover what happens after we die both in a physical and spiritual sense. By talking to people from various cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities and religions, Ross delves into a diverse array of outlooks, forms of grief and mysteries surrounding the dead.

Whilst a potentially fascinating insight, I didn't enjoy this book as much as expected as I found Ross' writing style to be rather dry and monotonous. I expected to race through this book as the subject matter fascinates me however I struggled at times as the book reads as a wall of text with little room for the personalities of the people spoken to or of Ross himself.

An interesting if somewhat disappointing read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for the arc of Tomb with a view.

This follows authour Peter Ross in which he goes finds out and ends up uncovering the stories of the graveyard.... Who are London's outcast dead and why is David Bowie their guardian angel? and then What is the remarkable truth about Phoebe Hessel? who ended up disguised and hiding herself as a man to fight alongside her own sweetheart, and then sh went on to live in the reigns of five monarchs? and wierdest thing is Why is a Bristol cemetery the perfect wedding venue for goths..... shocking right

Gloomy and enjoyable read, gripping and read all fast
3 star