'How to Read a Graveyard' is a set of travel pieces which chart the development of attitudes to burial and death in western Europe, especially in Britain. The author visits key sites, such as the Scavi in Rome, Greyfriar's Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Père-Lachaise in Paris and the Commonwealth War Graves in Northern France, using each to illustrate changing attitudes to death and how people publicly honour the deceased.
It may sound a bit macabre, but this was actually a very interesting book. In places, it was fascinating, but, unfortunately, it was also a bit meandering at times. It was at its best when written like a travel piece, when the reader was given a very vivid feel for the site visited, but some sections felt rather padded out, particularly the piece on St Margaret's Church in Burnham Norton.
Overall, this was an OK read and could be interesting for a range of people. It covered a number of 'celebrity' graves, including Oscar Wilde and John Keats, Victorian attitudes to death and mourning, health crises caused by overflowing Paris cemeteries, the thinking behind the World War I graveyards and up-to-date eco-burials. I learned a lot about many different aspects and it got me thinking, which I always like from a book.
So, although I found it a hard read at times, I would recommend this if you have the time and desire to persevere with it.
Now, what next?
