Powerfully life-affirming... Brainstorm is testament to O'Sullivan's unshowy clarity of thought and her continued marvelling at the mysteries of the brain

A fascinating attempt to draw the lay reader into understanding more about the function and malfunction of the brain by using real-life stories... O'Sullivan is a good, clear writer, lacks pomposity and avoids cliché -- her first book, It's All in Your Head, won the Wellcome Prize

O'Sullivan writes beautifully and is full of wonder... a pleasure

A tremendously interesting work of medical humanity... The main effect of this fascinating collection of clinical stories, by the end, is to make any reader without brain dysfunction exceedingly grateful for the fragile miracle going in inside their own skull every second

I loved it. She is in my view the best science writer around - a true descendant of Oliver Sacks

Eye-opening...her case histories alert us to the endless variety of human experience

Engaging and diverse... Brainstorm isn't just a good read. It's full of interesting science, clearly described... In a literary scene now overrun with books by doctors, many of them bald exercises in self-aggrandisement, this one stands out. Brainstorm is an engrossing book written by a doctor whose primary interest is in her patients

Full of fascinating insights... As one would expect from a neurologist in the Oliver Sacks tradition, O'Sullivan is a sure guide to these maverick brains

Brainstorm is an engaging collection of neurological case stories interwoven with lucid scientific asides. It offers keen insights into the disturbing and fascinating condition of epilepsy, and thereby the ever-elusive workings of the brain. It will undoubtedly appeal to clinicians and students across a range of disciplines but deserves a much wider readership

Tender, moving and fascinating… This is a book about neurology, and how the function of our brains affects everything. But it is much more than that. Suzanne O’Sullivan’s real detective work is found in the gaps and spaces between doctor and patient, where she gets to the heart of who we are

[T]he story that unfolds is incredibly real and insightful, but also funny and clever.

O’Sullivan writes beautifully and is full of wonder

O’Sullivan’s humanity and humility whisper gently from every page...her patients are very lucky to have her

Thought-provoking… This book is more than just a narrative of doctor-patient meetings; it acts to highlight the disparity between our understanding of neurological disorders and diseases of other organs… Brainstorm provides an interesting personal insight from the view of a physician and is a must-read for anyone affected by epilepsy or with an interest in neurology and medicine

A beautifully humane account…[O’Sullvian’s] procedure is a mixture of medical detective work and literary analysis

An exploration into the most complex structure in the universe, the human brain. The stories, and the bafflement, were equally engaging... Like all the best forms of non-fiction, O’Sullivan is caring towards her subjects while tough upon herself and her fellow colleagues

[Brainstorm] reads as a story of the brain, and an introduction to the most daunting of organs. It is engaging and thoughtful… Dr O’Sullivan’s humane treatment of Epilepsy as a subject and of those affected by it or involved with it…was genuinely mind-broadening

An exceptional and beautifully written book about how love - changed but yet unchanged - friendship, frustration, deep despair and delight, can all be experienced in the same day...If you buy one book this summer, make it this one

Absolutely brilliant… I highly recommend it – inspirational

Uplifting and inspiring

As poetic as it is devastating

Like the sea, the writing in this terrific debut is both bracing and beautiful

Like the Irish sea that laps the coast at Greystones, Co Wicklow, this extraordinary, beautifully written book ebbs and flows with love amid the crises of daily life… It’s a powerful, memorable and life-affirming read

A heartbreaking work of shimmering beauty that charts her own place in the world… As astounding as it is inspirational

This is far from a desperate tale and a plea for pity. It is an often uplifting and funny account of learning to dealing with hardship and how resilient and adaptable we can be in testing times

A true-to-the-bone and life affirming account of her life with a husband with MND, 5 young kids and her addiction to swimming in the Irish sea every day

Her beautiful, sparse prose gets to the very essence of what is happening with the various tribes. It is a moving book too, with several poignant moments. She is one tough lady

If ever there was a lesson in living the fullest, most passionate life you can, this is it! I Found My Tribe is one of the most moving memoirs I have ever read. Living with her husband Simon, who was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and her five children, Ruth Fitzmaurice writes so honestly and vividly about her family's life that you will think about the Fitzmaurice's long after you have turned the final page. It is beautifully written with clever descriptions and vivid imagery that will take your breath away. Writing to the background noise of Simon's medical machines, twenty four hour carers and five children, Ruth candidly writes about her life as she navigates various different themes including grief, friendship and love and the strength she has in the face of adversity… I found my tribe is an uplifting powerful memoir that will make you laugh and cry in equal measures. I urge everyone to read it

Beautiful…There is huge passion in Fitzmaurice’s writing.

A surprisingly uplifting read

Breathtaking, heart-wrenching, inspirational – I’ve never read anything like this. Educated tells the story of a young girl's escape from violence and emotional prison. It is about the love of family and the pain of family both, the ferocity of the human spirit, and the power of education to change lives. Educated is one of the best books, and Westover one of the most gifted writers, that I've read in a very long time

Powerful, moving, brave, naked and completely at home in its form . . . This is a daughter’s story of how she grew into herself and comes to understand her home.

An incredible memoir of triumph over seemingly endless adversity. The author's ability to write about her experiences in a clear-eyed, nonjudgmental way makes her story a pleasure to read. A study in the power and wonder of resilience

Educated is a wise and deep reflection about surviving one’s family. I bow down to Tara Westover, not only for her marvelous, sentence-by-sentence craftsmanship but also for making sense and meaning from a confounding and hair-raising childhood. This is memoir at its best

Educated is so powerful, so haunting . . . [Westover’s] finely measured, beautifully rhythmic prose conveys the pain of trying to reconcile herself with being estranged from her parents, no matter how delusional they might be. Rejecting any form of binary thinking, she writes with a humaneness that comes partly from having suffered, and the book that grew out of that suffering is a rare and unexpected gift

Tara Westover’s exhilarating coming of age story has only just come out and it’s already a classic … it leaves us readers dazzled and humbled in equal measure

An extraordinary tale

Totally unputdownable

Remarkable

A wonderful read

A beautifully written, lyrical memoir packed full of incident and well worth a read

A beautifully written account…fit to stand alongside the great modern memoirs.

It’s amazing. Couldn’t recommend it enough

A brilliant memoir

Amazing and brilliant.

Vivid evocation of a truly terrifying childhood

Unflinching and fascinating. Educated was one of 2018's standout memoirs.

It's extraordinary and shines a light on the Mormon way of life ... fascinating.

A powerful, jaw dropper of a book

Triumphing over your background like spring triumphs over winter is always fertile territory for memoir. Perhaps the most exciting recently is Tara Westover’s Educated; she had a home life that is frankly astonishing, and how she ends up doing a master’s at Cambridge will make your heart soar.’

Jaw-dropping and so inspiring, everyone should read this book

Tara's journey as she realises her burning desire to know more about the world and escape the influence of her domineering father and brother is a true inspiration.

Absolutely incredible.

An amazing story

If you didn't read this memoir when it first came out, do so, and realise what the fuss was all about

It was one of the most interesting books I've ever read[...] I came away a lot more enlightened and educated myself.

This is a fascinating, breathtaking memoir that you won't be able to put down.

A really remarkable story

Breathtaking

Educated is devastatingly entertaining. Morbidly fascinating. Educated is, without doubt, an essential read.

I found myself forcing onto other people just so I could talk to them about it.

It's brilliant.

In her beautifully written memoir, Westover explores her complex childhood and her heart-breaking decision to leave her family and pursue an education. It is proof of the transformative power of learning and the importance of second chances

I devoured this book. I loved it . . . It's such a good book

It's amazing

Educated is a shocking story of self-invention and the transformative power of hope, tenacity and education.

On audio, I find myself enthralled and convinced.

A truly inspiring listen.