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One of the most gripping blogs around - The Guardian
Product Description
A beautifully written insight into the stresses, strains and successes of working for the London Ambulance service.
Is there anyone who hasn't wondered about the state of the occupant of an ambulance, screaming along with its sirens on and blue lights flashing? Have you? And have you wondered about the other people inside the ambulance, maybe fighting to save the patient's life? Or have you considered that the ambulance may be another 'maternataxi' ordered by a woman who can't be bothered to book a real cab and who then complains she can't smoke on the way to hospital? And that the medical technician inside might just be desperate to get back home from a busy shift, to have a cup of tea and catch up with his blog?
Meet Tom Reynolds. Tom is an Emergency Medical Technician who works for the London Ambulance Service in East London. He has kept a blog of his daily working life since 2003 and his award-winning writing is, by turn, moving, cynical, funny, heart-rending and compassionate. It is never less than compelling.
From the tragic to the hilarious, from the heartwarming to the terrifying, the stories Tom tells give a fascinating - and at times alarming - picture of life in inner-city Britain, and the people who are paid to mop up after it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Blood, Sweat & Tea is a collection of 'Tom Reynolds' favourite posts from his blog, random acts of reality, annotated to give updates and comment on how he now feels about what he had then written. The book is funny, tragic and intriguing all at once, and certainly dispells any misconceptions you may have had about the job of paramedics and what they can really do to save people. Whether or not you had read the blog previously(I hadn't), this book will certainly keep you entertained, and possibly even inspire you to change career. A good read, whatever your medium.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Blood, sweat and tea is a printed version of parts of an online blog written by Tom Reynolds. It very easy to read and engulfs you into the sometimes bizzare world of the London Ambulance service.
His entries vary from drunks who have fallen over to tradgic cardiac arrests.
This is a fantasic read which is sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad and most of the time very cynical.
His entries vary from drunks who have fallen over to tradgic cardiac arrests.
This is a fantasic read which is sometimes very funny, sometimes very sad and most of the time very cynical.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I discovered Tom Reynolds's blog, 'Random Acts of Reality' 3 months ago after seeing references to it on the blogs of friends and friends of friends and I've been lurking there ever since. This book is a compendium of highlights from that blog - not that there's anything wrong with that in the slightest and I very much hope that it gets more people to go and read it.
There are some v. tragic stories (particularly those where children die suddenly), some v. funny stories (the one with the toxic poo did - to my shame - have me rolling on the floor in laughter) and some stories that will make you go WTF?! (particularly the nurses who fail to open access doors to hospital despite being notified and the 'carers' who don't think that caring is in their job description).
With the exception of the 7/7 attacks, none of the entries are dated and I think that would be my only complaint about it as it's difficult to get a timeline from the entries themselves unless you're a long-time reader of the blog itself. Apart from that, it's a v. interesting read and definitely worth a look.
There are some v. tragic stories (particularly those where children die suddenly), some v. funny stories (the one with the toxic poo did - to my shame - have me rolling on the floor in laughter) and some stories that will make you go WTF?! (particularly the nurses who fail to open access doors to hospital despite being notified and the 'carers' who don't think that caring is in their job description).
With the exception of the 7/7 attacks, none of the entries are dated and I think that would be my only complaint about it as it's difficult to get a timeline from the entries themselves unless you're a long-time reader of the blog itself. Apart from that, it's a v. interesting read and definitely worth a look.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Totally Loved it!
I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. Its literally an online blog published in a book, so its short snippets from real life. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Leanne Phillips
Mildly amusing
Mildly amusing blog by paramedic, nothing original here. He does seem to care about some of his patients, but the follow up is poor
Published 5 months ago by DocE
Total disappointment
Given the star rating and subject matter I was expecting a lot more. In the 80+ pages I managed to read there was repetition and very little beyond the obvious. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Philip N. Bradley
Interesting Insight
An interesting insight into the life of a paramedic. I enjoyed this book - it was easy to read, written casually and had some humour alongside all of the tragedies. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Stepping Out of the Page
frightening/funny/fabulous
Saw the tv show and thought the book may be good too. Had no idea this was such a popular blog. The book is totally different to the series but so funny and touching. Read more
Published 7 months ago by impressed
An entertaining read
Written by my wife:
This is not written as a novel, so if that's what you are after then stick to fiction. Read more
This is not written as a novel, so if that's what you are after then stick to fiction. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. S. N. Pattison
Great read and a great insight
i loved this book. What a great insight into the everyday runnings of paramedic life. It really shows us how neglected the ambulance service really is. Read more
Published 10 months ago by evesmommy
Not my cup of tea
Wish I'd read that it was a collection of blogs before buying it, because obviously there were plenty of entries made when the author was weary after a hard shift, or disenchanted... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Angela
Buy it, Excellent!!!
I'm not a big reader, can take me several months to finish a book. Someone loaned me the book (A paramedic) said it's a brilliant read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Animal_Mother
Johns Review
This guy is great! Whatever the job you do is, however important it is, however much it can help other people, you can't carry on caring if you get nothing back. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. J. R. Russell
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