Fighting for Life

A compelling, deftly constructed and powerfully told narrative . . . Hardman is a meticulous journalist with a gift for storytelling. Necessary reading -- Rafael Behr * Guardian * Terrific . . . Every aspect of this history is informed and beautifully written -- Alan Johnson * Observer, Book of the Week * Vivid and fascinating, this is a beautifully cogent, balanced and human biography of a health service haunted by its own mythology . . . Hardman is impressively even-handed and unsentimental -- Melanie Reid * The Times, Book of the Week * It has by far the best analysis of where the health service came from, and where it's going . . . full of excellent stories -- Karol Sikora * The Telegraph * Brilliant -- Adam Kay * author of This is Going to Hurt and Undoctored * Passionate, deeply researched and page-turningly full of good stories, this is so good one is tempted to say it is the book the NHS has always deserved -- Andrew Marr This is a sensational and much-needed book: funny, intelligent and so beautifully written that it doesn't read like normal non-fiction . . . thorough, scholarly and above all readable -- Chris van Tulleken A kaleidoscopic history of the NHS -- Henry Marsh * New Statesman * Hardman's writing is breezily accessible, and her deeply researched book is full of colourful vignettes and an enjoyable spice of gossip . . . she is particularly good at locating the NHS within the wider social movements that have changed British life over the 75 years of its existence -- Sarah Neville * Financial Times * A brilliantly written and engrossing biography of the NHS . . . compelling and even-handed -- Kate Womersley * The Spectator *