When the doctor's house is damaged in an accident, politics become a big part of the Ballybucklebo story when Fingal is faced with demolition of the house he loves to make a safer roadway. It makes Kitty's desire for new curtains seem quaint.
Also in this 11th episode of the series, Barry is pining for his fiance who's teaching abroad in France. He keeps himself busy with model shipbuilding, along with looking for a cottage the pair can buy to begin their married life. We also get a new young lady doctor in the practice, but it's not smooth sailing with the new addition. And brother Lars is spending a LOT of time with the Lady Myrna.
I love this series, and I especially adore the audiobooks. This gentle, consuming community narrative came at a perfect time for me, as John Keating's lilting delivery is always a soothing, captivating experience.
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Thursday, October 11, 2018
An Irish Doctor in Love and At Sea by Patrick Taylor
I'm ten books into this series, but this one is my favorite in a while.
While we revisit some of the same old haunts, in this book we get our first real look at the wartime love story of young Dr. Fingal O'Reilly and his nurse Diedre. We learn a lot about why the old doctor sometimes acts the way he does, and also that it may still be possible for personal growth.
There's a lot of the war in this book, and I didn't mind it at all. I always think it's interesting to get a non-American view of the European action, and the HMS Warspite sees some action that keeps the doctor hopping.
In the modern story arc, brother Lars gets a job that seems to be leaning into a fresh angle for future books, and there's a new Donald Donnelly dog scheme (and as they would say, it's a real corker!). Barry spends most of the book lurking darkly about the periphery, stewing about his absent fiance.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor
I'm back to reading this "Irish Country" series. I got a few behind.
This one is told mostly in flashback - the "modern" 1960s story (about knock on the noggin for a familiar regular) is mostly a framing device for the reminiscence about Fingal's days in med school and his first romance with the pretty young nursing student Kitty O'Halloran.
I liked that this one shifted less back and forth, and left me longer in the storyline. It also filled in a lot of backstories, not just on the romance with Kitty, but with Fingal's dislike of the doctor in the next town over and also how he decided to become a general practitioner.
This one is told mostly in flashback - the "modern" 1960s story (about knock on the noggin for a familiar regular) is mostly a framing device for the reminiscence about Fingal's days in med school and his first romance with the pretty young nursing student Kitty O'Halloran.
I liked that this one shifted less back and forth, and left me longer in the storyline. It also filled in a lot of backstories, not just on the romance with Kitty, but with Fingal's dislike of the doctor in the next town over and also how he decided to become a general practitioner.
Thursday, December 21, 2017
Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan
Telling the story of one family and two generations of siblings, this novel flips back and forth in time between the 1950s when two sisters immigrate from Ireland and the modern-day as the family deals with the sudden death of an oldest son.
It's a story full of secrets and the way secrets rarely stay hidden. As a naive girl in Ireland, Nora makes a hasty decision (to marry the neighbor boy) that sets in motion everything that comes after. But as often happens, she's daily reminded of those decisions and sometimes feels like a martyr for the sacrifices she's made.
In the next generation, the kids are a tight bunch but are holding their own secrets. Coming together in the wake of Patrick's death brings them closer and also offers an opportunity for change.
The book is engaging and very well done. While satisfying, the ending is left open and unfinished, with the rest of the story for you to imagine. I highly recommend it!
It's a story full of secrets and the way secrets rarely stay hidden. As a naive girl in Ireland, Nora makes a hasty decision (to marry the neighbor boy) that sets in motion everything that comes after. But as often happens, she's daily reminded of those decisions and sometimes feels like a martyr for the sacrifices she's made.
In the next generation, the kids are a tight bunch but are holding their own secrets. Coming together in the wake of Patrick's death brings them closer and also offers an opportunity for change.
The book is engaging and very well done. While satisfying, the ending is left open and unfinished, with the rest of the story for you to imagine. I highly recommend it!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Asking For It by Louise O'Neill
When a popular, sexy 18 year old gets wild at a party, even the national news media agree that whatever happened later, she was definitely asking for it.
The book doesn't really require any more plot synopsis than that, and it's certainly not a unique topic for a teen book. There are the usual parental recriminations, the viral internet pictures, the self-doubt and shame, the high school social gauntlet.
But two things set this book apart: it takes place in Ireland, and its ambiguous ending.
The legal process in Ireland is different than in the US, and that's an interesting twist to the story. Plus, of course, they try to blame this burgeoning problem on Americanization of kids.
Additionally, our main character Emma doesn't really know how she feels about everything. She's humiliated and embarrassed, but she's not sure it's worth wrecking the boys' reputations over. She doesn't remember anything from later at the party, but she did certainly go (and dress) for a hookup that night.
The book doesn't tie everything up in a bow. it ends with a decision by Emma, but before any action is taken upon the decision. A lot of readers will howl at Emma's thoughts and actions, but I think it's a fair look at the confusion and twisted logic of the teen mind.
The book doesn't really require any more plot synopsis than that, and it's certainly not a unique topic for a teen book. There are the usual parental recriminations, the viral internet pictures, the self-doubt and shame, the high school social gauntlet.
But two things set this book apart: it takes place in Ireland, and its ambiguous ending.
The legal process in Ireland is different than in the US, and that's an interesting twist to the story. Plus, of course, they try to blame this burgeoning problem on Americanization of kids.
Additionally, our main character Emma doesn't really know how she feels about everything. She's humiliated and embarrassed, but she's not sure it's worth wrecking the boys' reputations over. She doesn't remember anything from later at the party, but she did certainly go (and dress) for a hookup that night.
The book doesn't tie everything up in a bow. it ends with a decision by Emma, but before any action is taken upon the decision. A lot of readers will howl at Emma's thoughts and actions, but I think it's a fair look at the confusion and twisted logic of the teen mind.
Monday, October 19, 2015
An Irish Doctor In Peace and At War by Patrick Taylor
In this, the 9th book in the Irish Country series, the "modern" storyline about Ballybucklebo's residents takes more of a backseat to Dr. Fingal O'Reilly's reminiscence about his WWII service.
Young Fingal serves as a medical officer aboard the HMS Warspite, stationed out of Alexadria, Egypt. He's pining for his fiance back in Ireland, Diedre, who will become his wife at their next opportunity.
While we've come to love the much older version of Dr. O'Reilly as a wizened, experienced man, this book offers a wonderful look at his younger, more naive self, experiencing the world at large. He tries new food! Women pay attention to him! Bombs are dropped!
The 1960s storyline is less dramatic: babies are born, small problems are solved, and Barry's fiance meets his ex-girlfriend.
I adore this series, and even though it's getting more "warsy" than I would usually enjoy, it is very interesting to get some non-American perspectives on Hitler and the Nazi campaign in Europe. I sometimes get bored with ship and gun schematics, but as always the novel's appeal truly boils down to the people Fingal meets.
And as always, audiobook reader John Keating brings them all to vivid life with his characterizations.
Young Fingal serves as a medical officer aboard the HMS Warspite, stationed out of Alexadria, Egypt. He's pining for his fiance back in Ireland, Diedre, who will become his wife at their next opportunity.
While we've come to love the much older version of Dr. O'Reilly as a wizened, experienced man, this book offers a wonderful look at his younger, more naive self, experiencing the world at large. He tries new food! Women pay attention to him! Bombs are dropped!
The 1960s storyline is less dramatic: babies are born, small problems are solved, and Barry's fiance meets his ex-girlfriend.
I adore this series, and even though it's getting more "warsy" than I would usually enjoy, it is very interesting to get some non-American perspectives on Hitler and the Nazi campaign in Europe. I sometimes get bored with ship and gun schematics, but as always the novel's appeal truly boils down to the people Fingal meets.
And as always, audiobook reader John Keating brings them all to vivid life with his characterizations.
Monday, April 20, 2015
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
In this installment of the lives of our favorite 1960s small-town Ireland physicians, the curmudgeonly Dr. Riley is counting down the days until his 30-years-later wedding to his college sweetheart Kitty. Also, the young Dr. Laverty woos the feisty local schoolteacher.
This is the seventh book in the series (I've been a bit out-of-order with the series lately, but I'm straightening that out now I think).
Along with the usual (and always delightful) workaday village problems the doctors help to sort out, their receptionist and housekeeper, Kinky Kincaide, suffers her own a health scare.
I probably mention this every time, but I cannot give too many props to John Keating's audiobook narration on this series. I have come to love every one of these characters like they're my own friends and neighbors!
This is the seventh book in the series (I've been a bit out-of-order with the series lately, but I'm straightening that out now I think).
Along with the usual (and always delightful) workaday village problems the doctors help to sort out, their receptionist and housekeeper, Kinky Kincaide, suffers her own a health scare.
I probably mention this every time, but I cannot give too many props to John Keating's audiobook narration on this series. I have come to love every one of these characters like they're my own friends and neighbors!
Thursday, April 9, 2015
The Wily O'Reilly: Irish Country Stories by Patrick Taylor
Different from the rest of the Irish Country Doctor novels, this book is the genesis of the series - the medical journal humor columns Taylor wrote in the 1990s that eventually spun into the fiction series.
In the columns we see many of the familiar Ballybucklebo residents, but in a slightly different light. Most notably, Dr. O'Reilly is depicted here less favorably than in the novels - here he's rough, gruff, enigmatic and incredibly quick to anger; while the O'Reilly of the series is all of those things too, in the novels he's depicted in friendship and with affection, which effectively paints his negative attributes with a broader brush. Also, Doctor Barry Laverty is missing from these stories - instead, Taylor himself fills the role of the young protege and foil to O'Reilly's antics.
Reading these columns is an interesting exercise in perspective - the myriad ways an author colors our perception of a character by the nuanced words used to describe their actions.
That said, I'm happy now to go back to a friendlier, gentler Ballybucklebo with the next novel.
In the columns we see many of the familiar Ballybucklebo residents, but in a slightly different light. Most notably, Dr. O'Reilly is depicted here less favorably than in the novels - here he's rough, gruff, enigmatic and incredibly quick to anger; while the O'Reilly of the series is all of those things too, in the novels he's depicted in friendship and with affection, which effectively paints his negative attributes with a broader brush. Also, Doctor Barry Laverty is missing from these stories - instead, Taylor himself fills the role of the young protege and foil to O'Reilly's antics.
Reading these columns is an interesting exercise in perspective - the myriad ways an author colors our perception of a character by the nuanced words used to describe their actions.
That said, I'm happy now to go back to a friendlier, gentler Ballybucklebo with the next novel.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor by Patrick Taylor
While we've come to know and love Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly as the senior doctor in a tiny Irish town, new doings have stirred things up in his life - including his memories of the past. Interspersed with the "modern" timeline (1960's actually) are his reminiscences of beginning his career out of medical school (in the 1930s).
Almost unbelievably, this is the eighth book in the Irish County series, and I'm still captivated and engrossed in the lives of the residents of Ballybucklebo. I've made it my habit to wait for these on audiobook, because narrator John Keating is a true gem: He seamlessly breaths life into men, women and children from all parts of the British, Scottish, and Irish lands.
These books are touching, but also funny. In this one there's a bit of grandstanding about political unrest and world events, but I have to admit that I've also found it enlightening in ways I wouldn't have expected. Young Fingal's work in the slums of Belfast allow some historical insight into a world I'd heard about but never actually studied. In the newer storyline, there's a new female doctor working with Fingal and her presence stirs up bias and prejudice it's easy to forget our foremothers endured.
I was again glad to visit the good doctors and hilarious characters in this small town, and can't wait to visit again!
Almost unbelievably, this is the eighth book in the Irish County series, and I'm still captivated and engrossed in the lives of the residents of Ballybucklebo. I've made it my habit to wait for these on audiobook, because narrator John Keating is a true gem: He seamlessly breaths life into men, women and children from all parts of the British, Scottish, and Irish lands.
These books are touching, but also funny. In this one there's a bit of grandstanding about political unrest and world events, but I have to admit that I've also found it enlightening in ways I wouldn't have expected. Young Fingal's work in the slums of Belfast allow some historical insight into a world I'd heard about but never actually studied. In the newer storyline, there's a new female doctor working with Fingal and her presence stirs up bias and prejudice it's easy to forget our foremothers endured.
I was again glad to visit the good doctors and hilarious characters in this small town, and can't wait to visit again!
Friday, March 7, 2014
The Guts by Roddy Doyle
Did you ever see the early-90s film "The Commitments" about an bunch of teens trying to become Ireland's greatest soul band? Doyle wrote the novel it was based on, along with several continuations: This is his fourth book in the Barrytown series.
The Commitments' manager Jimmy Rabbitte has stayed in music - he's made a career milking the nostalgia for Irish punk and folk acts, building internet sites and back-catalog sales for these mostly one-hit wonders.
But a sudden illness creates a strong sense of sentimentality about the glory days, and Jimmy starts to look up a few people he's lost touch with over the years. Most haven't fared so well, but a new music idea and a big outdoor concert help bring them all back to the friendship they'd enjoyed.
They're very relatable characters: flawed and funny, acting badly and also very bravely. This is a very funny book, but written in dialect and in a non-traditional quotation format - once you get used to it, it's a breeze, but I'll admit it took me a bit to get the hang of it.
The Commitments' manager Jimmy Rabbitte has stayed in music - he's made a career milking the nostalgia for Irish punk and folk acts, building internet sites and back-catalog sales for these mostly one-hit wonders.
But a sudden illness creates a strong sense of sentimentality about the glory days, and Jimmy starts to look up a few people he's lost touch with over the years. Most haven't fared so well, but a new music idea and a big outdoor concert help bring them all back to the friendship they'd enjoyed.
They're very relatable characters: flawed and funny, acting badly and also very bravely. This is a very funny book, but written in dialect and in a non-traditional quotation format - once you get used to it, it's a breeze, but I'll admit it took me a bit to get the hang of it.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
It's hard to concentrate on your studies when there's so much going on, but Fergus McCann is determined to make the three B's he needs to get into medical school and out of Northern Ireland. In one brief season Fergus experiences love and loss, finds a body in the bog, and takes the first steps into his own future. There's the ever-present danger of the political unrest (the book takes place during the 1980s) and the moral dilemmas and soul-searching the unease provoke in the young man's life.
But it's also a quaint look at families and coming of age: crushes, bullies, beer, and prying little sisters are all part of Fergus' story. In flashbacks and dreams, we get the story of Mel, the ancient girl found under the peat.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sile Bermingham, which was an interesting casting choice - a boy's story, with a female reader - but her delivery was wonderful.
But it's also a quaint look at families and coming of age: crushes, bullies, beer, and prying little sisters are all part of Fergus' story. In flashbacks and dreams, we get the story of Mel, the ancient girl found under the peat.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sile Bermingham, which was an interesting casting choice - a boy's story, with a female reader - but her delivery was wonderful.
Monday, April 11, 2011
An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor
I've thoroughly enjoyed Taylor's "Irish Country" series, but this may be my favorite so far.
We've come to know the good doctors and the residents of Ballybucklebo pretty well to-date, but I was still surprised and delighted with the twists in this chapter of the tale: Kinky takes offense to the budding romance between Kitty and Dr. O'Reilly, young Barry tries to decide if country GP doctoring is really his calling, and the whole gang works "under the table" to give Bertie Bishop his what's-due.
John Keating's reading of this series is a true gem - he pulls off a dozen different kinds of accents throughout with nary a pause. With each book I've come to love his characterizations more and more.
We've come to know the good doctors and the residents of Ballybucklebo pretty well to-date, but I was still surprised and delighted with the twists in this chapter of the tale: Kinky takes offense to the budding romance between Kitty and Dr. O'Reilly, young Barry tries to decide if country GP doctoring is really his calling, and the whole gang works "under the table" to give Bertie Bishop his what's-due.
John Keating's reading of this series is a true gem - he pulls off a dozen different kinds of accents throughout with nary a pause. With each book I've come to love his characterizations more and more.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
Fans of Taylor's "Irish Country" series have come to love all the charming small-town characters that make up Ireland's Ballybucklebo community. But the good doctor's housekeeper, Kinky Kincaid, was once a girl with big dreams and a close-knit family of her own.
Here, Kinky tells her story through flashbacks, reminiscence, and even a ghost story for the kiddies who come a-caroling this Christmas day. Readers find there's much more to Mrs. Kincaid than we may have suspected.
This book is very different from the others in the series because it deals little with either the doctors or the village we've come to know and love. It's really Kinky's story, set in Cork and filled with a kind of ancient folkloric mysticism that Kinky has only hinted at in prior books. It's a good yarn, but an unexpected departure from the series' storyline.
Here, Kinky tells her story through flashbacks, reminiscence, and even a ghost story for the kiddies who come a-caroling this Christmas day. Readers find there's much more to Mrs. Kincaid than we may have suspected.
This book is very different from the others in the series because it deals little with either the doctors or the village we've come to know and love. It's really Kinky's story, set in Cork and filled with a kind of ancient folkloric mysticism that Kinky has only hinted at in prior books. It's a good yarn, but an unexpected departure from the series' storyline.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Drink Play Fuck by Andrew Gottlieb
This book is a satirical male response to that other famous book about a woman finding herself after the breakup of her marriage. Except this one is subtitled: "One man's search for anything across Ireland, Vegas, and Thailand."
When Bob's wife blindsides him with a divorce, he decides to take a year off. First, he goes to Ireland. In the airport he meets a guy who becomes his buddy and drinking tour guide. After four months, he decides that Lady Luck is calling by way of Vegas - where he meets a new life coach and friend who helps him gamble and golf away another four months. When he decides his next four months should be more, ahem, physical in nature ... his guru directs him to a remote resort in Thailand.
This book is light, comical, and could be enlightening if you were open to that sort of thing - or at least, it's as "life-changing" as I found the other book (ie: not at all). There is a point to the whole adventure, and it turns out that it's not anywhere near as debauched as it sounds.
When Bob's wife blindsides him with a divorce, he decides to take a year off. First, he goes to Ireland. In the airport he meets a guy who becomes his buddy and drinking tour guide. After four months, he decides that Lady Luck is calling by way of Vegas - where he meets a new life coach and friend who helps him gamble and golf away another four months. When he decides his next four months should be more, ahem, physical in nature ... his guru directs him to a remote resort in Thailand.
This book is light, comical, and could be enlightening if you were open to that sort of thing - or at least, it's as "life-changing" as I found the other book (ie: not at all). There is a point to the whole adventure, and it turns out that it's not anywhere near as debauched as it sounds.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Straight up
by Deirdre Martin
Liam O'Brien is hiding out in Ireland. Someone in New York's Irish mob wants him out of the picture. The city boy is looking for a little fun in the small town of Ballycraig when Aislinn McCafferty walks in. Her brusque manner has earned her the nickname "The McCafferty". Liam spends much of the book trying to convince her that he is not the kind of man who will treat her the way she has been treated in the past.
This is a light, fun romance novel. I have recently discovered that when I finish reading a book set in Ireland, I have a distinct urge to walk around saying "feck" all the time.
Liam O'Brien is hiding out in Ireland. Someone in New York's Irish mob wants him out of the picture. The city boy is looking for a little fun in the small town of Ballycraig when Aislinn McCafferty walks in. Her brusque manner has earned her the nickname "The McCafferty". Liam spends much of the book trying to convince her that he is not the kind of man who will treat her the way she has been treated in the past.
This is a light, fun romance novel. I have recently discovered that when I finish reading a book set in Ireland, I have a distinct urge to walk around saying "feck" all the time.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
Third in the series, this quaint lighthearted set of books is a real winner. And if you're an audiobook listener, you'll be doubly delighted by the various brogue and accents that top-notch reader John Keating presents.
Young general practice Dr. Barry Laverty has spent 5 months now in Ballybucklebo getting to know the patients and the personalities in the small 1950s Irish town. And love is in the air this Christmas: Barry's desperate to see his Patricia on holiday, and even his mentor, the slightly crusty Dr. O'Reilly, is seeing stars now that his old college sweetheart, Kitty, is back in his life.
Add a dash of small town humor and generous portions of housekeeper Kinky's meals and wisdom - and you've got a great, heartwarming Christmas tale for all time. I cannot recommend these books highly enough. Excellent!
Young general practice Dr. Barry Laverty has spent 5 months now in Ballybucklebo getting to know the patients and the personalities in the small 1950s Irish town. And love is in the air this Christmas: Barry's desperate to see his Patricia on holiday, and even his mentor, the slightly crusty Dr. O'Reilly, is seeing stars now that his old college sweetheart, Kitty, is back in his life.
Add a dash of small town humor and generous portions of housekeeper Kinky's meals and wisdom - and you've got a great, heartwarming Christmas tale for all time. I cannot recommend these books highly enough. Excellent!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Chisellers by Brendan O'Carroll
Take note, as you'd be well to remember: when you take on one member of the Brown family, you take on them all.
I just love this series about the 1960's & 1970-era struggling Irish family. The first book ("The Mammy," which I must have read just before we started this blog) started with Agnes, newly widowed. This second book in a trilogy deals with the growth of her seven children, affectionately referred to as "the chisellers."
The tales are heart breaking and heart-warming all at the same time. And you could not do better than to try the audiobook, read by Donada Peters: she's excellent, and brings additional life and dimension to these many varied characters (and characters they are!).
I just love this series about the 1960's & 1970-era struggling Irish family. The first book ("The Mammy," which I must have read just before we started this blog) started with Agnes, newly widowed. This second book in a trilogy deals with the growth of her seven children, affectionately referred to as "the chisellers."
The tales are heart breaking and heart-warming all at the same time. And you could not do better than to try the audiobook, read by Donada Peters: she's excellent, and brings additional life and dimension to these many varied characters (and characters they are!).
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