An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fifth in Patrick Taylor's "Irish Country..." series.

If you've not read any of the previous books, here's a brief catchup. The series is set in the Ulster area of Ireland. The time period is the early to mid 1960's. Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly and his assistant, Barry Laverty, live and practice medicine at Number 1, Main Street in Ballybucklebo (a fictitious small town). Mrs. "Kinky" Kincaid is their very capable housekeeper. The doctors not only treat the physical ailments of the townspeople, but also have their fingers on the pulse of the town and are involved in sorting out many situations that are not medical in nature but which affect different residents of Ballybucklebo.

In this book, Dr. O'Reilly has reconnected with a nurse from his past, Kitty O'Hallorhan. Will their relationship progress to something committed, or is this just a rekindling of friendship. Dr. Laverty's girlfriend, Patricia Spence, has gone to Cambridge to pursue her engineering degree. She has been strangely reluctant about coming home at Christmas break. Will their relationship survive the distance?

At the same time that the good doctors are courting, there is a near choking incident, a home birth of premature twins, a contagious outbreak at the elementary school, a tropical disease, and horse racing mystery.

Dr. Laverty also faces decisions about his career and his future.

I have very much enjoyed this series of books. To me, it is reminiscent of James Herriot's stories--only with people patients instead of animals. The small town characters and their challenges are very endearing.

This book was borrowed from T.H. Pulliam.




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