Life in a Time of Plague: A Coronavirus Lockdown Diary

Book excerpt: “Engaged, intelligent, personal, fast moving and funny.” - Financial Times Life in a Time of Plague is the story of Britain under the first 75 days of its unprecedented Covid-19 lockdown, seen from the author’s rural East Sussex valley home in England. From the refuge of a seemingly idyllic rural idyll, the book monitors in bleak and forensic detail the failure of the Government to protect Britain, and its woeful response at every stage of the pandemic. The author’s age and medical issues colour this diary with a dark humour, as his age group is most at risk. He is determined to make his 70th birthday at least, despite the thousands of deaths in Britain to date. It is a quiet slow appreciation of the bright green spring and summer of 2020 in the English countryside, set against the horrors faced by frontline workers. However, what is most surprising is that amid the death, heartache and economic carnage, there is also a silver lining, a chance to simply stop and stare, and rethink our lives. Julian Roup has produced a podcast series based on 'Life In a Time of Plague'. You can listen to it here - https://iono.fm/c/5264 - first broadcast by BizNews.