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  • When the Dust Settles

  • Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster
  • By: Lucy Easthope
  • Narrated by: Lucy Easthope
  • Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (294 ratings)
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When the Dust Settles cover art

When the Dust Settles

By: Lucy Easthope
Narrated by: Lucy Easthope
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Summary

Lucy Easthope lives with disaster every day. When a plane crashes, a bomb explodes, a city floods or a pandemic begins, she's the one they call.

As one of the world's leading experts on disaster, she has been at the centre of the most seismic events of the last few decades - advising on everything from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami to the 7/7 bombings, the Salisbury poisonings, the Grenfell fire and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

She has travelled across the world in this unusual role, seeing the very worst that people have to face and finding that even the most extreme of situations, we find the very best of humanity. In her moving memoir, she reveals what happens in the aftermath. She takes us behind the police tape to scenes of destruction and chaos, introducing us to victims and their families, but also to the government briefing rooms and bunkers, where confusion and stale biscuits can reign supreme.

With wisdom, resilience and candour, When the Dust Settles looks back at a life spent on the edges of disaster and shows us that where there is terrible tragedy there is also great hope and that humanity and humour can - and must - still be found on the darkest of days.

©2022 Lucy Easthope (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

What listeners say about When the Dust Settles

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When the Dust Settles

I loved this book. I will recommend it to anyone who listens to me. So personal, beautifully told and informative. Well done Lucy.

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Great Book, Less Strong Narration/Recording

The content of this book is fascinating, but the author wasn't the strongest choice for the narration unfortunately. Basic things like diction, pace and breath control are more noticeable than with a professional reader, and took me away from the content more than I liked, taking a little more time to get used to. The recording seems a little varied in places too - the voice becoming louder, or softer or sometimes the tone change of the voice noticeably different between chapters. This is something a audiobook director should be more on top off, as it can be distracting. It's a shame this is the case for the audiobook version of this release, because Lucy Easthope's book is a particularly interesting and well written book on an subject most of us know little about, and I would definitely recommend you read it.

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A unexpectedly inspiring book!

The author opens the curtain to a world we only usually see on the surface, events that have shaped the world and devastated communities and families. The stories told in this book are so beautifully written and serve as lessons we can all apply to our every day lives. This book is beautifully spoken and beyond powerful.

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Brilliant - everyone should read it.

I’ve never read/listened to a book like this. It’s hard to explain what it has done for me. Given me hope, made me feel ashamed for my often pessimistic outlook, made me feel validated for my sometimes believing that that is kindness to in the world when all around can see only dark. She addresses it all. Ultimately the book is brilliant because it is about the life of one, truly exceptional woman and so beautifully written. How I always self help books to be but never were. I am heartened that she is on the earth, doing the job she does. If ever it is me who is found after a bomb blast, a plane wreck, an earthquake or tsunami I hope Lucy is involved in some way. I know that whatever is left of me (and those who are left to deal with my loss) will be taken care of. Spoken by Lucy here self, , I could listen to this woman for hours more. Read it, let it remind you of what is good in the world, what really matters and how we all matter to each other. How one tiny thought or gesture about someone other than yourself can make the world of difference.

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Compassion and fortitude in the face of disaster!

Lucy tells a story filled with compassion, determination and fortitude.

The authors voice is soothing, even when covering difficult subjects. Her ability to be funny, at the right times, and even laugh at herself, shines through.

I can picture her bubbly, smiling self as I listen.

Not just an emergency planners book, but of interest and value to every human interested in stories of other humans and their wellbeing.

A wonderful book, filled with a struggle to ensure emergency planning includes a future focused human impact lens.

While listening I often fought to control my emotions. How can one woman make such a difference while dealing with their own personal challenges.

You cannot but admire what Lucy has achieved and lost, fought and become.

Thank goodness she is fighting for us all and for our future recovery from disaster!

She is an expert at it.

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Fascinating

Couldn’t stop listening, this was a fascinating account of a very interesting career doing such an important job. Thank you Lucy Easthope for all you have done for the victims of disasters.

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Fascinating and moving book

This is more than just a book about responding to emergencies it is a fascinating look at the authors work and life trying to respond to some of the biggest emergencies and tragedies of recent times whilst facing some of her own. It provides interesting accounts of how these events are dealt with and planned for, the compassion and humanity of the planners and how things can go wrong. It was interesting, moving and at times even funny. Highly recommend.

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Fabulous book

Thank you Lucy for producing and narrating a very informative book. You show great human compassion throughout.

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Fascinating

Not sure I’ve left an audible review before, but this was by far the best audiobook I’ve listened to in a long while. Fascinating from start to finish, on a subject I never even knew existed. Loved the way Lucy Easthope interwove personal (sometimes very personal) stories with the tragic events with which she was involved, and the fact this was narrated by the author (well, I should add) made it all the more powerful.

I will be recommending this to friends, for sure.

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Humbling and Reassuring

Here speaks one of those 'experts' so feared and derided by our government during the pandemic. Years of experience of the most difficult kind, meticulously analysed data and focussed humane attentiveness to human behaviour in and after disasters of all kinds gives Lucy Easthope a unique degree of clarity and understanding. Her expert advice would have helped us avoid many of our most dubious responses to the pandemic as it unfolded. There was nothing intrinsically different about our pandemic from other Covid-type pandemics elsewhere. The one person we needed to help our govt make the many difficult decisions needed from March 2020 onwards was either ignored or listened to with bad grace. I'm so glad to have read this and wish the author continuing success and wide recognition for her enormous contribution to our world.

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1 person found this helpful