Rating: 
Summary: Brilliance Without Pretension
Review: "The Undertaking" is an extraordinary piece of prose. Lynch knows death, which many writers/poets don't, in such a first-hand way that I could trust him to freely and honestly guide me through his experiences. The essay "All Hallows Eve" was particularly touching as I'm 35 years old and in the middle of my life. Lynch drives home the difficult point of "the dead don't care" with such extreme eloquence that it becomes a comforting thought. I would recommend this to anyone who has any curiosity about death and how the artist's/worker's mind perceives it.
Rating:
Summary: Who better to speak with authority on death.
Review: A poet who's day-job is that of an undertaker? Of course, what a perfectly natural combination. As Lynch himself points out, death is one of the staples of any poets repetoire. Lynch is without a doubt an accomplished poet and as with many poets this has translated wonderfully to the world or prose. In The Undertaking, Lynch writes essays with an agility and fluidity that makes this collection a joy to read. But it is his dayjob, that of an undertaker which provides the wisdom and insight of this book. His day to day dealings with the dead (and their survivors) gives Lynch a calm understanding and appreciation of death and of life. The Undertaking, with the aid of some wonderfully colourful real-life characters, provides a moving meditation on life. Only occassionally does Lynch become slightly preachy when writing about abortion or assisted suicide - topics which he makes compelling arguements about. However you look at it, this is a powerful book and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Kept Me Curious
Review: A very interesting book detailing the business of death from a 'provider's' perspective. Spending his days dressed in black has given the author a fascinating perspective on humans and the world around us. As a physician, I found parallels with the way he copes with handling tragedy on a daily basis.
Rating:
Summary: Don't judge this book by its cover!
Review: Although it consists of essays on death, it is not morbid. It is an eloquently written, witty, thought-provoking perspective on life. Good read!
Rating:
Summary: I picked it up on a bargain table.....
Review: and found it to be one of the most beautifully written books I've yet read. In going through a time where I've been caught up in examining the deeper issues of my own life, this small book spoke a great deal to what was going on in my head and heart. Not death, per se, but rather life and enjoying it, trying to make sense of it. Mr. Lynch examines a subject we in America too often prefer not to deal with - the aftermath of death; the process that begins immediately after the departing of the spirit. Beautifully, sensitively written. I'm going to buy it as a birthday present for a close friend. READ IT! It's really not morbid! :)
Rating:
Summary: Every year I try to pick my own "Book of the Year."
Review: Every year I try to pick my own "Book of the Year." This started out as a way of picking an annual Xmas gift for my sister-in-law. Now it has become my own personal way of ranking books I have read. Though it is only late October and, though I had yet another book in mind, Lynch wins. I had heard him read a section of this book on a C-Span reading and bought it. But it sat unread on my shelf for close to a year. This past week, I was hungry for something good to read and so grabbed it pretty much at random. For the next three days, I used every spare moment of my time to finish it. Each essay convinced me that it alone was the best. And, except for the anti- Jessica Mitford diatribe near the end, it was hard to find any essay not to be a personal favorite in one way or another. While ostensibly about the funeral business-past and present--it is certainly about a great deal more. I found myself reading whole sections of it aloud to friends, with great excitement. Wonderful, rich writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Neither fish nor fowl
Review: Expecting a philosophical look at the trade, I was somewhat disappointed to discover a collection of essays which merely reflect the author's stream of consciousness reverie. The book was remniscent of the work of Richard Brautigan in that it rambled in an unstructured, unpredictable and sometimes delightful way. It is not especially thought-provoking. The essay which compared and contrasted abortion with euthanasia being (for me) the high point of the book. Alas, even that essay failed to reach the philosophic potential the subject deserved.
Rating:
Summary: Funeral service isn't "dismal", just different......
Review: From the opening line to the last word, Thomas Lynch truly lets you inside funeral service, not just the embalming and casket selection rooms, but into the heart and soul of the funeral director. One gains a new respect for these folks who dedicate themselves to the service of others. While realizing there are "schisters" in any profession, Mr. Lynch offers a view only a dedicated professional could - one who truly enjoys and is proud of his chosen trade. For those in funeral service, the eternally curious, and definately for health care professionals, "The Undertaking" should be a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Morbid but good stuff.
Review: Hey, you gotta love funeral parlor stories. This one's a classic - from a poet nonetheless. Good read.
Rating: 
Summary: m ind-wandering
Review: I found this book extremely difficult reading. The author is, he says, a poet and a funeral director. I wouldnt exactly call the chapters essays, because they wander all over the place in a stream-of-consciousness format, completely losing the reader as to what the point is. One chapter covers his brother's sanitation service business, suicide, homicide, abortion, assisted suicide, Jack Kevorkian, rape, birth, death, the baby boom, the author's own moral, religious and political views on all of the above--if this were an essay, there would be some structure, arguments and a conclusion. Instead this looks like a diagram for the study of chaos theory. None of the chapters seem to have any relation to the others. One is about (as far as I can tell) invention of the flush toilet. Another is about combining cemeteries with golf courses. Another is about building a bridge to the cemetery in the author's town after the old one fell into the river. Is any of this serious? Most of the book is the author's philosophizing, but often I wonder if he knows what he's talking about.
There are also a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, that further detract from the text. I've read lots of interesting books on the funeral profession, but this isnt one of them.
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