Ward Nine: Coronavirus is one woman's story but it's really about so many more people's experience in 2020. In that regard, readers worldwide will likely relate to what much of the community adapting that goes on.

Ms Morgan intersperses quotes and quips from A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (1722) to give perspective on (compare and contrast in small part) 2020 from the Great Plague (bubonic) pandemic in 1665 London. Her experience as a Coronavirus patient is dreadful.

I hope many people heed the necessary distancing, hand washing and mask wearing admonitions that governments everywhere are recommending.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Alys Morgan was admitted to the hospital in the middle of April 2020, for flu like symptoms....turning out to be COVID. I appreciated her sharing her raw experiences and the interactions she had while on her female covid unit. Working in Healthcare, I found it extremely interesting hearing from the patient's perspective during these unprecedented times. I appreciated her honesty and comparisons to the plague.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Length: 2*
Perspective: 3*

This was a short book on the real life struggles patients face with this disease. Normally I would have expected this to be written from the perspective of the doctors or nurses but this was a fresh and I'd say more harrowing view. We see how quickly the virus takes hold, and in some people, how close to death you can be. The downside is this was far too short and I think it would have been perfect as a blog. Its almost like the author/publisher wanted to be the first for this type of book, rather than fill the book with more than one account which I personally think would have worked much better. Anyway, praise as always to our NHS, and if you havent first hand been touched by CV19, I'd suggest you read this.

Just a short account of one person’s experience during the COVID lockdown and then becoming so poorly they had to go into hospital.
Despite not having any recognisable symptoms the author was tested for and found to be positive with Coronavirus.
Alys Morgan found the isolation and the suffering of others too much to bear at times. She found she went into hospital with few personal items, cut off from family and friends. But overtime although she never gave sufficient voice to her appreciation and gratitude for the care, understanding and support from the staff team on Ward 9 in her local hospital.
She was encouraged to write her thoughts down and undertake therapeutic reading to help her recovery. She calls this collection of her experiences a love letter to those in the NHS who risk everything to make a patient’s time in hospital less lonely, less frightening and manage their pain and expectations.
It would be foolish to critique another’s expression of love; especially when one has not endured or overcome the lows and highs in the pandemic from a hospital bed.
All one can say is based on how the piece moved you.
I feel privileged to have been able to read the powerful account. This elderly woman did little of merit, but survive. She feels guilt for that but along the way picked up the baggage of righteous anger for the diverse staff in low paid jobs, nurses over burdened by debt and witnessing a courageous fight without the means to prevail or be protected in that struggle.
I like that such passion is stirred up in a woman of age who identifies that her generation gave so much but still have to work until sixty-six. One expects a more conservative outlook rather than political insight. Yet her writing is clear, relevant and enlightening in terms of making sense of this pandemic and the responses to it.
I like the comparison to her parent’s memories growing up during the War. The quotes from and linkage to Daniel Defoe’s “A journal of the Plague Year” (1772) was both inspirational and helpful.
That this was written without the benefit of hindsight means we are not learning lessons that will take an enquiry. But we perhaps do learn some of the things we need never to forget, those who died alone, the grace and love shown by strangers and the sacrifices many made.
It is a short book and can be easily read in one sitting. It isn’t a morbid book but a positive life-affirming piece of thoughtful writing - a letter of love.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy. In return for an honest review! #Wardnine:Coronavirus #netgalley

Alys Morgan diary about her experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Including being in hospital with a positive result.

I was looking for a Memoir and came across this one. The title drew me in to take a chance on it.

This book is an emotional read. Although we've all lived the last year of corona virus, including having the virus. Reading it is something very different. Surreal is the only way to describe it!

The way Defoe is used throughout to show the similarities between coronavirus and the Great plague. Is very special insight but equally as scary.

Beautifully written to drew together unity, NHS, love and fear in the face of adversity. It will be a read to be used in schools in the future to never forget.

It would be great for Alys to write a sequel of her recovery in the community.

As a very relevant topic, this year has been significantly difficult for everyone and hearing Alys’ version of events and the journey she had in Ward Nine.

This is a year no one will forget and the book kept me hooked right through. When she contracted Covid (although the symptoms were unrelated) Alys then went through her own difficult time and thanking our NHS staff was beautiful.

A truly informative book, from an outsider looking in. I loved this memoir and would highly recommend!

This book was very short and took just over an hour to read. However a lot of the writing was not Alys’s work but that of Daniel Defoe from “a journal of the plague year”. This could sometimes be quite upsetting when coronavirus was compared to the plague and I think it’s still a bit too raw to have that, especially since we’re back in lockdown.

The book was dedicated to the NHS and it spoke of the amazing work they are doing but also how little they actually can do for people without a cure. It was also dedicated to Conwy mind due to the amazing work they did to help Alys. However the book did not go into much detail about the psychological effects of coronavirus, which people may have benefitted from.

A personal account of Alys Morgan’s experience of Coronavirus.
Alys’ symptoms were not typical of the virus and she therefore did not seek treatment for a longtime and indeed did not believe she had the virus when she was admitted into hospital. Her experience whilst in hospital is documented in journal form and makes for very difficult and emotional reading.
The book is a testament to all of the people who work in the caring profession and in the NHS.
Thank you Alys for telling you story, and I hope you continue your journey to 100% physical and mental health.
Thanks to NetGalley for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get in to this book. The story just skimmed over details, only surface information. I could not feel connected with the characters. The jumping back and forth made it hard to read as well.

This book gives the reader a chance to see what it is really like firsthand to be hospitalised with coronavirus.

It definitely makes you grateful for our NHS and all the amazing people who work within it who are risking their lives daily to help others.

This was a nice quick read and I like that a portion of each book sale will be donated to Mind Conwy.

A true account of having Coronavirus and coming out the other side. I found this an interesting diary style read and enjoyed the inserts from Defoe’s “ A journal of the plaque year” . The similarities between the two scenario was fascinating. Thank you Alys for an honest account of hospital life and the incredible work Nhs staff are doing at this time.

I found this book really, really interesting as someone who falls into the “I’ve not had Covid” camp, I can’t really imagine what it’s like. I am a huge NHS Supporter (honestly the majority of my friends and family are NHS staff) but reading about what they’re all doing in hospitals over Covid now is just incredible!! The care they give to those affected and the risks doing their job has to their own health is truly inspiring!

The author uses Defoe’s book regarding The Plague as reference for Covid and shows a comparative view throughout the book. I liked this aspect because it reflected a little bit of hope, that we got over that so we can get over this! But it’s scary that viruses can hit anyone at any time and the rules our governments are putting in place is to protect the NHS and to protect us. This has helped me realise just how much the NHS are doing and how strained their resources are.

A book to pick up no matter if you’re part of the NHS, or not, if you’ve had covid or if you’re one of the lucky ones who hasn’t!

COVID-19 has taken over the world this year and in one way or another we’ve all been affected by it. Whether that’s battling the virus, watching someone you love battling it, losing a loved one, or been locked down in your house. This pandemic has tested everyone - and we owe everything to our NHS for the sacrifices they have made to treat the people suffering with covid-19. Their sacrifices should never be forgotten. 

Ward Nine starts as the author is browsing her local library - it’s the place she first found out that the UK was about to go into lockdown. The book is presented as a series of diary entries detailing their experience from lockdown, watching the world change and adapting to a new normal, through to getting unwell and ending up in the hospital. I think this book will also raise awareness that covid 19 can present in other ways (uncommon but possible) other than the typical symptoms noted. 

It was a very raw, authentic story about what it’s like to battle COVID-19. About the loneliness of being inpatient with no visitors, the fear of the unknown, but also how the routine and care from the staff gets you through.

This book could have been really good. I think it's important to have people tell their stories of Covid-19. But I didn't like the style in which it was written. The story is told between the present day and the plague chronicled by Daniel Defoe. There is so much of Defoe in it that it really is only half as long as you think. I also didn't like that it was told as disconnected and very short entries in a journal. I actually didn't finish it.

I found it very difficult to read this book. The subject matter is obviously very sensitive and personal so I won’t comment on that as it wouldn’t be fair. But the writing itself was mediocre and as a result quite jarring. I thought the intersections from Defoe’s writings were huge and I suspect they actually took up more of the word count than the original story which was disappointing, and felt gimmicky.

This is a truly thought provoking book. It’s not an easy read but such an important story to tell. Highly recommended

I read this book in one sitting. It was a very interesting memoir although really heartbreaking. I found the Daniel Defoe's passages from his book really interesting as they made me realise how much the pandemics are almost the same throughout the centuries. The only problem is that I found the book really short and it needed a lot more details. Nevertheless, it is a really hopeful book.

This ultimately is a book of praise for our wonderful NHS and the key workers (from doctors to catering and cleaning staff) who are working together, dealing with the current pandemic conditions.

Alys had coronavirus but didn't know it: her symptoms were different to how the virus usually presents; and she stayed at home for 10 days before becoming too weak to move and realising she needed a higher level of care than her husband could give.. Transferred to hospital, she was routinely swabbed for the virus, but even staff in A & E didn't think she had it. When the positive test result came back, Alys was too weak to care, and had all but given up recovering. It was the staff who looked after her day and night, encouraging her to try to get better that made the difference; she didn't want to let the people, who cared so much about her, down

This diary was written retrospectively: at the time Alys was too ill to write it, but she pieced the story together towards the end of her stay. After she returned home, she needed ongoing help from the local mental health team - proving that this disease is more than just flu, or a bad cold, it can completely turn your life on it's head.

The diary is juxtaposed with paragraphs from the Daniel Defoe book "A Journal of the Plague Year" which was published in 1722, and reportedly based on a diary from his uncle who had lived through the 1665 plague. It does show that nothing has really changed and how people think and behave personally and socially at a time when a deadly virus is working it;s way through the population. I think the way she presented her book around the Daniel Defoe book added to the story and was enlightening.

It's a journal of hope - recovery from the direst of circumstances is possible; and a journal of love and appreciation.for the staff who work so hard in the NHS, and are rewarded with weekly claps rather than decent pay and working conditions.

It's a short, but very interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
There will soon be an abundance of books about Covid-19 and the impact its had on every aspect of life. This book is a short Diary from the perspective of one survivor. The excerpts from Defoe's book were distracting to me but I do see why she included them as the situations are somewhat similar. Overall, this was a pretty decent book. I had to laugh about her comparison of ventilators and her Dyson vacuum. But there is definitely a seriousness to the comparison too.

My husband got coronavirus and was hospitalised just a few days before Alys Morgan. Ever since he got out of hospital - he was in HDU for nearly two weeks - he's been recording what happened before, during and after his illness. I'm saturated in coronavirus hospital experience. I asked for the ARC of Morgan's book in the hope that it might help my husband to address his own experience. Sadly, I ended up thinking that what he's been recording has a lot more literary and medical merit than 'Ward Nine: Coronavirus' and I won't be passing it to him to read.

This 'book' took less than an hour to read and a major chunk of the book is not her work, it's extracts from Daniel Defoe's 1722 book 'A Journal of the Plague Year'. Some may find it fun to play 'compare and contrast' but it's a brave writer who sets themself up to be compared to an historic literary giant.

Although the book is dedicated to the NHS and Conwy Mind, we don't get any insight into the psychological traumas. For my husband, the mental health issues started once he got out of hospital. He still cries daily. It's as if his skin has been peeled off and he's being rolled in salt. I don't think it unreasonable that the book might have covered some of the aftermath of the illness, especially when it's such a short piece. The book is also less 'useful' (if that's an appropriate term) because Alys's experience is not at all typical. Yes, my husband threw up a few times before he got REALLY sick, but Alys doesn't seem to have had many of the typical oxygen deprivation, lungs full of gunge, experience that's so typical.

I may not be a 'normal' reader because I'm too close to the topic (I had it too, but very mildly) but if I had paid £8.99 for this I would have wanted my money back. I don't wish in any way to denigrate Alys's experience and I wish her a continued and full recovery, but I question why any publisher considered this document - which would have made a good blog -worthy of a so-called proper book. My recommendation would be for the publishers to gather 4-6 people's stories together to make a full book with a range of experience that could help readers a bit more.