Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
I want to start by indicating that this novel is based on a very contentious issue of vaccination and herd immunity. But it does so in a way that does not preach for either side. It highlights the pain that may be experienced by those making their choice on either side of the debate. I found myself not wanting to put this book down, I was so engrossed in what would happen. It moved me in many ways and highlights the highs and lows of friendship. Life can be extremely difficult sometimes, but enduring friendship can be a salve for the pain. It's clever. It's less manipulative than I expected, but somehow a book about vaccination that ISN'T about Covid getting released in the middle of a global pandemic already feels a bit like it's missing the zeitgeist. Interesting ideas, different perspectives, and quite a good pace all make this well worth a read. I found the book very depressing & thought the the author's view of how other characters would behave toward the two mothers was overly influenced by how people reacted during the pandemic. As the story was set prior to Covid, I don't think people's reactions would have been so strong & vitriolic. I think that kind of behaviour & opinions was something only witnessed as the pandemic went on. Except this is MMR and how many parents were scared or ignorant or didn’t want the MMR for their babies for all sorts of reasons. I love a book that not only grips me and makes me think but also educates me. The Herd reminded me a little of Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, because the research was meticulous and unbiased, the topic of whether to vaccinate was fair and balanced and above all I felt I was learning so much whilst reading the book.
This is essentially a book about two middle class women who think they know better than decades of established medical science. Sigh. Welcome to my review of The Herd by Emily Edwards. I enjoyed this fiction book based on two families with differing opinions on vaccinating their children with devastating consequences.This book is extremely thought provoking and definitely one that is bound to spark up a wide range of debates. The publication of this book is very timely as it could be said to have a correlation with the current COVID vaccine debate we are all experiencing. The Herd is on the surface a story that examines whether a parent's choice on whether to vaccinate their child is valid when if they choose not to, they risk harm to other's who don't have that choice. Beneath the surface this is a story of friendship, grief and coping mechanisms. It is about the pressures heaped on parent's who for the most part are trying to do right by their child. Really beautifully written, compassionately told and incredibly thought provoking. A truly immersive telling of both sides of a story' Susan Lewis On the face of it, the book sounded right up my street, but the when reading it just felt very flat. The main debate focusses on the idea of vaccinations, and I was expecting this to be symbolic for something else, or at least something that delves a little deeper than just vaccinations - but that was it. It didn't go deeper, it didn't strike up and conflict in my own opinions, it didn't stand for anything else. It was just a simple argument, written simply.
Though told with clarity and balance, Emily Edwards’ The Herd is an emotional rollercoaster of a novel for readers who like their fiction to have real-life resonance, and family life at its heart. Exploring both sides of the child vaccination debate through two women, its themes and heated scenarios chime with current vaccination debates and conflicts. Namely, how societies and individuals navigate and reconcile public health needs with personal beliefs and fears.Controversial, addictive and clever, and the characters are so multi-layered and complex they are wholly believable. ― Woman & Home Best Books Set in the 1920s — from Stories That Shimmer with Champagne and Social Change, to Rip-roaring Reads Covering Crime, Colonialism and Beyond. A masterpiece of emotional nuance, this novel makes you think. It challenges pre-conceived attitudes and beliefs and it turns your heart upside down and inside out. Little do they know that they differ radically over one very important issue. And when Bryony, afraid of being judged, tells what is supposed to be a harmless white lie before a child's birthday party, the consequences are more catastrophic than either of them could ever have imagined . . . About This Edition ISBN:
This is a brilliant book for a buddy read that will encourage discussion. Thanks to all the lovely readers who read along with me.
A gripping analysis of the Swedish response, which examines how tensions between science, policy and politics heightened as the virus held on. If any book were capable of turning scientific debate into a thriller, this one does so; and for the armchair experts on COVID-19 that many of us have become, it is a must-read.’ – Frieda Klotz, Sunday Independent Rory Kinnear's first play, The Herd was first performed at the Bush Theatre, London, in September 2013.
My only issue with this novel was that I really struggled to connect with both Bryony and Elizabeth. I just found their choices and actions difficult to understand at times. That being said, I fell completely in love with Emily Edwards descriptions of children at play. I have never read anything with so much accuracy before, it made the characters of Alba and Clemmie so vivid in my mind. You could absolutely tell that the author is a mother herself. The vulnerability and innocence warmed my heart completely. This is a book unlike anything I’ve ever read before, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Of the two main characters, Elizabeth the pro-vaccine mum is highly strung and painfully neurotic, while anti-vaxx mum Bryony is a messy, hippy mum “just doing her best”. The author chooses not to come down on one side or the other in the story which I found a bit pathetic and will only serve to enhance vaccine hesitancy in those who are that way inclined. Scattered between the two women's stories are inputs from others - those others being rather a mixed bunch of seemingly unrelated people. It takes a while to figure out that the are unrelated as they just appear in italics without names or descriptions. We have a woman with polio, an online troll who loves seeding arguments and pouring oil on the flames, and a bunch of other women (I think they are all women) each throwing in their few pennies worth. It's a bit odd.
After studying at Edinburgh University, Emily Edwards worked for a think tank in New York before returning to London where she worked as a support worker for vulnerable women at a large charity. She now lives in Lewes, East Sussex with her endlessly patient husband and her two endlessly energetic young sons. Two friends - Bry and Elizabeth - both have young daughters who are good friends. Elizabeth's daughter can't be vaccinated due to fits in early childhood so her mother relies on the concept of 'herd immunity' to keep her safe. Bry has never told her friend that her daughter ISN'T vaccinated because Bry's adult brother has severe autism and Bry's mother had spent all her parental life drumming into Bry that Matty, her brother, was damaged by the MMR vaccine. I can't remember the last time I gave a book a 5 star rating - but this actually is so much better than I expected it to be. It's thought out and each view and opinion is balanced and well constructed.
Great Deal 
New Comment