Down Among the Dead Men

A Year in the Life of a Mortuary Technician

By: Michelle Williams, Keith McCarthy

Narrated by: Liz Holliss

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Michelle Williams, an attractive young woman with close family ties and an active social life, describes her first extraordinary year in her unusual new job as a mortuary technician. It’s a year in which, with innate good humour, she encounters death at its most tragic, bizarre, and hilarious. Her tale, neither gruesome nor sad, is enlivened by a range of colourful and eccentric characters, from pathologists and coroners to hospital porters and undertakers, giving us a glimpse of life - and death - that few of us will ever experience.

©2010 Michelle Williams (P)2011 Isis Publishing Ltd

Very good, personal story of how she got into work

Loved it! I do hospice, and it shows the true reason, of why this career was her calling.

Fascinating Account of Life in a Hospital Mortuary

I truly enjoyed listening to this book! The pace was very good as we follow a young British woman apply for a job as a technician in a mortuary at a local hospital and all that she experiences during the first year of her job.

If you are curious as to what happens to our earthly remains after we die this is an excellent read!

Things you never wanted to know about a mortuary

What did you love best about Down Among the Dead Men?

British dialogue

Who was your favorite character and why?

Shelly was my favorite character, her views and insights to the other characters was great!

Which character – as performed by Liz Holliss – was your favorite?

Shelly

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found the story very interesting to learn about what goes on in a mortuary

Any additional comments?

It is a good read, not bloody or gory but very informative.

Great Listen

The life of a technician. Very interesting and informing. Didn’t want to stop listening. It takes place in the UK. So I’m sure laws and procedures are different but still worth a listen.

Very Well Presented

I really liked the book. Anyone going into the funeral services should listen. I need to go back and review the time period. Seems kind of sexist at times or maybe the author is slightly self deprecating. But I’m glad we weren’t overloaded with jargon. A great read.

Captivating

Learned a few things. Very interesting to learn about a vital part of our society.

Enjoyable

It was off to a bit of a slow start I thought, but it got better and was an interesting book to listen to.

I surprisingly liked this book

if you're even a little bit interested in what happens to you after you die I urge you to read this book. it's not gory or bad, the story is told very gently and well, I'm glad I read it, the lady Shelly in book is just like any of us. well told, I learned a lot, great book.

Slightly morbid

Listened to the last of this while on my way to an Aunt’s funeral. Consoling to think that the dead are treated with compassion and professionalism.

I liked all the little funny stories and the sad stories.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I started it in the morning when I went to work and I finished it just now, so it was very good and it kept me entertained and it kept me listening. Even though the sad stories happened and stuff like that life is the messy bits.