An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea: An Irish Country Novel

by Patrick Taylor Narrated by John Keating

Overview

Doctor O'Reilly experiences both love and loss during World War II in this new novel in Patrick Taylor's beloved Irish Country series

Long before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly came to the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo, young Surgeon-lieutenant O'Reilly answered the call of duty to serve in World War II. Fingal just wants to marry his beloved Deirdre and live happily ever after. First he must hone his skills at a British naval hospital before reporting back to the HMS Warspite, where, as a ship's doctor, he faces danger upon the high seas. With German bombers a constant threat, the future has never been more uncertain, but Fingal and Deirdre are determined to make a life together . . . no matter what may lie ahead.

Decades later, the war is long over, and O'Reilly is content to mend the bodies and souls of his patients in Ballybucklebo, but there are still changes and challenges aplenty. A difficult pregnancy, as well as an old colleague badly in denial concerning his own serious medical condition, tests O'Reilly and his young partner, Barry Laverty. But even with all that occupies him in the present, can O'Reilly ever truly let go of the ghosts from his past?

Shifting effortlessly between two singular eras, bestselling author Patrick Taylor continues the story of O'Reilly's wartime experiences, while vividly bringing the daily joys and struggles of Ballybucklebo to life once more.

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

★ 09/15/2015
Before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly became the village doctor of Ballybucklebo, Ireland, he was a young surgeon-lieutenant in the British Navy aboard the HMS Warspite, honing his medical skills at the peak of World War II. In this latest addition to Taylor's hugely popular "Irish Country" series (An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War), Dr. O'Reilly and his wife Kitty are enjoying the comfortable life of their quaint Irish village when an event commemorating the war causes O'Reilly to revisit old friends and his days as a young surgeon in wartime. Seamlessly shifting between the two eventful eras of his life, he recalls the excitement of learning his skills, pursuing his first love, Deirdre, and forging ahead during a time of terrifying uncertainty, while facing the present challenges of learning new skills, training novice doctors, and assisting comrades in times of need. Taylor is a master storyteller who meshes past and present with meticulous detail and sumptuous atmosphere. VERDICT This wonderfully fresh story in a great series is full of colorful characters, fascinating history, and charming Irish settings. Fans will be delighted to learn more of O'Reilly's wartime years and catch up with Fingal and Kitty. New readers can step right into their lives and be swept away by remembrances of experiences aboard the HMS Warspite and the love story of Fingal and Deirdre.—Susan Clifford Braun, Bainbridge Island, WA

Kirkus Reviews

2015-07-29
Taylor (An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War, 2014, etc.) revisits his beloved Irish medico, Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, as he faces new challenges in his practice and reconciles with World War II demons. The chapters alternate between the mid-1960s in Balleybucklebo and the early 1940s, when O'Reilly left the HMS Warspite for anesthesiology training at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar in Portsmouth. Living ashore provides O'Reilly an opportunity to marry his fiancee, Deirdre. Taylor is superb on how characters live, work, and love each other, and O'Reilly's deep feeling for Deirdre anchors the tale. Humor and pathos reign as the scene shifts to 1964. At a medical school class reunion, O'Reilly notices former classmate Ronald Fitzgerald displaying signs of illness, but Fitzgerald angrily rejects his gentle observation. Fitzgerald's a prim, closed-off person, but once his symptoms become critical, he calls O'Reilly, and a friendship blooms. As Balleybucklebo denizens enter, O'Reilly's associate Barry descends into a funk since his fiancee, Sue, has met a charming French fellow while traveling. The Marquis of Balleybucklebo gets help from O'Reilly's brother Lars in managing estate inheritance taxes. There's plenty of ribald humor—"If your man Edgar Redmond there was at a wake, he'd not be satisfied unless he was the feckin' corpse." The war years show young O'Reilly despairing over the carnage—"the butcher's bill"—yet heroic in his duties, and in the happier 1960s segments, a thread about positive/negative blood types gets technical, but following along with O'Reilly on house calls through the green fields of Northern Ireland is constant good fun, especially when the local scallawag decides his ten mutt puppies are exotic Woolamarroo quokka herding dogs. Gentle humor, deeply emotional stories drawn from everyday life—Taylor's books are what Garrison Keillor might have produced if he'd been born in Country Antrim.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169456554
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	10/13/2015
Series:	Irish Country Series , #10
Edition description:	Unabridged

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