Those of us not on the front line could only imagine how tough it was for the nurses, doctors and support staff.

Anthea started writing a regular email writing frankly about the issues she and her team faced on a daily basis. These emails form the back bone of the book, together with more descriptions from Anthea.

We get a unique insight into a closely knit band of professionals; how they cope and how they don't over the coming months.

This is important documentary evidence for those who, in the years to come, can have no perception of what it was like for all of us.

To get the most out of this book, read it as you would emails, a little at a time rather than all at once.

Wow, what a book that was to read for how nurses cope(d) during the [main] wave(s) of Coronavirus in 2020 and 2021. Most of the stuff we see in the press is about the doctors/hospitals in general, not the nurses so it was enjoyable from that perspective. Sadly Anthea I can't give you the pay rise or more nurses but I can give you 5 stars and recommendation for folks to buy your book!

As a fellow nurse who worked through the peak of the pandemic, it was so refreshing to read something so raw and honest about what we had gone through.

An interesting and heartbreaking read, what an amazing, inspiring job the health care profession did and still do during the pandemic.

I feel that this is a timely book, as COVID is still very much with us, but the massive strain on health staff is now barely mentioned in the news, and the working conditions, lack of proper remuneration, and loss of staff should still be at the forefront of everybody's minds, not least the anti-vaccination lobby.

I do appreciate that the problems were similar day to day, but maybe tighter editing would have made the narrative less repetitive. In addition, I would have been interested to know more of the effect on family life outside of the hospital.

Whilst we have heard tales from the front line during the pandemic read out during news bulletins and seen the harrowing images of medical staff after their shifts in PPE. As well as joining in the claps for carers each week. There is a whole new understanding of what it is truly like and the effect is has on a person who is right there in the thick of things.

A powerful and at times harrowing account from an intensive care nurse at St George's hospital. Woking throughout the pandemic treating those who are at their sickest. Learning out to navigate the pandemic, the awful virus that has spread throughout the world and managing to be there for patients who have nobody else who is allowed to be by their bedside as they slip away from the world.

An honest account of the struggles faced by NHS staff during covid times.

Heartwarming and heartbreaking to read her account.

COVID will change everyone's lives forever and remain a part of history.

Perfect for anyone who loves a medical memoir.

Life,Death and Biscuits is an excellent book by Critical Care Nurse Anthea Allen telling the story of the fight against Covid from the front line. This book grew out of weekly e-mails to friends that Ms Allen used to send to friends that gained a much wider audience when they were published in the Daily Mail....and now are in book form. The book tells the inside story of Anthea's amazing Critical Care team ,at St George's hospital in South London as under almost overwhelming physical and mental pressure they battle against the tide of increasing numbers of Covid patients. Many of the team are thrown in at the deep end of the Critical Care unit ,either as new Nurses or from other departments where their skills have no relevance to battling deadly viruses. No punches are pulled and this isn't a book for the squeamish as Anthea tells it like it is with no sugar coating from the disgusting way Nurses are treated in this country to harrowing stories of people's last moments. Many of the team are very young and become very close as they share the highs and the lows of their gruelling vocation, Anthea is looked on as a mother figure and equally loves and respects her "daughters" as they fight stress and fatigue as well as rollercoaster emotions for the greater good..

A great book by an amazing and inspirational lady,read it and you'll appreciate all those "on the shopfloor" in the NHS. who do such a fantastic job . NHS Management and Politicians should read this and hang their heads in shame......if they know what that is.

A powerful memoir of an intensive care nurse showing the camaraderie of NHS staff living and working during the peak of the Covid crisis.
Written from the heart this story shows the courage and compassion from our NHS heroes.
An easy but also hard read showing what our NHS nurses endured . I highly recommend it

A powerful account from a nurse on the front line battling Covid. This really is a must read book to appreciate the awfulness of nurse's lives trying to do their best against all the odds with a major lack of resources. These wonderful people need all the support and more from government to do their jobs caring for the sick. Written in diary form via a once a week email which truly captured the desperate horrific situation as it unfolded in the critical care Covid wards of St George's Hospital Tooting. As with many such situations, there's some light and humour that comes through amidst this fight against this harrowing virus. Every politician and hospital management should read this book. Total respect and admiration for the people on the ground, working beyond the bounds of duty with actually tackling this crisis all without just reward.

Life death and biscuits was a particularly poignant read for me as like the author I worked as a registered nurse in covid positive wards, I also unfortunately ended up as a patient in intensive care so saw the reality from both sides! What shone through for me was the team spirit and sense of camaraderie amongst the team, the sense of despair, the not knowing and the steep learning curve particularly in the first wave is something that will always stay with me!
Loved the email idea and references to real patients in their many varied forms and the support that Anthea offered so freely and willingly to her team as I feel the repercussion’s of this will be felt for a very long time by those who were working frontline throughout the pandemic!
An informative enlightening read.
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

This is a harrowing read in parts and rightly so! We all know that the nursing profession do so much and especially how hard they worked during the pandemic but reading this book it really hits home how much they actually really do and how much they went through. They should all have a lifetime supply of biscuits (and a substantial pay rise!)

Anthea is a critical care nurse at St Georges, London and this book came about from weekly emails she sent to friends and family at the start of the pandemic. It's a diary of her feelings and thoughts through this time, the bond with her colleagues and the stories of patients in her care.

It's well written with just the right level of humour, it's raw and real and triggers every emotion. A worthwhile and poignant read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This book appealed to me as a nurse working through the coronavirus pandemic and being redeployed. It made me realise the impact it has had on both myself, colleagues and family. A brilliant memoir of one nurses experience.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an interesting foray into the genre, and the coronavirus pandemic has definitely (unfortunately) provided fresh content for this genre of book. Allen wrote emotively and captured life on the COVID wards well.

Life, Death and Biscuits is a Harrowing, eye opening & thought provoking read. It demonstrates to those not within the ‘inner sanctum’ during the Covid pandemic exactly what the NHS staff were dealing with day in and day out. Anthea has encompassed the right amount of humour, emotion, raw realness and stories into this insightful read.

Wow, was a great book. I love a medical memoir and this whilst being about covid almost feels so long ago! The author is a hero, not least because they are a critical care nurse but mostly because they write with such passion and clarity! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the incredible opportunity to read this early! I will be recommending this to people when they ask for this style of book!

An extraordinarily powerful memoir based on the diaries of intensive care nurse Anthea Allen, who worked on the front line of one of the largest hospitals in Europe – St. George’s in South London – during the peak of the Covid crisis.

Her gripping and incredibly moving recollections have been feted by a great range of people, from Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain to Richard Branson and the Queen’s apothecary, as well as being excerpted in the Daily Mail.

What started as a weekend email to friends and family to process the reality of life during Covid quickly won her a growing army of support. Anthea has a rare gift of communicating the unique camaraderie of the NHS, the private tragedies of families, and the struggles which she has faced holding her personal and professional life together. Beyond politics, charts and statistics, Anthea – a natural and truly eloquent diarist – tells the stories of real people, real lives and real hopes and fears in an extraordinary time none of us will ever forget.
I had tears in my eyes at some points ready by this book. My heart goes out to all the critical care nurses as well as the other front line staff trying their hardest during these covid times. It brings to light what is actually going on daily right now in our hospitals and I have the upmost respect for each and every one of you. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️