An Odd Undertaking

I always have respect for this unique profession. It really takes a special kind of person to be able to do this. I’m very interested to read the authors tales and perspective on life.

This title is written with respect and integrity as befitting the occupation, but there is also a warmth and humour. Warmth in that Bill Wood cares about his clients and humour as a coping mechanism, which is preferable to cold detachment needed in some professions

The book has an air of nostalgia and friendliness. I am not a fan of memoirs, but this was more like a friend having a chat with you about their life, about their day and as such, it was a pleasure to share in Woods' memories of his childhood in the 60s, and being a child of the 70s, many of the references resonate. Who needs to worry about the heating bill when there is this much warmth in a book!

Perhaps it is a lifetime of assisting the bereaved that has created such a personable author. A gentle humour and unassuming narrative. On top of this, Woods comical vernacular is astounding and my cuppa did not survive, having being spluttered with laughter on multiple occasions

An absolute privelege to read

This copy was kindly given by Netgalley and the review given voluntarily

I had found myself hoping there was a little more about the undertaker career as the childhood section at the beginning didn't quite grasp my attention. Overall though, an insightful and empathic read.

This was informative, funny and emotional. What a wonderful job these guys do. I throughly enjoyed my time reading this memoir.

In brief, an undertaker's memoir. Think Dirty Jobs meets Bill Bryson with ADHD. Honestly, one of the strangest books I've read in a minute, but I thoroughly enjoyed.

Pros: Wood's writing is funny and endearing, and I found myself quite sad when I finally finished reading, if only to lose out on his charming narration. He does a wonderful job of offsetting grief with levity, and he has no difficulty moving gracefully between the two. I now know everything I ever wanted (and did not want) to know about the business of death.

Cons: Could have been half as long, which interestingly, would have made it twice as enjoyable. The level of detail crossed over into the mundane too often for my liking, and there were entire chapters that felt redundant or unnecessary. In all fairness, it seemed like more of an editing problem than an issue with Wood's writing specifically.

What a great book on a very emotional subject. The author kept it light hearted and interesting throughout and I have nothing but praise to all those doing this job

An Odd Undertaking is a behind the scenes glimpse into the world of funeral directors as told by former funeral assistant Bill Wood. And believe me Bill cover’s EVERYTHING that one could ever wonder about this profession. I liked that. We had chapters on embalming, murder, decomposition and for those of us with a morbid fascination on topics such as this Bill didn’t disappoint. At one point he even had me considering whether I needed a job as a funeral director!
However, sorry Bill, but the early chapters describing from birth to adolescence just weren’t interesting enough and I found myself skipping parts. There are too many overly explained paragraphs and towards the end of the book I felt there was repetition on a lot of stuff we had already read. The book could have been half as long and much more enjoyable. I agree with another reviewer suggesting these are editing flaws which could have been easily rectified rather than placing any fault on the author. Bill also left the profession in 2003 & I really would have enjoyed hearing from someone more recently to see what, if any, advances had been made, and what it was like during Covid for example.
Overall I enjoyed this insight into Bill’s world. He wrote with respect, sensitivity and well needed humour (in the right places) & I am glad I got to read about it.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but the author didn’t hook me as much as I thought they would from the description. I’m sure someone else will find this book captivating

An interesting book, well written and great subject matter. Very unique and worth a read. It was different from your normal biographies and told of a side of life we all try to avoid. That being said, it wasn't the most escapable book to read.

Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild for letting me read this ARC.

This is a fascinating memoir of an undertaker in London. It covers Bill's early life in the 1960's before introducing us to his first week at Mortimer's and sons. Filled with funny, sad, and sometimes revolting memories, Bill I'd a very talented author. I do think that the 3rd part, which covers various aspects of the job may have been better interspersed between each day's story of the first week, as it did feel a little repetitive at times.

Ok read. Much respect for the people who work in this area. In some areas, the book was a bit slow. But, it was interesting. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

I’m just going to be honest, the first part of the book was skippable. The second part was amazing. He needed an editor who noticed the repeated stories and details.

Undertakers get the hardest job ever. They have to deal with respecting both the living and the dead simultaneously. That deserves the utmost respect. This book shows how that balance is maintained, and somehow it’s done in a humorous and entertaining fashion.

The writing was good, except for the above mentioned editing problems. I loved it….but only once we got past the childhood part.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
The cover of this book made me laugh. That's what originally hooked me. The first half of the book was not very interesting and I'd give it 2 stars. The stories about the actual undertaker job filled most of the second half of the book and I feel like deserves 4 stars. So I'm going in the middle with 3 stars overall.
This book was too wordy. It probably could've been half the length. I did enjoy the parts that talked about his undertaker job.