An Irish Country Doctor

Happy New Year Megan!

So when it came to choose the next grown-up book, I was torn between two finds at Barnes and Nobles.  First was the book A Beautiful Disaster, a book I found in the ADULT fiction section which promised to have a heavy romantic plot.  A few hours later, having finished the book in a shameful frenzy, I dubbed it "College Lit, " for it had the angst of YA lit with sensual details inappropriate for tender young ears.  Upon coming to this evaluation, I concluded that there's no way it qualifies as my adult pick.  So instead, I give you Patrick Taylor's An Irish Country Doctor, which is about as far from my other option as you can get (so you may hate me, hah).

It's a simple enough tale.  A young doctor, Barry Laverty, fresh out of medical school, heads out to the Irish countryside to apply for a job as the assistant to the physician who serves the humble people of Ballybucklebo: Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly.  Reality is far from the sterile proficiency he learned at school, as, aghast  he watches the older doctor not only practice unorthodox medicine, but go so far as to manhandle his patients and throw them out the door. Ah, and there is a wee bit of romance thrown in, but really this is about the humorous situations he finds himself in as this city boy attempts to learn the ins and outs of country life. 

Now, whenever I see Irish literature, I am immediately prone to think of Professor Dobbins, our good old thesis advisor.  This novel, however, does not feature a lazy idle schemer as the main character. Rather, it's a minor character who most obviously inhabits this role in the literal reading of the phrase.  In truth, I think it would be argued that O’Reilly is the lazy idle schemer as Dobbins envisions it--a man who tries his best to get through the day as quickly (and efficiently) as possible so he may go back to his liquor and literature.  This is not to say he is incompetent, quite the opposite really as he proves time and time again that his methods tend to be more effective than the textbook procedures Dr. Laverty is acquainted with.  

Another interesting note is that the author, Patrick Taylor, IS a doctor, which lends a bit of authenticity to the narrative. Most of the time, authors are just, well, authors, and any factual data in a text was presumably the product of research rather than professional knowledge.  Knowing this, it made reading the book all the more interesting, since it has more than a few hours at the library backing its claims. 

This book is just fun. It's a lighthearted romp, with a bit of romance (and amorous fumbles) thrown in.  I'm certainly interested on reading the subsequent books, to see what sort of troubles come to Ballybucklebo next. I promise, PINKY  promise, that my next pick will have romance! But, I hope you enjoy this one nonetheless :)

Keep Calm and Read On,
Becca