Customer Rating: 
Summary: Good blend of sport and personal insight
Comment: I enjoy cricket and have suffered depression and anxiety so both aspects of this book interested me and I found both really well dealt with. There was a good insight into the career of a successful cricketer and its incessant lifestyle living away from home and in hotels. It is a wonder that more of them don't shout Enough and go home.
Marcus' story of his depression and anxiety was heartbreaking and it came across clearly how much he went to the depths and continues to deal with the illness. I confess it came across so strongly that I shed a tear because it brought back to me my worst times. I think it is excellent to see it brought into the open - too often mental issues are hidden away.
The story about his health I don't think would spoil the book for the cricket fan who isn't really wanting the health side - maybe they will learn something from the struggle Marcus went through!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A must-read, and not just for cricket fans...
Comment: As great a cricket fan as I am, I'm not normally one for ghosted biographies. Somehow they seem to lack the passion of those written by the players themselves.
This, however, was very much the exception to that rule. It made absolutely fascinating reading, and whilst gripping, was utterly tragic.
It was incredibly informative for a sporting biography, and gave me a much better understanding of mental illness, what causes it, how it manifests itself and most interestingly the types of personality most likely to suffer from it.
I was so absorbed that I quite literally could not put it down, and my heart goes out to Markus and anyone else affected by such a terrible illness. I hope he goes on to make a full recovery, and full marks to him for having the courage to tell his story with such candour.
Hopefully this will promote greater understanding and encourage other sufferers to seek help - as someone so astutely says on the back cover, if he has this in his life, then so must other top-flight sportspeople, and they're hiding it.
This is a must-read, and not just for fans of a wonderful game that will miss one of the finest exponents it has seen this century.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely superb
Comment: This book is an absolutely incredible, insightful and engaging book. As somebody who has struggled with anxiety and depression recently, this book has been the focus point that has changed my way of thinking about my illness around. It is an extremely good read, which I recommend for anybody suffering with mental illness at the moment. As for the cricket, it is engaging without being tied down in numbers. A really great read. And to Marcus - I really hope everything gets sorted, and thank you for helping me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A cricketing hero bares his soul
Comment: I have just finished reading this excellent autobiography. As a lifelong Somerset and England fan I really enjoyed reliving lots of the cricketing memories with Marcus, but it was his account of the ups and downs of his cricketing life and in particular his battle will depressive illness which will leave a lasting impression.
His detailed accounts of his low points were painful to read and his insights into how his views of depression and burnout changed when he experienced them himself were fascinating. The main message I want to give is that Marcus was always a hero of mine with bat in hand, but now he's a true hero as he has hopefully opened up the eyes of hundreds and thousands of readers about the realities of depressive illness and that it doesn't just affect wimps ... it can strike anyone no matter how big and tough they may be.
The writing style was incredibly easy to read and the book was really gripping in places. It's also bang up to date including Marcus's views of the next chapter of English cricket with Kevin Pietersen at the helm.
Well done Marcus and very best wishes for your continued recovery.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The best, and possibly the most important sports biography ever written
Comment: Marcus Trescothick has written a truly amazing book here. Unlike many sports biographies which are stodgy and difficult, "Coming Back to Me" reads easily, almost like a gripping novel. The writing style draws you into a very personal dialog with the writer and before long you almost feel as if you are in conversation with him.
The subject matter too is very enlightening. First of all, there is the history of his cricketing career, which doesn't get bogged down in a dreary list of scores and averages, but bounces along bringing the excitement of the game to life. The mainstay of the book however, is Marcus' struggle with the depressive illness which has had such a major impact on his life and career.
Descriptions of anxiety attacks and those all engulfing black periods that many depressives suffer are described so lucidly that you could be forgiven for believing him to be a professional in that field as well. His descriptions of all aspects of his condition are extremely thought provoking, and served with far more clarity than those from many experts.
The book also throws more light on the appalling behaviour of some areas of the media who did so much to destroy a genuine sporting hero.
Prior to reading this book, I considered Spike Milligan and Anthony Clare's "Depression and how to survive it" as the foremost in it's field. Now I would put "Coming Back to Me" alongside, if not above it.
|
