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gmamartha's review against another edition
4.0
1966 Ballybucklebo as well as Fingals warship, marriage to Deirdre, anesthetic studies, and Christmas memories.
peyton_'s review
3.0
As much as I am enjoying this series, I am getting tired of the two timelines in each of these book. I fell in love with this series, but that love has been fading as I tackle both the past and present narratives. I would prefer to keep with the timeline from the first book and read a prequel separate from the core series. I like learning about Fingal’s past, but the back and forth between his past and the present is starting to give me whiplash.
Otherwise, the story is still good. I love the characters and learning about what life was like back when. The medical history is always fascinating. The war narrative is interesting and shows more about Fingal.
Otherwise, the story is still good. I love the characters and learning about what life was like back when. The medical history is always fascinating. The war narrative is interesting and shows more about Fingal.
annemariep68's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as some of the others but it was interesting to read about Fingal's time in the navy and some of the back story there. Will get back to the series but saving the last book
papidoc's review against another edition
5.0
Fingal's experiences in WWII and during the 1960's intermixed.
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
5.0
It has been a while since my last visit to Ballybucklebo, and I frequently found myself wondering how Barry and Sue's romance was going, how Fingal and Kitty were settling into married life, and how the other residents of the village were doing. I finally pulled this book off the shelf and dove in. Like the book Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor, this book bounces back and forth between the past and Fingal's current life. While the transitions aren't seamless, for the most part, they aren't jarring either.
The story opened with the village preparing to celebrate the marriage of Kinky and Archie, and the many people who want to make it a memorable day. Fingal's skills as a peacemaker and negotiator became vital when battle lines were drawn between two groups over the proper way to decorate the church. I loved his common sense approach to bringing compromise to the combatants. The upcoming marriage made a good segue into the next chapter, which was a flashback to Fingal as he prepared to propose to his first wife, Dierdre. There is a romantic heart inside the sometimes gruff doctor, and I felt his frustration as his "right moment" got wrecked. But his Dierdre is not high maintenance, and I loved seeing her handle it all with ease and grace.
For the modern side of the story, I always enjoy the adventures of Fingal, Barry, and the people of the village. It opened on a high note, with the wedding of Kinky and Archie. It was a beautiful ceremony, but as frequently happens in this village, there was a touch of excitement. Young Colin Brown brought an uninvited guest with him to the ceremony, a guest whose presence was not appreciated by the ladies. I had to laugh at the chaos and cheered as Kinky herself used humor and practicality to return peace to the day. Colin played an ongoing role in this book, as Fingal and Barry's girl, the schoolteacher, tried to find a way to show Colin's father that there was a wider world of opportunities available for Colin. Help with that came from a very unexpected source, leaving Fingal shaking his head in disbelief. The life of a country GP is never dull, and Fingal faced everything from German measles to gout to a medical mystery that was solved by reaching back into his wartime memories. He even brought Kitty along on one case, as the doctor and the midwife used their skills to bring a new life into the village. It's not all sunshine and roses for Fingal though when a blast from Kitty's past unsettled him. I ached a bit for Fingal, as he knew he was unreasonable, but he couldn't help it. I liked that he was smart enough to talk to his brother, who helped him through it. I was a little disappointed in not seeing Barry actually propose to Sue after all this time, but I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.
The flashback part of the book was fascinating for me. Just as Fingal was settling into his work in Ballybucklebo, World War Two broke out, and he was called up. As a naval reservist, he was assigned to become a medical officer on HMS Warspite. Within hours of arriving on the ship, Fingal found himself delivering his first anesthetic for the senior surgeon doing an emergency appendectomy. Fingal was nervous, bordering on terrified as he began his duties, as he had no experience treating war wounds and there were more than a thousand men on that ship alone. But he learned quickly and did well. I enjoyed his insights into what went on around him, from witnessing the firing of the big guns to his feelings on the wasted lives. His descriptions of the battles were vividly portrayed, leading me to discover that the Warspite was a real ship and the actions described really happened. His times with Dierdre were few and far between, but their love was a source of strength for both of them. I did have a few bad moments while Fingal was in Egypt and the loneliness and a flirtatious Navy wife created some unexpected temptation. I loved seeing Fingal get to spend time with the ship's navigator, his friend Tom Laverty, who would eventually become Barry's father.
I'm looking forward to the next book and getting to see more of the time that Fingal and Dierdre spent together, as well as the progression of life in the village of Ballybucklebo.
The story opened with the village preparing to celebrate the marriage of Kinky and Archie, and the many people who want to make it a memorable day. Fingal's skills as a peacemaker and negotiator became vital when battle lines were drawn between two groups over the proper way to decorate the church. I loved his common sense approach to bringing compromise to the combatants. The upcoming marriage made a good segue into the next chapter, which was a flashback to Fingal as he prepared to propose to his first wife, Dierdre. There is a romantic heart inside the sometimes gruff doctor, and I felt his frustration as his "right moment" got wrecked. But his Dierdre is not high maintenance, and I loved seeing her handle it all with ease and grace.
For the modern side of the story, I always enjoy the adventures of Fingal, Barry, and the people of the village. It opened on a high note, with the wedding of Kinky and Archie. It was a beautiful ceremony, but as frequently happens in this village, there was a touch of excitement. Young Colin Brown brought an uninvited guest with him to the ceremony, a guest whose presence was not appreciated by the ladies. I had to laugh at the chaos and cheered as Kinky herself used humor and practicality to return peace to the day. Colin played an ongoing role in this book, as Fingal and Barry's girl, the schoolteacher, tried to find a way to show Colin's father that there was a wider world of opportunities available for Colin. Help with that came from a very unexpected source, leaving Fingal shaking his head in disbelief. The life of a country GP is never dull, and Fingal faced everything from German measles to gout to a medical mystery that was solved by reaching back into his wartime memories. He even brought Kitty along on one case, as the doctor and the midwife used their skills to bring a new life into the village. It's not all sunshine and roses for Fingal though when a blast from Kitty's past unsettled him. I ached a bit for Fingal, as he knew he was unreasonable, but he couldn't help it. I liked that he was smart enough to talk to his brother, who helped him through it. I was a little disappointed in not seeing Barry actually propose to Sue after all this time, but I look forward to seeing more of them in the future.
The flashback part of the book was fascinating for me. Just as Fingal was settling into his work in Ballybucklebo, World War Two broke out, and he was called up. As a naval reservist, he was assigned to become a medical officer on HMS Warspite. Within hours of arriving on the ship, Fingal found himself delivering his first anesthetic for the senior surgeon doing an emergency appendectomy. Fingal was nervous, bordering on terrified as he began his duties, as he had no experience treating war wounds and there were more than a thousand men on that ship alone. But he learned quickly and did well. I enjoyed his insights into what went on around him, from witnessing the firing of the big guns to his feelings on the wasted lives. His descriptions of the battles were vividly portrayed, leading me to discover that the Warspite was a real ship and the actions described really happened. His times with Dierdre were few and far between, but their love was a source of strength for both of them. I did have a few bad moments while Fingal was in Egypt and the loneliness and a flirtatious Navy wife created some unexpected temptation. I loved seeing Fingal get to spend time with the ship's navigator, his friend Tom Laverty, who would eventually become Barry's father.
I'm looking forward to the next book and getting to see more of the time that Fingal and Dierdre spent together, as well as the progression of life in the village of Ballybucklebo.
zipperhead's review against another edition
2.0
This book was not one of Mr. Taylor best books in this series. I found the conversation lacking and trying too hard. I found there was a lot "Remember when..." type dialogue. Instead of just regular discussion. The storyline did not grab me like the previous stories have, it was kind of disappointing.
weaselweader's review against another edition
5.0
“It’s no place for a man when his wife’s having a wean”
Prenatal classes and the notion of a man holding his partner’s hand and coaching her breathing as she gave birth? Forget it! In 1960s Ballybucklebo (as in most of the “civilized” world at that time), when it came to the birthing process, most men simply beat a hasty retreat and waited in their local with their friends while the event played out. Misogyny and male machismo was culturally endemic and equality of the sexes was an idea whose time had yet to come. With much thumping of puffed-up chests, men went so far as to crow about the additional dose of masculinity they believed it took to sire male progeny over mere daughters.
“Any ould tinker can put a hole in the bottom of a bucket … but it takes a craftsman to put a spout on a teapot.”
And the point of this lengthy preamble would be? I read a number of other reviews of AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR that took issue with Fingal O’Reilly’s immature reversion to jealousy when he realized that his new wife had actually had a past relationship with another man she cared about deeply. Personally, my take was that, despite his forward thinking acceptance of a female doctor and his willingness to help a young woman achieve admission to medical school, he was still a man of the 60s in a deeply misogynistic culture. In short, AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR is a masterful portrayal of both 1940s World War II culture and a more modern, but still problematic, 1960s Ireland.
As novel #9 in Canadian author, Patrick Taylor’s wildly successful IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR series, AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR continues to fill in Fingal O’Reilly’s past as a young man first coming to grips with his craft in the 1930s and a war torn Europe in the 1940s. Like the television series M*A*S*H that portrayed the emergency “meatball” surgery of an American mobile hospital in the Korean War, it portrays the gruesome realities of impossibly stressful emergency surgery and medicine aboard a WW II battleship in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic. It introduces fans to O’Reilly’s first wife whom we already know he will somehow lose to be later re-united as a widower with his first love. And, of course, it continues to portray O’Reilly’s life and growth in a series of heartwarming vignettes that will simultaneously put a lump in the throat and a smile on the face of any reader.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Prenatal classes and the notion of a man holding his partner’s hand and coaching her breathing as she gave birth? Forget it! In 1960s Ballybucklebo (as in most of the “civilized” world at that time), when it came to the birthing process, most men simply beat a hasty retreat and waited in their local with their friends while the event played out. Misogyny and male machismo was culturally endemic and equality of the sexes was an idea whose time had yet to come. With much thumping of puffed-up chests, men went so far as to crow about the additional dose of masculinity they believed it took to sire male progeny over mere daughters.
“Any ould tinker can put a hole in the bottom of a bucket … but it takes a craftsman to put a spout on a teapot.”
And the point of this lengthy preamble would be? I read a number of other reviews of AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR that took issue with Fingal O’Reilly’s immature reversion to jealousy when he realized that his new wife had actually had a past relationship with another man she cared about deeply. Personally, my take was that, despite his forward thinking acceptance of a female doctor and his willingness to help a young woman achieve admission to medical school, he was still a man of the 60s in a deeply misogynistic culture. In short, AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR is a masterful portrayal of both 1940s World War II culture and a more modern, but still problematic, 1960s Ireland.
As novel #9 in Canadian author, Patrick Taylor’s wildly successful IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR series, AN IRISH DOCTOR IN PEACE AND AT WAR continues to fill in Fingal O’Reilly’s past as a young man first coming to grips with his craft in the 1930s and a war torn Europe in the 1940s. Like the television series M*A*S*H that portrayed the emergency “meatball” surgery of an American mobile hospital in the Korean War, it portrays the gruesome realities of impossibly stressful emergency surgery and medicine aboard a WW II battleship in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic. It introduces fans to O’Reilly’s first wife whom we already know he will somehow lose to be later re-united as a widower with his first love. And, of course, it continues to portray O’Reilly’s life and growth in a series of heartwarming vignettes that will simultaneously put a lump in the throat and a smile on the face of any reader.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
weaselweader's review against another edition
5.0
“Three Messerschmitt 109 fighter bombers have burst through the smoke and are approaching our bow …”
AN IRISH DOCTOR IN LOVE AND AT SEA, instalment #10 in Patrick Taylor’s wildly successful IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR series, continues to fill in Fingal O’Reilly’s past as a young man and contrasts that past with his life as an aging professional in 1960s northern Ireland in the small town of Ballybuckleboo. Fans are treated to a heartwarming series of vignettes that portray O’Reilly’s private and professional life; his early career as a medical officer in the British navy; his sad and all too short marriage with his first wife and the tragic story of her death; and, the development of his personal philosophy as a doctor who cares about his patients and who is willing to take the risk of seeing his patients as real people. Like the television series M*A*S*H that portrayed the emergency “meatball” surgery of an American mobile hospital in the Korean War, it portrays the gruesome realities of impossibly stressful emergency surgery and medicine aboard a WW II battleship in the Mediterranean. On the 1960s side of the novel, Taylor offers a fascinating look into the mid-20th century development of medical science. He uses the example of the treatment of Rh- babies and the difficulties of explaining the development of the science to devoutly Catholic parents who don’t believe in evolution and are aghast at the thought of the blood being associated in any fashion with monkeys.
Despite the fact that the series can now be said to be getting long in the tooth, it has lost nothing of its charm or its ability to draw readers deep into the lives of all of its characters. If there was any criticism to be made (and I did have one rather weak one), it was that Taylor allowed himself to get just a little too saccharine and over-the-top in his expressions of romance and love between O’Reilly and his two wives. Maybe people that are so in love actually talk like that but it came across as forced and unrealistic in the actual reading.
Nonetheless, I look forward with continuing anticipation to #11, AN IRISH COUNTRY LOVE STORY.
Paul Weiss
AN IRISH DOCTOR IN LOVE AND AT SEA, instalment #10 in Patrick Taylor’s wildly successful IRISH COUNTRY DOCTOR series, continues to fill in Fingal O’Reilly’s past as a young man and contrasts that past with his life as an aging professional in 1960s northern Ireland in the small town of Ballybuckleboo. Fans are treated to a heartwarming series of vignettes that portray O’Reilly’s private and professional life; his early career as a medical officer in the British navy; his sad and all too short marriage with his first wife and the tragic story of her death; and, the development of his personal philosophy as a doctor who cares about his patients and who is willing to take the risk of seeing his patients as real people. Like the television series M*A*S*H that portrayed the emergency “meatball” surgery of an American mobile hospital in the Korean War, it portrays the gruesome realities of impossibly stressful emergency surgery and medicine aboard a WW II battleship in the Mediterranean. On the 1960s side of the novel, Taylor offers a fascinating look into the mid-20th century development of medical science. He uses the example of the treatment of Rh- babies and the difficulties of explaining the development of the science to devoutly Catholic parents who don’t believe in evolution and are aghast at the thought of the blood being associated in any fashion with monkeys.
Despite the fact that the series can now be said to be getting long in the tooth, it has lost nothing of its charm or its ability to draw readers deep into the lives of all of its characters. If there was any criticism to be made (and I did have one rather weak one), it was that Taylor allowed himself to get just a little too saccharine and over-the-top in his expressions of romance and love between O’Reilly and his two wives. Maybe people that are so in love actually talk like that but it came across as forced and unrealistic in the actual reading.
Nonetheless, I look forward with continuing anticipation to #11, AN IRISH COUNTRY LOVE STORY.
Paul Weiss