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Saturday, June 2, 2012

An Irish Country Doctor

I was reading Patrick Taylor's novel An Irish Country Doctor (#183) when my husband and I set off on a roadtrip several weeks ago, and this book proved to be the perfect choice.  I jumped into this series with the second novel, An Irish Country Village (See my post of 3/29/12), so this book was like traveling with an old friend. 

For those of you who have not been fortunate enough yet to meet the newly-minted doctor Barry Laverty or his unconventional boss Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, his housekeeper Mrs. "Kinky" Kincaid and the other denizens of Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland, An Irish Country Doctor is really the best place to start. It's 1964 and Barry has taken his first paying postion to feel out how the life of a General Practitioner in a small town would suit him.  He had no idea just how busy the practice would turn out to be, or how much Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly needs his services.  The problem is, Barry can't quite approve of O'Reilly's methods.  Laverty may have the latest scientific knowledge, but O'Reilly has much to teach him about dealing with people and animals.  Along this somewhat bumpy road we're introduced to the citizens of Ballybucklebo, made privy to their secrets and struggles, and the possibility that Barry may have met the girl of his dreams.  All of this is served up in a delightful mix of humor, heartbreak and the beautry of the Northern Ireland coastline.

I already know what happens next, so I'm looking forward to the continuing saga of Ballybucklebo in Dr. Taylor's visit there.

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