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This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor


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Product Summary

The million copy bestseller Book of the Year at The National Book Awards ‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen Fry

Description

The million copy bestseller Book of the Year at The National Book Awards ‘Painfully funny. The pain and the funniness somehow add up to something entirely good, entirely noble and entirely loveable.' - Stephen Fry Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.


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Product Review Analysis*

Positives

Neutrals

Negatives

56.1% 9.8% 34.1%

Senti score  [65.9%]

* hover your mouse over a word to see more details
simply brilliant wrong brilliant complete waste best truly brilliant honest poignant dreadful waste arrogant poor amazing enjoy funny and informative boring excellent repetitive stupid negative hope impossible hilarious informative utter tripe difficult angry

Pros & Cons

truly brilliant

"truly brilliant read and an eye opener for all!"
100.0%

simply brilliant

"a simply brilliant book written by a natural craftsman"
100.0%

funny and informative

"both funny and informative"
100.0%

truly hilarious

"there are some truly hilarious stories in here"
100.0%

absolutely brilliant

"absolutely brilliant book"
100.0%

truly excellent

"this is a truly excellent book"
100.0%

brilliantly humorous

"but this is also a brilliantly humorous account which tackles some very serious issues including the weaknesses inherent in mankind and highlights how thankful we should all be for the compassion of those in the medical profession and that they are human too!"
100.0%

brilliantly hilarious

"that sounds very serious it is but that aside it is mainly a brilliantly hilarious read"
100.0%

highly entertaining

"whilst the approach of the author may be a little too cynical for some this is a highly entertaining read that may go some considerable way to highlighting the issues that our medical professionals face in trying to follow a vocation whilst working within a system that places unreasonable demands upon them for little tangible reward"
100.0%

brilliant achievement

"it's is a brilliant achievement"
100.0%

truly magnificent

"i’m nothing to do with the health profession but appreciate what a truly magnificent job they do"
100.0%

excellent story

"no self pity in this book just a down to earth and sometimes humorous sometimes sad excellent story of how the nhs is still the great institution it is due to the people who work for it and how they continue to work for it when when others would have thrown in the towel"
100.0%

most hilarious

"adam kay captures this perfectly but weaves it between the most hilarious stories from his time in practice"
100.0%

brilliant writer

"he has a wicked sense of humour is a brilliant writer and i wish him every success in his new career"
100.0%

fantastically funny

"as for the book it is both heartbreaking and fantastically funny well written and easy to plough through"
100.0%

extremely funny

"at times the stories are extremely funny but the other side is the sadness and the amazing expectations that we place on junior doctors"
100.0%

truly dedicated

"just read it enjoy it and be super grateful that we are lucky enough to have an nhs and truly dedicated heroes like the author working in it"
100.0%

exceedingly moving

"laugh out loud funny exceedingly moving engaging engrossing worrying"
100.0%

brilliant wordsmith

"adam kay is a brilliant wordsmith providing the reader with many hilarious laugh out loud moments coupled with the often absurd realities of life and the inevitability of death"
100.0%

highly amusing

"the way in which our struggling young hospital doctors are abused and undervalued is nothing new but adam kay’s diaries sharpen our understanding with detailed anecdotes which are often highly amusing but frequently utterly heartbreaking"
100.0%

superb narrative

"if you are interested in all things medical this is a superb narrative"
100.0%

wonderfully hilarious

"thank you adam for a wonderfully hilarious well written account we thoroughly enjoyed it"
100.0%

absolutely excellent

"absolutely excellent expose of a hidden world that we desperately try to collectively ignore"
99.9%

great material

"adam kay has a brilliant comic touch and since he worked in urology and gynaecology he has plenty of great material"
99.9%

brilliant turn

"well written the author has a wry sense of humor and brilliant turn of phrase"
99.9%

simply amazing

"this is simply amazing"
99.9%

absolutely wonderful

"absolutely wonderful book that truly does sum up what it's like to be a doctor"
99.9%

absolutely fantastic

"this book is absolutely fantastic"
99.9%

charity shop

"not even good enough for a charity shop"
99.9%

brilliant insight

"brilliant insight into the life of a junior doctor and the nhs funny poignant and evocative"
99.9%

rich medium

"as was the pms comment when campaigning to a tearful nurse who hadn't had a pay rise in 6 that there wasn't a "magic money tree" well there is for the things this government feel are important like wespons and the dup the nhs however a socialised health care system for rich medium or poor for anyone including mps is clearly not one of them"
99.9%

beautifully written

"adam kay's beautifully written book had me laughing out loud from page 1 and kept me amused throughout"
99.9%

really witty

"adam kay gives a really witty gritty and brutally honest account of his years spent as a junior doctor which if you're like me you'll be surprised to learn is a doctor of any grade below consultant"
99.8%

good laugh

"i would definitely recommend this especially to people who moan about junior doctors and nurses or `anyone who likes a good laugh"
99.8%

absolutely hilarious

"an absolutely hilarious yet heart breaking read"
99.8%

unexpectedly moving

"it's laugh out loud funny indiscreet and at times unexpectedly moving"
99.8%

very witty

"this diarised account of a junior doctor at work is equally very witty and very shocking"
99.8%

frequently hilarious

"excellently readable frequently hilarious and often touching account of life as an nhs doctor"
99.8%

huge contribution

"hilarious worrying harrowing and moving by turns this book is a great insight into the lives of those who make such a huge contribution to our society in hospitals around the country"
99.8%

most amusing

"a true insight to the 'workings' of the nhs but the writer has portrayed his experiences in the most amusing but at the same time totally honest way"
99.8%

very brave remarkable

"what a very brave remarkable man"
99.7%

excellent seller book

"excellent seller book in great condition and a fantastic read"
99.7%

great lengths

"this book gives a small insight into how human beings go to great lengths to keep the system up and running and how the pressure is taking its toll both on them and on the patients they are trying to help"
99.7%

incredibly funny

"not only a fantastic insight in to the nhs but also incredibly funny heart warming and at times sad"
99.7%

immensely funny

"aswell as being immensely funny people do do the strangest things to the most sensitive parts of their anatomy !"
99.6%

remarkably funny

"i thought this book was remarkably funny"
99.6%

highly recommend

"excellent book for a gift of reading yourself highly recommend"
99.6%

humour hilarity

"although the overriding emotion as i read this book was humour hilarity actually i nearly did pee my pants on several occasions i couldn't help but feel an almost overwhelming sense of horror and also anger at what being a junior doctor in a hospital entails"
99.6%

quite funny

"quite funny quite serious mostly engaging on a harrowing subject we all have to deal with in life"
99.5%

funny heartwarming

"this book is funny heartwarming and poignant in equal measure"
99.5%

superb account

"superb account of the scant regard given by our nhs to the training and welfare of the next generation of doctors"
99.5%

really funny

"but a lot of the stories are really funny"
99.4%

fascinating insight

"a fascinating insight into the hard work of the staff of the nhs"
99.4%

really good

"a poignant heartbreaking book a really good read but with a hard hitting message"
99.3%

most humorous

"one of the most humorous reads i’ve had in a long time!"
99.2%

absolutely amazing

"it is an absolutely amazing read and anyone that has worked in a hospital will relate to it"
99.0%

funny beautiful

"as heartbreaking as it was funny beautiful and poignant this was definitely a case of me finding the right book at the right time"
98.9%

very funny

"as a doctor myself i found adam's book honest and endearing but above all very funny"
98.8%

delightfully indulgent

"i have sat in the offices of delightfully indulgent consultants and registrars when all around simultaneously phones are ringing there are knocks on the door and nurses seeking advice and answers"
98.7%

superb mixture

"it is a superb mixture of humour cynicism stoicism and politics"
98.6%

applauded adam

"lots of other reviewers have rightly applauded adam kay for his message life as a junior doctor in the uk's hospitals has become almost unlivable"
98.6%

anybody living

"i'd recommend anybody living in great britain read this book"
98.3%

extremely entertaining

"i have shared this book with my friends as the similes and other references throughout the book are extremely entertaining"
98.3%

sheer perfection

"this was sheer perfection in displaying the comical aspect of our humanity and i wish everyone would read and get an understanding of what it means to work as a doctor in the nhs the pride and passion and sacrifice it takes "
98.2%

hilarious anecdotes

"all the way through his diary of being a junior doctor through to consultant in hospitals in england there are hilarious anecdotes that i could so relate to during my 13 years of working in surgical rehab and resource centre for the elderly"
97.9%

remain defiantly

"instead we remain defiantly in denial of the cancer and cling to a false hope that it isn't really there"
97.9%

good insight

"a good insight into what really goes on behind the scenes"
96.8%

fantastically well

"it describes the pressure put on the nhs staff fantastically well"
96.6%

utterly hilarious

"utterly hilarious educational and heartbreaking"
96.3%

wildly funny

"brillant and wildly funny but also through anecdote and personal history of a young nhs doctor working in a hospital a searing critique of the current nhs and government policy: quitely savage you laugh as you cry"
96.0%

witty recollection

"this is a witty recollection of an ex dr and how he came to walk away from this career because of the cost emotionally and to his relationships"
95.2%

very realistic

"but it seems a very realistic portrayal of what the pressure truly feels like regardless and i think jokes aside kay really wanted to celebrate everyone working on the front lines of the nhs not just the doctors"
94.4%

great humour

"laughter cause some of the stories are ridiculously funny and it is written with great humour"
94.0%

superbly written

"this book is superbly written: i could hardly put it down"
93.7%

truly amazing

"it is truly amazing how these ‘rocks ’ of our nhs keep so focused and positive when all around there is this incessant demand for their attention"
93.5%

feel empathy

"kay uses a blend of bluntness and comedy to convey exactly what he was facing as a junior doctor for example earning an hourly wage less than a mcdonalds shift supervisor and certainly less than the hospital parking meter whilst literally saving lives and this clever mixture made me feel empathy without feeling like i was reading a political piece"
93.3%

most poignant

"its entertaining but this book is also accurate in the most poignant way"
93.2%

witty and hilarious

"adam’s diary entries are so well written witty and hilarious however still manages to be heartbreaking"
93.1%

satisfaction and love

"some jobs you definitely do for the satisfaction and love of the job and not the remuneration of appreciation"
93.1%

such an amazing

"also opens your eyes to what our junior doctors have to go through and how amazingly grateful i am to live in a country with such an amazing nhs"
93.1%

still hilarious

"i don't underestimate the serious effect of the underfunding to the nhs and the overwork and long hours that medical professionals face but this book is still hilarious so funny in fact ive read it three times adam kay has a brilliant turn of phase and every page makes me laugh out loud despite the sometimes"
93.1%

comedic talents

"kay's comedic talents are something to behold with so many truly laugh out loud moments which for anyone that's had the pleasure or misfortune of working with the general public can most definitely relate"
93.0%

funny and genuine

"funny and genuine"
92.8%

real talent

"by turns laugh out loud hilarious stoic and reflective it is a rollercoaster ride written by an author of humanity and with a real talent for anecdote whether a hilarious single sentence or a page of thought provoking depth"
92.3%

absolutely loved

"absolutely loved this book"
92.2%

excellent insight

"an excellent insight of one doctors experiences!"
92.1%

sometime hilarious

"a sometime hilarious sometimes saddening and often worrying experience of a doctor from first appointment as a junior house doctor to his final post as a senior registrar before packing it all in to become a writer after a particular heart rendering experience of absolutely no fault of his"
92.1%

thoroughly enjoy

"i know people who've read it and mentioned recommended it to myself without me knowing who wrote it i was given the book as a christmas present only to properly thoroughly enjoy it"
92.1%

enlightening and honest

"a fantastic selection of diary entries covering adam kay's time as a junior doctor this book is funny enlightening and honest"
92.0%

interject hilarious

"it was written well after the final dreadful experience that made this extraordinary doctor quit medicine yet he manages to interject hilarious wit into this account as well as documenting the 'quiet desperation' which so often attends his working day"
92.0%

writing is superb

"told like a true storyteller i’ve known adam kay for many things but this writing is superb and the “story” very well told"
91.7%

highly enteraining

"i feel that though written in a highly enteraining style this book clearly highlights the unreasonable expectations that we place on "junior" doctors and goes some way to explaining why we in the uk are losing so many of them"
91.6%

painfully funny

"this book is painfully funny shocking heartbreaking and very humbling"
91.4%

read and fascinating

"i prefer fiction to non fiction as a general rule but found this very easy to read and fascinating the only reason i have given it 4 and not 5 stars is that i felt the middle section was a bit repetitive and i could probably have gained the same insight into the world of being a junior doctor by reading"
91.4%

well written

"well written the author has a wry sense of humor and brilliant turn of phrase"
91.2%

glorious detail

"i reckon humour is the only way they and the patients manage a small degreevof sanity which the book shows in all its glorious detail"
91.2%

hilarious double

"they were such an hilarious double act and i dragged so many friends along to see them perform as i had to spread the word about them!"
90.7%

hilarious laugh

"adam kay is a brilliant wordsmith providing the reader with many hilarious laugh out loud moments coupled with the often absurd realities of life and the inevitability of death"
90.5%

honest & informative

"honest & informative with a very blokey sense of humour peeping through at numerous points"
90.3%

with empathy

"amount of depth the final part is heart wrenching and makes one realise how close many come to leaving the nhs i really felt every story diary entry with empathy and very often glee !"
90.2%

great work

"it gives a very honest insight into the great work our nhs staff do and it's a crying shame that professionals such as adam who have very obviously studied and worked so hard to reach the high standards they have should be lost to private hospitals and hospitals abroad where they're better looked after because they're being let down by government upon government not giving the support the nhs so desperately needs"
89.8%

will enjoy

"very funny as reviewed and if your are involved in the nursing world you will enjoy it"
89.8%

hilarious insight

"everyone should read this book it is a wonderful warm honest and at times hilarious insight into the realities of working as a doctor in our crazily under funded understaffed mismanaged but amazing nhs"
89.8%

comedy genius

"i don't know how to explain just how much i loved this book adam kay is a comedy genius"
89.5%

heartbreakingly funny

"adam kay has portrayed it in a heartbreakingly funny but truthful way and is an absolute genius in the way he has written this book"
89.5%

such a tremendous

"it's amazing how well the nhs works and that the people on the ground do such a tremendous job despite having to work the length of shifts they do"
89.5%

truly stirring

"a truly stirring insight and a real window into life not just as a doctor but i suspect also representative of many healthcare professionals"
89.5%

might enjoy

"we saw it on the telly and she gave me some subtle hints she might enjoy it"
89.3%

sobering message

"great book very funny with a sobering message"
89.2%

very well told

"told like a true storyteller i’ve known adam kay for many things but this writing is superb and the “story” very well told"
89.2%

develop is fascinating

"the variety of problems people develop is fascinating"
89.0%

thoroughly entertained

"it's a book that has probably elicited the most emotion out of me i've felt happy deeply saddened shocked anxious and comforted by the many diary entries in the book but mostly i've felt thoroughly entertained"
88.8%

hilarious and heart

"managed to be both hilarious and heart breaking"
88.8%

good outcomes

"next time you sit in a&e complaining about the wait just remember the doctor or nurse you're seeing has probably had little or no sleep has seen hundreds of cases some with good outcomes some perhaps not so good and yet you're given the same high quality of care and understanding as if you're the first person they've seen that day "
88.8%

loved the humour

"loved this book it was comprehensive it had a purpose it had great humour humour keeps us human loved the humour right up my street"
88.7%

every success

"he has a wicked sense of humour is a brilliant writer and i wish him every success in his new career"
88.7%

fantastic and warm

"he brings such a fantastic and warm if slightly warped sense of humour to an extremely stressful account of the trials and tribulations of his particular skill"
88.6%

humorous and poignant

"very well written honest humorous and poignant in various measures"
88.6%

professional and gifted

"he was clearly a passionate empathic professional and gifted doctor"
88.6%

poignant and honest

"this is a brilliantly written hilarious poignant and honest account of life as a junior doctor*"
88.6%

honest and heartfelt

"this is an honest and heartfelt book giving a real peek behind the curtains and scrubs into what it is like to be a doctor"
88.5%

just brilliant

"the diary entries were just brilliant and the footnotes were a great touch"
88.5%

truly laugh

"kay's comedic talents are something to behold with so many truly laugh out loud moments which for anyone that's had the pleasure or misfortune of working with the general public can most definitely relate"
88.4%

positive outcomes

"because i do think it was rather too balanced towards the positive outcomes and funny episodes"
88.3%

quite rightly

"having said that his last diary entry where he quite rightly remained serious had me in tears and i'm not surprised he reacted the way he did"
88.1%

poignant and evocative

"brilliant insight into the life of a junior doctor and the nhs funny poignant and evocative"
88.0%

great anecdotes

"great anecdotes telling how bizarrely stupid some people can be"
88.0%

genuinely the funniest

"it's genuinely the funniest but also the most important book i've read recently that really gives an insight into the nhs and the pressures the amazing people that make it tick are under"
88.0%

illuminating picture

"by the end you have an illuminating picture of why a highly motivated and skilled doctor was traumatised by the inadequacy of the nhs system and super human demands made on working hours"
75.0%

great deal

"kay's book has done a great deal to bring this further to public attention"
75.0%

survival technique

"the gallows humour is a survival technique familiar to many in public service a way of coping with the unreasonable demands and lack of control over prevailing political circumstances"
75.0%

proper laugh

"some proper laugh out loud moments in this book"
75.0%

funniest book

"omg i loved it i binged read the whole thing i am feeling like i want vol 2 the funniest book i have ever read but with a few sad bits too pure fun from the first paragraph"
75.0%

really brought

"we all hear about how the nhs is stretched and the long hours doctors work but this really brought it home"
75.0%

efficient doctor

"as patients and relations of patients we see an efficient doctor looking and sounding efficient totally unaware of how many shifts he has done back to back or how many other patients he is struggling to treat juggling what equipment beds and procedures he has available"
75.0%

great sense

"there have always been medical students who dropped out junior doctors who did not complete their training and senior doctors who left the profession however this was done inconspicuously quietly and with a great sense of shame"
75.0%

honest reflection

"thank you for an honest reflection of reality"
75.0%

additional gems

"do read the footnotes as you go through the story not only do they explain the technical words but there a re additional gems of humor hidden in them!"
74.9%

darkly humorous

"a darkly humorous account of one doctors experience of life in the nhs trenches: with glossary!"
74.9%

extraordinary moments

"he not only shared many of my experiences the clinical situations were all different but the extraordinary moments and ridiculously impossible situations were at heart identical but admits to all the same emotions that i felt at the time"
74.9%

really well

"really really well enjoyed"
74.9%

humour fact

"there is a great blend of humour fact and hard truth"
74.9%

humorous events

"both myself and my husband read it and we both equally laughed at some of the well described humorous events but also there was always an underlying sadness at the way these young professionals are overworked and not treated particularly well"
74.9%

more efficient

"for example the money spent on a new computer system which cost oodles of money and some top dog has decided it will make things more efficient"
74.9%

funniest books

"this was one of the best alarming informative funniest books i have ever read"
74.9%

nice thread

"that said a decent book with a nice thread of humor throughout making what can be a heavy subject sprinkled with a lightness that makes the completion of reading the book effortless"
74.9%

perfect summary

"lovely to read poignant uplifting and perhaps a perfect summary of the plight of working for the nhs the highs and the lows and above all the fantastic honour it is to work with and support people"
74.9%

humour angst

"just when you think it’s just a series of funny stories you get taken to different levels of humour angst and sadness in the level of each story"
74.9%

very positive

"this has had numerous very positive reviews and whilst i don’t want to detract from them i did feel that the book got quite repetitive in parts hence four stars and not five"
74.9%

immense sadness

"such an immense sadness that he felt responsible for the major incident that tipped the author over the edge and it sounded as though he received little support during that time"
74.9%

sensationally written

"one of the best books i've read in years sensationally written laugh out loud funny with sections that are heart breaking"
74.8%

greater impact

"i think it would have made the points more strongly and had greater impact thus avoiding the accusations of being trite and superficial levelled by some"
74.8%

national treasure

"this is a timely tribute to the personal sacrifice of the men and women who staff the national treasure that is our nhs"
74.8%

sweet writing style

"totally in awe of the bitter sweet writing style with its refreshing yet jaw dropping metaphors"
74.8%

funniest things

"and yet it's one of the funniest things i've ever read not in a black humour way but stand up comic one liners"
74.8%

book honest

"as a doctor myself i found adam's book honest and endearing but above all very funny"
74.8%

binding agreement

"all mps especially the secretary o f state for health should have to sign a binding agreement that when they require medical treatment they must attend the local gp surgery or hospital under an assumed name so as to enjoy the total experience of waiting 5 days to see a doctor and months for a hospital appointment"
74.8%

candid narrative

"i applaud you for your candid narrative and hope that people with no medical background regardless of what area they may work in appreciate the nhs in its entirety"
74.7%

tightly recommend

"tightly recommend"
74.7%

interesting insights

"also really interesting insights into not only life of a junior doctor and what the term "junior doctor" really means by also lots of interesting info and insights into the nhs"
74.7%

home deliveries

"particularly ‘home deliveries belong with pizzas not babies’"
74.7%

uniquely british

"it does applaud the life saving work of this uniquely british institution whilst at the same time underscoring its shortfalls"
74.7%

five stars

"i would have given it five stars if it had been a little longer"
74.7%

funny moments

"adam kay does a great job going through his years in the profession ups and downs and funny moments and sad moments"
74.6%

were funny

"the stories were funny some are not so"
74.6%

human nature

"his entries reflect many aspects of human nature from an open light hearted perspective"
74.6%

good blend

"it's such a good blend of the funny side of a situation with the seriousness of it at the same time"
74.6%

healthcare staff

"it also shows how doctors nurses and other healthcare staff are holding it all together through dedication and determination that mostly goes unrecognised or rewarded"
74.6%

subtle hints

"we saw it on the telly and she gave me some subtle hints she might enjoy it"
74.6%

best people

"they are doing their best people give them a break they are human"
74.6%

educational especially

"very educational especially for non medical people who may be patients at some time"
74.6%

enjoyed this

"enjoyed this"
74.6%

witty realism

"i'm not massively political nor is this book thank god just a dose of witty realism that has affirmed my respect and love for doctors nurses and everyone else in the nhs while simultaneously confirming my assumption that jeremy hunt* is 100% a c bomb"
74.6%

true insight

"an excellent book that gives a true insight into the life of a junior doctor"
74.6%

funny story

"every chapter entry deserves to be there and it all adds up to an interesting sad funny story about humanity"
74.6%

poignant moments

"the anecdotes were engaging and usually hilarious with poignant moments mixed in"
74.6%

amazing people

"it's genuinely the funniest but also the most important book i've read recently that really gives an insight into the nhs and the pressures the amazing people that make it tick are under"
74.6%

witted clever

"it’s quick witted clever and deeply insightful into a world i knew nothing about"
74.5%

funny comments

"i loved all the funny comments especially in the footnotes"
74.5%

witty and mind

"a witty and mind blowing account of a junior doctor working in the nhs"
74.5%

talented doctor

"good luck in all you do dr adam & i am so sorry that we your patients have lost a talented doctor!"
74.5%

absolute genius

"adam kay has portrayed it in a heartbreakingly funny but truthful way and is an absolute genius in the way he has written this book"
74.5%

very compassionate

"adam key was obviously a very compassionate committed doctor and the sad thing is it’s the nhs’s and ultimately our loss but he is just as worthy as a comedy writer"
74.5%

recommended read

"a recommended read to anyone who would like a truthful account of how life is as a junior doctor working for the nhs"
74.5%

social worker's

"rather like a social worker’s life and workload"
74.5%

interesting look

"it was described as funny as well as an interesting look into how the nhs actually treats doctors"
74.5%

lovely tales

"some lovely tales but also upsetting and heartbreaking too"
74.5%

fantastic point

"the author adam kay makes a fantastic point almost everyone has a direct link to an nhs employee be that a doctor a nurse a porter a receptionist any of the no doubt thousands of roles within the organisation that sees us from cradle to grave"
74.5%

good enough

"not even good enough for a charity shop"
74.5%

pretty quickly

"well this opened my eyes heart and mind pretty quickly thoses modern heroes and their nhs gang really have superhuman strength to endure us all"
74.4%

enjoyed it though

"my daughter enjoyed it though!"
74.4%

pretty funny

"this is an insightful and pretty funny collection of anecdotes but i found it rather gruelling"
74.4%

will probably

"a great read very funny and enjoyable in places you will probably learn something new too i’m sure!"
74.4%

educated wholly

"wow this is an eye opening account of those well educated wholly driven to the medical profession but so poorly acknowledged and appreciated junior doctors on such low salaries for the pressures and responsibilities they face"
74.4%

pretty good

"it is a valid point no doubt but maybe made a bit too repeatedly and without the balance of their take home salary being pretty good in this book"
74.4%

favourite parts

"one of my favourite parts was a footnotes about a myomectomy"
74.4%

very big heart

"adam is a very talented comedy writer but also a dr with a very big heart indeed"
74.4%

psychological thriller

"much different to what i usually read i normally go for a psychological thriller but fancied something different and a friend recommended it!"
74.4%

entertain people

"this book made me think it's time i tried to entertain people"
74.4%

high quality

"next time you sit in a&e complaining about the wait just remember the doctor or nurse you're seeing has probably had little or no sleep has seen hundreds of cases some with good outcomes some perhaps not so good and yet you're given the same high quality of care and understanding as if you're the first person they've seen that day "
74.4%

great book

"this got a few laughs from me well done adam for producing such a great book!"
74.4%

whole lives

"i have such respect for these young men and women who practically give up their whole lives for their work"
74.4%

very honest

"it gives a very honest insight into the great work our nhs staff do and it's a crying shame that professionals such as adam who have very obviously studied and worked so hard to reach the high standards they have should be lost to private hospitals and hospitals abroad where they're better looked after because they're being let down by government upon government not giving the support the nhs so desperately needs"
74.3%

humour sadness

"a fantastic book the tales of the day to day or should that be over long shift to over long shift grind are beautifully weaved with humour sadness and passion for the profession"
74.3%

honesty sadness

"o this book is written with so much humour honesty sadness and life"
74.3%

very moving

"very moving tears of laughter and sadness in one book show"
74.3%

added humour

"any medical jargon is clearly explained with added humour the resuscitation one is brilliant "
74.3%

overall good

"overall good book"
74.3%

brutally honest

"adam kay gives a really witty gritty and brutally honest account of his years spent as a junior doctor which if you're like me you'll be surprised to learn is a doctor of any grade below consultant"
74.3%

punishing schedules

"our doctors should be cherished and nurtured and above all appreciated for their long hours and punishing schedules"
74.3%

tenacity passion

"thank you to mr kay for your honesty and humour and all members of the medical profession that have the tenacity passion and courage to enter this diabolical institution and braver still not simply leave once you realise the harsh reality of working for the nhs"
74.3%

loved ones

"i have always been a supporter of the nhs of the people that work for them and of any treatment that i and loved ones have had to receive but it really is an eye opener on what the staff have to put up with"
74.3%

very interesting

"the nuffield report "the nhs at 70: how good is the nhs" is very interesting reading and compares the nhs to 17 other health systems in developed countries"
74.3%

bright sunshine

"i bought both the book and audiobook but as i was on holiday in bright sunshine decided to listen to the audiobook which is excellently narrated by the author adam kay himself"
74.3%

good value

"good value for money"
74.3%

please adam

"medicine's loss is comedy's gain more please adam"
74.3%

truthful accurate

"this book stands out from the rest as it is not only truthful accurate a reflection of a world that most people could never think existed and is hilarious"
74.3%

super heroes

"these people are real life super heroes and it seems that a sense of humour is essential in order to cope with the physical and mental demands of the job"
74.2%

amazing doctor

"adam was obviously an amazing doctor and like all junior doctors he was undervalued underappreciated and underpaid by those in power"
74.2%

favourite book

"this is easily my favourite book of this year!"
74.2%

rational thought

"a book which is hilariously funny and heartbreaking in equal measures plus it also shows the lack of intelligence in some people who willingly insert objects into their various orifices without rational thought of the consequences or any consideration for the medical staff who then have to fish those objects back out again "
74.2%

very happy

"thank you adam for speaking up and making me laugh and inventing paracetamoxyfrusybenzoneonycin which has made me very happy in impossible situations"
74.2%

interesting info

"also really interesting insights into not only life of a junior doctor and what the term "junior doctor" really means by also lots of interesting info and insights into the nhs"
74.2%

fantastic read

"excellent seller book in great condition and a fantastic read"
74.1%

improved easily

"it could be saved and improved easily yet it has become an enormous political football "
74.1%
...

dreadful waste

"what a dreadful waste of tax payers money and loss to the nhs when such a caring and conscientious doctor is forced to leave the profession because he cannot face the lack of sleep the ridiculous demands the job makes on his physical and mental health his home life"
99.9%

complete waste

"a complete waste of time and money!"
99.9%

utter tripe

"i would recommend buying do no harm by the neurosurgeon henry marsh instead of this utter tripe"
99.8%

total waste

"i was so disappointed total waste of money"
99.8%

huge disappointment

"it was a huge disappointment badly written poor editing poor content a miserable little book"
99.6%

quite annoying

"what i didn’t like it was it sometimes demeans the patients pregnant women and having gone through two difficult births i found a man being glib about women’s health pain quite annoying"
99.5%

total disgrace

"the ruthless exploitation and abuse of medical staff is a total disgrace for which lying greedy politicians of all political parties are to blame"
99.1%

very disappointed

"could not be posted to amazon i'm very disappointed you have haven chosen not to allow my feed back i feel this is because the of my negativity which is the honest way i've been treated but 0n this occasion honesty is obviously not your best policy !"
99.0%

really irritating

"despite that though kay's descriptions had me laughing out loud and whilst i initially found it really irritating having to refer to the footnotes you'll see what i mean these were often the best parts of the book"
99.0%

soooo unfunny

"soooo unfunny it's unbelievable"
98.7%

absolutely awful

"absolutely awful"
98.6%

with caution

"so i'd recommend it as a good read but only if read with caution"
98.6%

unnecessarily crude

"i find the language he uses unnecessarily crude and lazy"
98.5%

with disrespect

"this book is a true account of how medical professionals are under valued un loved and treated with disrespect by a small minority of society and the catastrophic effect such attitudes have upon these human beings"
98.4%

uninteresting antidotes

"contrived forced humour sad uninteresting antidotes of life as a junior dr"
98.3%

quite depressing

"i actually found parts of the book quite depressing if i’m honest and some issues made me feel angry especially the injustice of what the author had to endure not just with some difficult and or dumb patients but worse with how he was often taken advantage of by the medical system with the long hours etc"
98.3%

difficult reading

"the huge amount of explanations also makes for difficult reading of the diary entries having to break off to read the notes"
97.8%

shocking technicolour

"this book shows in shocking technicolour the depth of the water junior doctors are thrown into with very little in the way of lifesaving equipment and kay managed to alter the mood deftly in his recounting of events that led to his decision to leave the profession"
97.4%

actual moron

"i'm not sure whether that would have had legs for a dinner table moment for him or whether he just thought i was an actual moron"
96.6%

quite archaic

"it's quite archaic but the nhs has outgrown itself with more high risk cases such as morbid obesity smokers and cases that are pregnant due to advancing technology therefore requiring high input without staffing that goes with these cases"
96.3%

rather insignificant

"nor do i think it's misogynistic just locker room talk which if you sit primly outside as a third party you could get on a hi horse and criticise but in the heat of the day to day is rather insignificant"
96.2%

exaggerated or farfetched

"you might think it exaggerated or farfetched but you'd be wrong"
94.9%

horrendous hours

"it's a wonder there aren't more accidents given the horrendous hours they work!"
94.5%

unnecessary bad language

"lots of unnecessary bad language that had never been mentioned in the reviews did nothing for the book"
92.8%

frustration anger

"this book clearly shows the overwhelming job doctors have in hospitals portrayed with humour frustration anger and sadness"
92.1%

crude language

"quite a few negative reviewers accuse him of poor crude language"
91.4%

awful sleep

"but even so seeing it written down in all its awful sleep deprived reality was still shocking"
91.0%

extremely distressing

"i enjoy reading books about life in medicine there’s been several of them recently henry marsh’s excellent books being amongst some that i have read and it’s good that the disclosures in these books about allopathic medicine are there for all to read: plus it seems cathartic for the authors to write about their experiences in medicine some of which are extremely distressing medical cases for which they get no debriefing or counselling and others about how stupid the nhs can be with how its managed"
90.8%

boring and repetitive

"the book itself is boring and repetitive"
89.9%

absolute idiots

"it also brings home the huge stretch put on the nhs by absolute idiots who have self inflicted stupid injuries on themselves but who are still seen and treated"
89.5%

unfunny and bland

"no idea why the hype about this book unfunny and bland"
89.1%

with this incompetent

"i would like to use one of his expletives myself in this review but fear it would mean a disqualification which is actually what the bma should do with this incompetent"
89.1%

time back owed

"drs aren't expected to go off sick get time back owed and expected to just keep on until finishing their job on shift"
89.1%

horrible descriptions

"i found it cynical occasionally bordering on misogynist in his horrible descriptions of women and their bodily parts when they are at their most vulnerable gynae detail in the book but perhaps not for a review but describing a womans vagina as a 'tw*t' is one such example "
89.0%

blood boil

"the part where adam says the beds were taken away from on call rooms so doctors can’t be seen sleeping on the job made my blood boil!"
88.3%

total lack

"i veered off into general practice and lasted a little longer than he did however in the end successive governments' total lack of anything remotely helpful or supportive finished off my career just the same and with an incredibly heavy heart i threw in the towel in my early 40's"
88.2%

pathetic person

"i mean why should i be wanting to read about some pathetic person who was never cut out to be a doctor in the first place?"
88.2%

bit boring and repetitive

"i was thoroughly enjoying this book until around the 65% mark on my kindle when his anecdotes started to become a bit boring and repetitive and his tone ever so slightly ‘cocky’"
88.1%

total idiot

"i mean what a total idiot"
87.8%

damaging themselves

"dr kay describes a descent into burn out and it is to his credit that he has the courage to get out of the profession when he is unable to laugh anymore rather than to continue to struggle like hundreds of other doctors do ultimatley damaging themselves their family their relationships and their patients"
75.0%

cruel toll

"too empathetic to the taxing nature of the life and work of a hospital doctor’s incredibly demanding and merciless daily life and the cruel toll it takes"
75.0%

unpaid overtime

"after pouring hard decades of your life into the nhs you can enjoy a salary that is nearly as high as what a 26 year old city lawyer or accountant gets and cut back your unpaid overtime to just a couple of hours a day with sunday afternoons for the paperwork"
74.9%

blatant falsehoods

"a lot of the stories are blatant falsehoods or ripped off from other medical 'diaries"
74.9%

hard long hours

"some of the stories did have me laughing but the overall impression it leaves is a doctor working hard long hours a job he takes great pride in but in difficult conditions at the limits of his knowledge and strength"
74.9%

very difficult

"this book even raised laughs on a very difficult day"
74.9%

screwed over

"as funny as this book is the final section will give you a big dose of reality as life as an a+e doctor and bring you back down to earth where the nhs is getting screwed over"
74.9%

vulnerable relatives

"the fact that it was non fiction made the humour seem tasteless these are real people kaye is writing about and the thought that relatives of his patients could be reading about their vulnerable relatives made me as a health professional myself distinctly uncomfortable"
74.9%

uncaring misogynistic

"he comes across as arrogant uncaring misogynistic with a god complex"
74.9%

grossly overpaid

"it should be read by each politician selected to be sos for health although i imagine they would simply pass it to their grossly overpaid advisor for a one paragraph brief"
74.9%

thankless hours

"i know junior doctors work incredibly hard long thankless hours with little pay to start with and i am so grateful to them i am a qualified nurse so know a little about the workings of hospitals "
74.9%

disrespectful inaccurate

"disrespectful inaccurate and offensive"
74.9%

disrespectful songs

"plenty of filthy condescending disrespectful songs about patients there too"
74.9%

impending doom

"kay does however fill the reader with the impending doom of his rather arbitarily chosen career"
74.9%

housing accommodation

"those young doctors deserve a footballers wage and free housing accommodation!"
74.9%

seems cathartic

"i enjoy reading books about life in medicine there’s been several of them recently henry marsh’s excellent books being amongst some that i have read and it’s good that the disclosures in these books about allopathic medicine are there for all to read: plus it seems cathartic for the authors to write about their experiences in medicine some of which are extremely distressing medical cases for which they get no debriefing or counselling and others about how stupid the nhs can be with how its managed"
74.8%

moan sometimes

"sometimes they’ll say nothing sometimes they might moan sometimes they might cry"
74.8%

threatening deplorable

"the situation is now desperately and in many cases life threatening deplorable"
74.8%

disastrous effects

"he describes passing through the grades of sho registrar and senior registrar none of which existed much after the millenium the sr grade having been abolished with disastrous effects by the then cmo calman"
74.8%

asleep worryingly

"one was found in bushes beside the car park sound asleep worryingly he had been driving for 30 minutes before getting out of his car and simply sat down and fell asleep"
74.8%

saddest part

"the saddest part is how they are treated by other more senior doctors and the management"
74.8%

greedy politicians

"the ruthless exploitation and abuse of medical staff is a total disgrace for which lying greedy politicians of all political parties are to blame"
74.8%

foul language

"it irritated me right from the beginning with its foul language and derogatory tone"
74.8%

supposedly written

"awful book smattered with totally unnecessary bad language if supposedly written by an intelligent educated person who moans all the time about a profession for which he is obviously unsuited for"
74.8%

money and loss

"what a dreadful waste of tax payers money and loss to the nhs when such a caring and conscientious doctor is forced to leave the profession because he cannot face the lack of sleep the ridiculous demands the job makes on his physical and mental health his home life"
74.8%

insult and slap

"but after reading this book i realise what an insult and slap in the face that comment really was"
74.8%

book dismissive

"i am not a prude but it was early into the narrative that i found the tone of the book dismissive misogynistic and overall lacking in empathy"
74.8%

nasty piece

"dr kay is a nasty piece of work"
74.7%

disaster something

"the end game a medicosurgical disaster something which doctors at the pointy end of healthcare will experience on a regular basis cruelly knocked him down"
74.7%

stupid things

"the prostitute who inserted a child's sponge vaginally to sop up menstrual blood the rich seam of finding humour in the category 'patients who put stupid things into their orifices' has been rather over mined in this book to be honest which has 'been schnitzeled flat by her clients' pummellings over the past three months' nice empathy there doctor"
74.7%

were too hard

"you were too hard on yourself but i understand completely"
74.7%

disappointing conclusion

"i’m glad others in the review section have also come to a disappointing conclusion about this book"
74.7%

panic attack

"sections are ‘read out loud to the nearest person’ hilarious the last section is so unrelentingly tragic it quite literally sent me into a full on panic attack"
74.7%

very angry

"but above all it made me very very angry!"
74.7%

saddest books

"this is one of the funniest saddest books i've read in a long time drama pathos whatever that means tears and laughter"
74.7%

very shocking

"also illuminating and very shocking"
74.7%

such stress

"i work in the public sector and understand that you need to be flexible but the thought that we’re putting junior staff under such stress is very unpalatable"
74.7%

ignorance ineptitude

"on many occasion during the book adam points to “stupidity” his own too negligence ignorance ineptitude and fallibility"
74.7%

ridiculous hours

"the last bit is perhaps the most important highlighting the bad distribution of nhs funds with the higher echelons being paid the most for doing the least whilst the staff on the ground working ridiculous hours and being paid such a low wage suffer most and as highlighted in this book eventually throw in the towel and leave"
74.7%

threatening emergency

"so much so that if i’m ever taken to a+e for a life threatening emergency i’d tell my doctor to finish their coffee first"
74.7%

very badly

"the book was very badly written boring in the extreme and not at all funny"
74.6%

emergency services

"in the nhs in some situations a gallows humour has to be adopted and i am sure it is the same for all the emergency services"
74.6%

unfair responsibility

"definitely gives you a better understanding of the ridiculous hours and unfair responsibility the junior doctors are subject to"
74.6%

massive drain

"the book does not hold back on any of the difficulties you need to overcome on a day to day basis or the massive drain it has on your own life and instead of painting a picture of doctors as being beyond human it gives a more realistic view"
74.6%

traumatic events

"the nhs relies on the goodwill of its staff working past their time usually writing up notes or incident forms that you haven’t had time to do during your shift or swapping their shift due to staff shortages at the last minute relies on them building their own support network instead of giving them the right support to deal with traumatic events that are all too common in the job but no amount of training will ever prepare you for working through their breaks “because the ward is too busy”"
74.6%

complete mockery

"the 6 month all change rule also makes a complete mockery of the info i am given"
74.5%

spoiler alert

"spoiler alert: the ending is not what you might expect"
74.5%

failing systems

"what this has also done is make me even more proud of the nhs and its amazing staff and made me even more irritated by the inability of our government to see that and their inability to fix stuff such as failing systems"
74.5%

derogatory tone

"it irritated me right from the beginning with its foul language and derogatory tone"
74.5%

rather depressing

"it paints a rather depressing picture of life as a doctor in an inefficient and stretched system"
74.5%

very sad story

"also known for his song parodies he was the entertainment at prince harry's 30th birthday adam's decision to leave medicine and go into entertainment full time is explained here and it's a very sad story"
74.5%

dangerously long

"how they cope with the dangerously long hours on duty and often with huge responsibility prematurely on their shoulders is an eye opener"
74.5%

crumbling structure

"they can be confessional and moving and frequently highlight the crumbling structure of the nhs and the failure of politicians to appreciate the effect of policies they enact"
74.5%

terrible toll

"i am in awe but equally so angry about the way the national health service is funded run politicised putting not only patients’ lives at risk but the terrible toll it has on the medical profession"
74.5%

often ridiculous

"no only is it eye opening into the life or lack of of our junior doctors and the often ridiculous situations they face it will also make you realise without a doubt that the wellbeing of our healthcare providers is worth fighting for"
74.4%

living babies

"an example that haunted me was that if a baby has died in the womb the mother is still obliged to deliver it in a normal labour ward surrounded by mothers giving birth to healthy living babies how insensitive is that?"
74.4%

lousy wage

"ever been a duty solicitor in crime and had to spend all night in the cells and be paid a lousy wage"
74.4%

unnecessary antibiotic

"read this book and then look yourself in the mirror before nagging the doctor for an unnecessary antibiotic or sticking something not designed for the purpose inside yourself!"
74.4%

negative reviews

"i'm always very sceptical of books and reviewers that claim a book is 'laugh out loud' funny and probably would have been more swayed by the negative reviews had i not decided to read the first few pages before buying"
74.3%

forced humour

"at first i was somewhat irritated by the appearance of forced humour but this quickly gave place to enormous respect and sympathy"
74.2%

seem brash

"i wish a little more time had been spent on expanding the entries mainly because their brevity sometimes makes the author seem brash when i don't think it is the case"
74.2%

mixed feelings

"mixed feelings but overall i didn't enjoy it as much as i'd hoped"
74.2%

left exhausted

"the nhs simply does not look after it's staff and like the doctor in the book both he and i and many other staff have left exhausted and frustrated that we never had sufficient staff the management who know very little about medical matters are running the nhs and telling medical staff how to do their jobs!"
74.1%

very poorly

"having experienced our health service quite extensively as a father to a very poorly child this could be seen as a very worrying portrayal of the system you rely on however reading this retrospectively when the dark tunnel of constant fear and worry is behind you it really is quite cathartic"
74.0%

silly vapid

"to be fair he seems fairly misanthropic generally but i can't help thinking that if you view women as silly vapid and a collection of icky body parts that's not going to make you a wonderful practitioner"
74.0%

missed sleep

"well written extremely frank description of one young doctors journey to becoming a consultant the long hours the unexpected objects inserted in surprising places the cost to his health physical and mental the kindness the missed sleep the missed parties and the ones he'd wished he'd missed"
73.9%

arrogant condescending

"he is rude arrogant condescending hates his job moans about his pay his patients his colleagues etc etc etc"
73.9%

threatening cancer

"" as distressing as infertility clearly is it is hardly the same as a life threatening cancer"
73.8%

stupid injuries

"it also brings home the huge stretch put on the nhs by absolute idiots who have self inflicted stupid injuries on themselves but who are still seen and treated"
73.8%

working staff

"the nhs is on its knees and those in power need a damned wake up call it would do them good to roll their sleeves up and actually work on the wards theatres corridors all areas beside the hard working staff from the lowest paid to highest to see what real hard working people have to cope with on a day to day basis"
73.8%

callous disregard

"the minister in charge must be aware of this but have a callous disregard for the suffering"
73.4%

impending privatisation

"now jeremy hunt’s inadequacy has been somersaulted by further political manoeuvring brexit & the impending privatisation of this marvellous institution"
73.4%

bungling inefficiencies

"the fault lies with the legions of politicians who have lied and bullied anyone who has tried to highlight the bungling inefficiencies and refusal to accept the need for the health service to be properly funded"
73.4%

very uncomfortable

"i've also felt my anger escalate to a very uncomfortable level"
73.1%

main problem

"the main problem i had was the short written record of events and i was left wondering if i was reading a comedy script or a account of life in the nhs"
73.0%

wasted my money

"i'm afraid i didn't like the author's style and in this instance felt that i wasted my money"
72.9%

treated flippantly

"the human condition in extremis is not to be treated flippantly"
72.9%

pointless remarks

"pointless remarks?"
72.8%

thrown annually

"billions of our tax money are thrown annually at the service"
72.8%

overwhelming focus

"whilst there is a is an overwhelming focus on female medical issues due to the author’s career path this is more than compensated by anecdotes about degloving and the dubious use of candles and fans by foolish males"
72.8%

cause problems

"sadly the long working hours and overworked staff continue to cause problems and there doesn't appear to be any light at the end of the tunnel"
72.8%

practically no sleep

"they survive on practically no sleep they never get cover and they have to know every inch of every medical condition they might encounter"
72.7%

difficult conditions

"some of the stories did have me laughing but the overall impression it leaves is a doctor working hard long hours a job he takes great pride in but in difficult conditions at the limits of his knowledge and strength"
72.7%

stupidly injured

"of course this is a book about sick people not just the stupidly injured so there are some moments there where you realise how fragile a human life can be and exactly what the mind and body is or is not capable of"
72.6%

spent hours

"for anyone like me who has spent hours and days in a&e or sundry hospital wards it is impossible not to be moved by the excessive demands placed upon our medics at all levels"
72.6%

they enact

"they can be confessional and moving and frequently highlight the crumbling structure of the nhs and the failure of politicians to appreciate the effect of policies they enact"
72.6%

hurtful honesty

"from cringe worthy blunt to hurtful honesty"
72.5%

nasty experiences

"not a book just a list of nasty experiences and some awful medical definitions"
72.4%

difficult births

"what i didn’t like it was it sometimes demeans the patients pregnant women and having gone through two difficult births i found a man being glib about women’s health pain quite annoying"
72.4%

ridiculously long

"not the reality of ridiculously long hours etc"
72.4%

ultimate resignation

"this book reports through six years of “private” diaries the course of adam kay’s career from medical student to senior registrar and the reasons for his ultimate resignation from the national health service"
72.3%

relentless pressure

"eventually the pressure is too much and sadly he resigns from the nhs as a retired doctor i was really able to relate to his struggles and the sense of relentless pressure from the job often without time to eat or do anything else and i think things are worse now than when i was in practice"
72.1%

sick people

"of course this is a book about sick people not just the stupidly injured so there are some moments there where you realise how fragile a human life can be and exactly what the mind and body is or is not capable of"
72.1%

wrong reasons

"sounds like he went into medicine for the wrong reasons and learned the hard way"
71.9%

mental insurance

"don’t be put off by the intrusion of gallows humour i think most of us needed it as a form of mental insurance!"
71.9%

indulgent self pity

"lots of cliche over indulgent self pity"
71.7%

cold realisation

"you cry through laughter and the cold realisation of the abhorrence of doing the most important job in civilisation as an underrested underpaid under appreciated servent of society"
71.6%

relentless saviour

"the guy illustrates himself as a relentless saviour throughout every page of the book with his stories of self sacrifice and dedication to life but then makes fun of someone for grieving their dog"
71.4%

suspicious places

"a mockery of the misconceptions of medicine a giggle at some of the silly things people do and say an account of many objects rammed into suspicious places and a personal insight into the experiences of one junior doctor"
71.3%

edinburgh fringe

"i am a doctor and bought this having seen his show advertised at the edinburgh fringe then being unable to get tickets"
71.3%

creaking friends

"i fled the nhs 18 years ago and even then it was overstretched and creaking friends tell me how much worse it is now which is heartbreaking to hear"
71.2%

line staff

"i hope the "lay person" can gain a better understanding of the stress of the medical staff before their numerous complaints about front line staff as managers in their offices have no idea of what really matters on the "shop floor" was disappointed when i finished the book a hard act to follow adam kay!"
71.1%

more squeamish

"there are a few sections where the more squeamish might find it a difficult read"
71.1%

hardly surprising

"it is hardly surprising that this book has been a bestseller in the uk given its warts & all account of life working as a junior doctor in the nhs"
71.0%

babies at birth

"is the third poorest performer compared to the 18 developed countries on the overall rate at which people die when successful medical care could have saved their lives" 3 "it has consistently higher rates of death for babies at birth or just after perinatal mortality and in the month after birth" it is sad to say but for a number of serious conditions you are less likely to survive when treated by the nhs than if you were treated by an "average" health care system"
70.8%

shame adam

"what a shame adam felt he had to stop being a doctor but totally understandable"
70.5%

most bitter

"the is the most bitter sweet book i have ever read and if i was prime minister it would be law that everyone reads it"
69.8%

proved too much

"my major sadness is that the pressures proved too much for adam he isn’t the only one"
69.8%

basically anecdotes

"interestingly in it highlights how hard doctors work also v funny in places asia basically anecdotes about former patients"
69.7%

sadness reading

"i've shed tears of both laughter and sadness reading this book"
69.7%

difficulties exhaustion

"having been a junior doctor myself i completely identified with all his difficulties exhaustion and emotional commitment and dedication"
69.6%

obvious detriment

"and to the obvious detriment to any personal relationships or families?"
69.4%

decisions medics

"am not in a medically related field however this book was really insightful as to what it must be like to be a medic and the really difficult decisions medics need to make day to day"
69.4%

crass humour

"still other reviewers have taken him to task for his potty mouth and crass humour"
69.3%

arrest the decline

"doctors teachers and so many public service professionals are leaving their "vocations" and this little book gives us an insight into why and why as a nation we should try to arrest the decline"
69.1%

life expletives

"a very good book marred by unwarranted low life expletives"
68.9%

broken this taboo

"dr kay with his book has broken this taboo"
68.9%

poor content

"it was a huge disappointment badly written poor editing poor content a miserable little book"
68.7%

unrealistic demands

"the writer is simply but tragically burnt out by the extremes of his workload & the book has a very poignant message about the unrealistic demands we place on our hospital doctors"
68.7%

womens problems

"this was a book club choice for me as this is womens problems!"
68.3%

frighten her to death

"frighten her to death !"
68.3%

quite angry

"i felt quite angry after reading this as it clearly shows the disregard the government has for our medical profession"
68.2%

lots of cliche

"lots of cliche over indulgent self pity"
68.2%

simply unnecessary

"however comments like ‘the midwife will run along and do the bloods’ and his endless comments about the stupidity of his colleagues nurses and patients was simply unnecessary"
68.1%

nurse paging

"i have been the impatient nurse paging an already overstretched junior doctor to come and review a patient prescribe more pain relief or fluids check gent or vanc levels or write a discharge letter as the patient is standing in front of me dressed holding their packed belongings with their angry relative who has come to collect them"
67.8%

suffer any pain

"luckily i do not suffer any pain"
67.7%

important issue

"style lacunae: gaps in the text that does not deal with an important issue and is therefore not effective or convincing "
67.6%

deprived reality

"but even so seeing it written down in all its awful sleep deprived reality was still shocking"
67.5%

poorer state

"if it wasn't for how hard some doctors and nurses work beyond their official working hours the nh s would be in a poorer state then it is now"
67.4%

bang your head

"you bang your head against a brick wall trying to get the government to understand i am in education"
67.4%

suffer most

"the last bit is perhaps the most important highlighting the bad distribution of nhs funds with the higher echelons being paid the most for doing the least whilst the staff on the ground working ridiculous hours and being paid such a low wage suffer most and as highlighted in this book eventually throw in the towel and leave"
67.2%

star reviews

"as a nurse with over forty years experience in neonatal care i was hooked into this book by the 4 star reviews"
67.2%

health pain

"what i didn’t like it was it sometimes demeans the patients pregnant women and having gone through two difficult births i found a man being glib about women’s health pain quite annoying"
67.2%

amateur transplants

"as a fan of amateur transplants and their work as a band i already had a predisposition to enjoy adam kay's work and the book never failed me"
67.1%

picture warning

"also why condoms should have a picture warning on the packet"
67.1%

constant constant need

"the author dr adam kay worked principally in the obstetrics & gynaecology depts of various hospitals & writes of constantly having to deal with one life threatening crisis after another of over long shifts often having to be extended by yet another crisis 10 minutes before he is due to clock off & of the constant constant need for sleep"
67.1%

were n't about work

"also i wasn’t sure some of the diary entries particularly those which weren’t about work were really true eg the stag do "
67.1%

feel guilty

"it made me feel guilty about complaining about how hard i work in my flexible part time work that stretches to almost full time and sometimes 7 days a week"
66.8%

life or lack

"no only is it eye opening into the life or lack of of our junior doctors and the often ridiculous situations they face it will also make you realise without a doubt that the wellbeing of our healthcare providers is worth fighting for"
66.8%

much pressure

"there is an underlying message that the nhs is itself suffering from too much pressure on essential doctors and nurses"
66.5%

they deserve

"should read this book and maybe just maybe our wonderful nhs and medical staff would get the funding they deserve"
66.4%

multiple emergencies

"examples of the stress experienced by so called “junior doctors” working often unsupported and having to deal with multiple emergencies often at the expense of their personal commitments"
66.3%

give the book a miss

"if anyone is slightly squeamish about that area you might want to give the book a miss"
66.3%

drain reading

"if you don't laugh like a drain reading this then your name is probably jeremy hunt"
66.1%

that i did n't enjoy

"there was an underlying tone that i didn't enjoy"
66.1%

ruined each time

"i synpathise with adam kay and how hard he worked etc etc but the way he tried to put his point across was completely ruined each time because rather than write properly with descriptive adjectives he repeatedly used swear words"
65.9%

unfortunate error

"it must be aweful to be accused of a mistake knowing full well that you were so tired and could hardly stand when this unfortunate error occurred i think in this man's case it was when through a mishap in communication a baby died and very nearly the mother"
65.6%

very skeptical

"hearing the hype surrounding this book i was very skeptical i was concerned that a dr had turned patients worst moments in to humour to sell a book"
65.5%

unless you want

"also if you don't like the use of the "f" word in this book probably not for you and also probably not one to buy your aged aunt unless you want to"
65.4%

explained to them

"the contempt for women who ask questions or want options clearly explained to them"
65.4%

that disaster

"i was that disaster"
65.4%

unless something is done

"unless something is done about it there will be no nhs with cheap doctor slavery but i guess this is what the main aim is from the powers that be"
65.3%

stretched to the limits

"an nhs already stretched to the limits in terms of staffing will only get worse if we cant support the staff we have"
65.3%

their inability

"what this has also done is make me even more proud of the nhs and its amazing staff and made me even more irritated by the inability of our government to see that and their inability to fix stuff such as failing systems"
65.2%

ridiculous demands

"what a dreadful waste of tax payers money and loss to the nhs when such a caring and conscientious doctor is forced to leave the profession because he cannot face the lack of sleep the ridiculous demands the job makes on his physical and mental health his home life"
65.2%

unrelenting attachment

"i like the unrelenting attachment to the profession and healthy disrespect for ruling politicians and most of all the glimpse into the life of a specialist doctor"
65.0%

bash out all three

"it's hard to write funny it's hard to write compelling it's hard to write heart breaking unless that is you're adam kay in which case you can apparently just bash out all three while you're working as a doctor"
65.0%

unable to laugh

"dr kay describes a descent into burn out and it is to his credit that he has the courage to get out of the profession when he is unable to laugh anymore rather than to continue to struggle like hundreds of other doctors do ultimatley damaging themselves their family their relationships and their patients"
64.9%

unimaginably traumatic

"this must be an unimaginably traumatic experience for a caring doctor"
64.8%

negative reviewers

"quite a few negative reviewers accuse him of poor crude language"
64.7%

it's rubbish

"my opinion is it’s rubbish"
64.6%

waste of time

"waste of time"
64.5%

need sleep

"firstly this book should come with a health warning: do not start reading this late at night unless you don't need sleep and secondly if you do read it in bed ensure you are alone as you may end up in hospital when your partner threatens to shove your kindle up your rectum because your constant laughing and snorting is keeping him awake but thankfully having read up all about pr's i felt confident that the junior doctors would be able to remove it if necessary"
64.5%

before buying

"i'm always very sceptical of books and reviewers that claim a book is 'laugh out loud' funny and probably would have been more swayed by the negative reviews had i not decided to read the first few pages before buying"
64.4%

nothing sometimes

"sometimes they’ll say nothing sometimes they might moan sometimes they might cry"
64.4%

down for my taste

"was looking for humour but a bit of a let down for my taste"
64.3%

very mixed

"i had very mixed views about this book"
64.2%

moan moan moan

"it was moan moan moan"
64.0%

quite shocking

"on a more serious note the reality of being a junior dr and the long hours is quite shocking"
63.9%

repetitive stories

"starts off very funny indeed but soon turns into an endless list of boring and repetitive stories about the gynaecology ward"
63.8%

much hierachy

"i know there is a shortage of both nurses and doctors but my personal opinion is that there is too much hierachy involved in the nhs"
63.7%

much swearing

"this book just isn't funny at all and there's too much swearing i it"
63.7%

being late

"the two parts which will stay with me forever is the description of the lost swab incident yes we do crawl around the floor and delve into the ‘bran tub of doom’ on such an occurrence and the reason for being late out from work almost every single shift"
63.7%

could hardly

"it must be aweful to be accused of a mistake knowing full well that you were so tired and could hardly stand when this unfortunate error occurred i think in this man's case it was when through a mishap in communication a baby died and very nearly the mother"
63.7%

nursing staff

"as a retired member of the medical profession a junior doctor as he was then relies heavily on the nursing staff to keep them right in many aspects of patient care and senior consultants preferences on procedures"
63.5%

unable to carry

"i am sorry he was unable to carry on"
63.5%

same stuff

"i'm a doctor and been through all the same stuff and i must say he sounds quite melodramatic and over the top"
63.1%

plain old accidents

"it doesn't shy away from how negligent quick fixes or plain old accidents might come about i'm not sure i'd have a steady hand after no food or sleep for one day least of all two with a never ending bleep and no rest in sight"
63.0%

rather arbitarily

"kay does however fill the reader with the impending doom of his rather arbitarily chosen career"
62.9%

unlikely to be the last

"the real tragedy is that he's unlikely to be the last"
62.9%

life or death decisions

"working insane hours they are expected to make life or death decisions and be able to function on a level that requires total concentration and commitment"
62.9%

forgotten most of

"i read it really quickly probably won't ever read it again and i've forgotten most of it"
62.9%

sales figures

"on the whole though it's a cover to cover whinge about how tough life is as a junior doctor i am sure much the same could be said of junior teachers or junior most things even junior lawyers and how badly the nhs operates again i am sure much the same could be said of most institutionalised professions and maybe this needed to be said by someone to get the attention the nhs needs but kay doesn't offer any solutions or practical advice and it certainly doesn't explain the extraordinary sales figures"
62.8%

desolation irritation

"but it doesn’t stop there once one becomes a consultant the desperation desolation irritation and sometimes rage re appear at regular intervals"
62.7%

third poorest performer

"is the third poorest performer compared to the 18 developed countries on the overall rate at which people die when successful medical care could have saved their lives" 3 "it has consistently higher rates of death for babies at birth or just after perinatal mortality and in the month after birth" it is sad to say but for a number of serious conditions you are less likely to survive when treated by the nhs than if you were treated by an "average" health care system"
62.7%

too emotionally heavy

"it's probably worth noting that a large part of the book focuses on gynaecology and obstetrics so i imagine it might be too emotionally heavy in parts for people who've had difficulty in either area as a patient"
62.7%

ignore these aspects

"there is a political element to this book and given the recent issues that the nhs faces it would have been wrong to ignore these aspects"
62.6%

sadly doubt

"also the level of pastoral care for junior doctors seemed to be totally non existent one hopes that it has changed since the diaries were written but somehow i sadly doubt it"
62.6%

clearly never

"he was clearly never cut out to be a doctor he hated every minute of it and is no great loss to medicine"
62.6%

read anything remotely

"i don’t usually read anything remotely to do with human services as i work in them but i happened on this one after a recommendation"
62.5%

awful reality

"he's perhaps lucky he chose obstetrics because we can imagine those in a&e or say cardiology face this awful reality far more frequently than an obstetrician"
62.4%

very worrying

"having experienced our health service quite extensively as a father to a very poorly child this could be seen as a very worrying portrayal of the system you rely on however reading this retrospectively when the dark tunnel of constant fear and worry is behind you it really is quite cathartic"
62.3%

does n't ring true

"the time framework of the book doesn't ring true"
62.3%

bordering on misogynist

"i found it cynical occasionally bordering on misogynist in his horrible descriptions of women and their bodily parts when they are at their most vulnerable gynae detail in the book but perhaps not for a review but describing a womans vagina as a 'tw*t' is one such example "
62.2%

emotional mess

"but do not do what i did and read it while on the bus going to and from work on the way in i was laughing so hard people were giving me funny looks while on the journey home i was an emotional mess after having something in my eye for 20mins *a complete lie"
62.1%

compulsive reading

"this book makes compulsive reading as we follow the ups and downs of adam kay from a medical student to an over worked senior registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology"
62.0%

occasional visitor

"whether you're an occasional visitor to hospitals or there far too often you will enjoy it"
62.0%

tragic times

"yes there are tragic times"
61.9%

quite cathartic

"having experienced our health service quite extensively as a father to a very poorly child this could be seen as a very worrying portrayal of the system you rely on however reading this retrospectively when the dark tunnel of constant fear and worry is behind you it really is quite cathartic"
61.8%

misogynistic just

"nor do i think it's misogynistic just locker room talk which if you sit primly outside as a third party you could get on a hi horse and criticise but in the heat of the day to day is rather insignificant"
61.7%

suffer the most

"yes i know the budget is tight but something has to give and sadly it is the patients and those working the frontline that suffer the most"
61.7%

hard hitting

"some hard hitting and sad stories that will show people what it is really like working in hospital"
61.6%

faint hearted

"there are definitely a few ‘ouch’ moments and the frequent talk of bodily fluids all the things that can go wrong with the human body and things that people do to themselves for pleasure or vanity might not be for the faint hearted!"
61.6%

retain their sanity

"people who are offended by what he's written need to chill or come up with a alternative to dark humour that helps medical professionals retain their sanity"
61.5%

abandoned the rest

"mine certainly is not i became really bored at 25% so abandoned the rest"
61.5%

offensive excause

"thank god he has left and the way it has been written😫😫😫 quite frankly i am astounded this boring and offensive excause for a book was written by a person of allegedly high intelligence"
61.4%

giving up in frustration

"managed to plough my way through 20% before giving up in frustration"
61.4%

rather less

"other reviews have taken a rather less sympathetic approach that his book is essentially a 280 page whineathon"
61.3%

human stupidity

"other passengers may notice when you get to the bits about human stupidity"
61.3%

obesity smokers

"it's quite archaic but the nhs has outgrown itself with more high risk cases such as morbid obesity smokers and cases that are pregnant due to advancing technology therefore requiring high input without staffing that goes with these cases"
61.1%

very sad reflection

"this is a really funny book but at the same time a very sad reflection of how ridiculously stretched staff at all levels are and how over worked and underpaid they are by the nhs!"
61.1%

totally criminal

"the unbelievable pressure the people who save lives work under is totally criminal they have no time for a private life no time to relax barely any time to sleep"
61.1%

unable to get tickets

"i am a doctor and bought this having seen his show advertised at the edinburgh fringe then being unable to get tickets"
61.1%

very sad events

"the lack of public resources and some very sad events"
61.0%

angrily described

"having an alternative career as a writer would have helped but the relentlessness of the work so angrily described must have made the decision easier"
61.0%

repetitive rather

"don't get me wrong it's very readable and quite amusing but it got repetitive rather too soon"
60.9%

turning a blind

"i have also been the nurse on nightshift when things have been the “q” word turning a blind eye as a junior doctor sneaks into the day unit next door for some shut eye because they are exhausted on their 5th night"
60.9%

real tragedy

"the real tragedy is that he's unlikely to be the last"
60.9%

ugly cry heartbreaking

"it’s also ugly cry heartbreaking"
60.8%

womb screams

"i'm just a little old fashioned where the f word is used so commonly these days everywhere so much that babies will be bungie jumping out of the womb screams 'f who turned the light on'"
60.7%

laughter tears

"i won’t spoil anything but that part is where your laughter tears change to sad tears"
60.7%

sarcasm and self

"his dry sardonic wit literally had me crying with laughter his sarcasm and self depreciating humour and observational comedy was pure gold"
60.6%

concerned about the

"it left me even more concerned about the nhs and how it’s going to cope with the baby boomers generation growing old"
60.5%

died in the womb

"an example that haunted me was that if a baby has died in the womb the mother is still obliged to deliver it in a normal labour ward surrounded by mothers giving birth to healthy living babies how insensitive is that?"
60.4%

wrong could i

"how wrong could i be"
60.4%

arrogant and rude

"contrary to their views that the author was arrogant and rude and didn’t care about his patients adam struck me as a great dedicated doctor"
60.4%

icky body parts

"to be fair he seems fairly misanthropic generally but i can't help thinking that if you view women as silly vapid and a collection of icky body parts that's not going to make you a wonderful practitioner"
60.4%

arrogant and conceited

"this doctor came across as arrogant and conceited"
60.3%

already dying

"i don't want to get too much into the political side of it as i'd probably write enough to make my own book but a huge change needs to happen and asap before an already dying nhs finally gives up the ghost completely"
60.3%

intimidation lack

"however they did not effectively address the bullying boasting intimidation lack of consideration and nastiness they had to endure because of the consequences to their career"
60.2%

very little sleep

"what doctors have to deal with on very little sleep the huge responsibilities they have and the decisions they have to make are shocking"
60.1%

despite this

"despite this the brevity does also help in conveying the rush and chaos of the job and how little time there really is to care or show you care as the next emergency beckons tiredness overcomes you and numbs you"
60.1%

worse than the average

"from the report: 1 "the uk’s nhs performs worse than the average in the treatment of eight out of the 12 most common causes of death" 2 ""
60.0%

brutal reality

"but this really brings it home in all its falling asleep at the traffic lights brutal reality"
60.0%

bad medical system

"i agree with most comments that the book is very funny but we should not forget the roots of a bad medical system that allows individual or a group of individuals to fail to apply knowledge if any correctly"
60.0%

inadequate funds

"uproariously funny for the most part but tinged with the frustration that medical staff in the nhs are fighting an uphill and possibly a losing battle in terms of patient satisfaction due to inadequate funds and trained personnel"
59.9%

their training

"their training is an ongoing baptism by fire during which sadly more and more doctors are moving abroad to countries where they are properly valued properly paid and never asked to work continuously for close to 100 hours"
59.8%

losing wonderful doctors

"we are losing wonderful doctors like this from the profession due to the unbearable intolerable pressure they are put under"
59.8%

irritating at times

"very accessible for non medics kay provides footnotes to explain procedures and medical jargon throughout the book which can be a bit irritating at times but are also funny in their own right"
59.8%

wasting saga of brexit

"read it in oct 2019 when the whole stupid time and money wasting saga of brexit was in full cry"
59.7%

short sections

"the short sections on cancer are particularly tough"
59.7%

sheer exhaustion

"life seems to be a tsunami of problems accompanied by sheer exhaustion"
59.6%

their views

"contrary to their views that the author was arrogant and rude and didn’t care about his patients adam struck me as a great dedicated doctor"
59.3%

these doctors

"we should support these doctors more"
59.3%

were so tired

"it must be aweful to be accused of a mistake knowing full well that you were so tired and could hardly stand when this unfortunate error occurred i think in this man's case it was when through a mishap in communication a baby died and very nearly the mother"
59.1%

miserable little book

"it was a huge disappointment badly written poor editing poor content a miserable little book"
59.0%
...

Top positive statements

Statement Strength**
"absolutely brilliant." 100.0%
"This diary is very well written searingly honest highly amusing and occasionally stomach churning." 93.1%
"Both funny and informative." 93.1%
"An absolutely brilliant funny and sad true tale." 93.1%
"Hilarious informative and insightful this book is very easy to read and makes for a great distraction." 93.1%
"Honest & informative with a very blokey sense of humour peeping through at numerous points." 93.1%
"The job is a vocation and this book takes you through highs and lows funny and sad to prove it takes special people to care for any person regardless of who they are and treat them with respect ." 93.1%
"Brilliant insight into the life of a junior doctor and the NHS funny poignant and evocative" 93.1%

Top negative statements

Statement Strength
"Soooo unfunny it's unbelievable." 89.9%
"A complete waste of time and money!" 89.4%
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Positive mentions

Mentioned Object Mentioned in Strength
NHS
"brilliant insight into the life of a junior doctor and the NHS funny poignant and evocative"
"as an NHS employee myself i recognised some of the situations both comic and serious"
"as an NHS employee myself i am woefully aware of the state of the service"
100.0%
Adam Kay
"i would 100% recommend this book but be aware Adam Kay specialised in obs and gynae!"
98.6%
Adam
"medicine's loss is comedy's gain more please Adam"
"to work in the nhs it really helps to have a dark sense of humour which Adam certainly portrays!"
"well done Adam and yes that's a good name for a baby :"
74.3%
Colin Douglas
"Colin Douglas inspired my generation"
73.4%
Great Britain
"i'd recommend anybody living in Great Britain read this book"
65.6%
1980
"i hope there are more books to come from this young writer born 1980 "
58.0%
The Times Best
"a great read and deservedly was top of The Times Best books list"
55.6%
Gray
"it'll be better read by doctors than Gray's anatomy"
54.4%

Negative mentions

Mentioned Object Mentioned in Strength
NHS
"we will miss the NHS when it is gone"
74.8%
Adam
"what a shame Adam felt he had to stop being a doctor but totally understandable"
70.5%
Kay
"what a very sad loss dr Kay was to the nhs he was a very caring good doctor and obstetrician"
67.1%
Brexit
"read it in oct 2019 when the whole stupid time and money wasting saga of Brexit was in full cry"
59.7%
Trefor Roscoe
"dr Trefor Roscoe gp 1982 2014"
54.2%
Douglas Adams
"Douglas Adams like in it's pathos"
50.7%
Service
"billions of our tax money are thrown annually at the Service"
50.5%

Emotion analysis

Positive tone

Neutral tone

Negative tone

21.4% 17.9% 60.6%
  worry 52.0%
  neutral 17.9%
  happiness 14.4%
  sadness 8.0%
  relief 4.1%
  fun 1.2%
  love 0.8%
  anger 0.4%
  surprise 0.4%
  enthusiasm 0.4%
  fear 0.2%

* analysis performed using Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods, data for the analysis has been gathered from multiple publicly accessible sources.
** strength is the level of sentiment expressed in a sentence, phrase or keyword. It ranges from 0 to 100%
prices and sales statistics are updated daily

last analysis update 2024-04-09