An Irish Country Family

October 18, 2019

The 14th in this series (beginning with An Irish Country Doctor) sees Irish doctor Barry Laverty facing ups and downs in his training life and as a rural GP in Northern Ireland. The flashbacks visit Barry as a hospital intern in the early 1960s, struggling to carry on a romance with a demanding girlfriend, while also learning the medical ropes, including the new science of CPR and defibrillation. Taylor explains in the introduction that his real life as a young doctor included learning to use these innovations with cardiac patients. Matters of the heart also feature in passages of the narrative that see Dr. Laverty in his late 1960s practice in rural Ballybucklebo. Barry and wife Susan are trying for a child, with the misery of infertility gently and authentically explored. Also sensitively examined is Northern Ireland's political climate, as Barry and his fellow villagers strive to set up a social center where all members of the community feel welcome, and their efforts will give readers a feel for the best side of life in the region. VERDICT Taylor's fans will need no convincing, but also suggest this warm story to those who enjoy novels by Maeve Binchy.--Henrietta Verma, Credo Reference, New York, NY

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
Taylor continues his immensely popular Irish Country series with another background story of a major character. Fans who have come to know and to love Dr. Barry Laverty, Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly's young partner, will appreciate this peek into his past to learn how the struggles and triumphs of his internship year in 1963 inform his personal sympathies and medical decisions in 1969 Ballybucklebo. Though unrest and conflict is growing in Northern Ireland in the spring of 1969 and the "Troubles" are nearing a boiling point, the gently eccentric residents of this tiny, tidy village continue to stand together, united by their love of and their loyalty to both their community and to each other. Chockful of charm, colorful characters, and earthy wisdom, this gentle read is the perfect antidote for whatever ails you; urge readers to pour a cup of tea and cozy up for a return visit to Taylor's delightful corner of the fictional universe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)