I was sent a copy of the book for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Today is my stop on the publication day push for A Thousand Goodbyes: The Surprising Life of a Funeral Celebrant by Ruth Graham – please do check out the other stops on the tour. Thanks go to Rachel’s Random Resources and the author for allowing me to be a part of this tour.
About The Book
If you liked Adam Kay’s book, ‘This Is Going To Hurt’, you’ll love the joyously life-affirming memoir, ‘A Thousand Goodbyes’.
When Ruth Graham left the world of stand-up comedy to become a funeral celebrant, she’d imagined a less combative career.
Over a thousand services later … she knows better.
Probably her most demanding role to date, Ruth has needed every ounce of diplomacy, courage, humour and her wits about her to juggle the daily challenges. From grief-stricken families to amorous widowers through to plate-smashing, warring siblings and even a flock of stoned doves at a Rasta funeral.
As the story unfolds we witness her new career developing into a
24/7 commitment. Will it break her?
Or will it be the spur she needs to get her own life in order?
Jaw-dropping, informative, moving and hilarious in turn, ‘A Thousand Goodbyes’ is a reminder that nobody is guaranteed a tomorrow; whilst encouraging everyone to seize their day.
My Review
Having enjoyed Adam Kay’s This Is Going To Hurt and having been told I’d enjoy this, I went in with extremely high expectations – and I wasn’t disappointed.
Death always seems to be such a taboo subject but it really shouldn’t be. The author gives her account of a number of different funeral experiences with plenty of compassion and I just couldn’t put the book down.
A celebrant is there to help you celebrate your loved one’s life and tell their story. Ruth’s stories are moving, some hilarious and many extremely poignant and lead you to realise death isn’t taboo and is something that should be spoken about.
If you have ever wondered what the life of a celebrant is like and exactly what things they encounter in their day to day job, then you definitely need to read this.
About The Author
Ruth Graham has written for many publications over the years on a variety of subjects.
Initially working for Emap Elan on Period Living and Traditional Homes magazine, she then moved on to freelance for titles as varied as The Evening Standard and The Daily Mail.
A move back to the Midlands in 2000 brought her first big break with her own weekly gossip/opinion column in The Sunday Mercury (Trinity Mirror), where she was billed as ‘Ruth Graham: More Balls Than Your Average Bloke’!
She then went on to launch her own magazine ‘Midlands Homes & Interiors’.
Two years later (2007), came her first series of short comedy books, ‘The Bible Series’ (Know The Score Publishing). One of these ‘The Break Up Bible’ was cunningly launched on Valentine’s day, gaining great publicity, and a spot on GMTV and Channel 5 news!
Since then Ruth has written and performed her own one-woman show (Just Sayin’); become a celebrant; and subsequently collaborated with writer/performer Cat Weatherill on the British Arts Council funded show ‘Unforgettable’ – celebrating the lives of those we’ve loved and lost.
And then came the book ‘A Thousand Goodbyes’ – all about Ruth’s work as a celebrant, the people she meets and the bizarre, touching and hilarious circumstances that constitute the average day, and life, of a celebrant.
Follow Ruth on Twitter and check out her celebrant website here.
You can buy the book on Amazon UK here {affiliate link} or Amazon US here.
This book sounds right up my street. I am adding this to my Goodreads wish list.
It’s really interesting to hear about a book that approaches the topic of death.
It’s good to hear that the book didn’t disappoint. Not sure it’s quite for me as the funeral topic isn’t one I can manage at this moment in time.
Oh wow this sounds like a really good read. I love when I go in to a book with high expectations and the book more than lives up to them.
This sounds like a good read to add to my list as it is something different to what I’ve read before so I am sure I would enjoy it.
This sounds unusual but definitely worth a read, I’ll have to see what else she has written.
I’m always on the lookout for new reads and this sounds like a great book.