An Irish Country Village

Dr. Barry Laverty is now an assistant to the somewhat crusty Dr. O’Reilly. It’s a good thing for both of them, but when one of Dr. Laverty’s patients dies unexpectedly, his life is thrown into turmoil. Indeed, his career and possibly his life could be forever changed. This very well written novel is filled with the wonders of the Irish countryside. Local characters and the 400-hundred-year-old pub that the villagers band together to try to save add much to the flavor of the book. There is a touch of romance for Barry, but that too is fraught with problems. Highly entertaining and charming, this novel will capture your heart.

This series is fast becoming a guilty pleasure -- I don't generally feel guilty about any kind of reading, but I have to admit there are moments when Barry's romantic butt-headedness gets to me and I want to kick him repeatedly, and then I wonder why I am listening to this book? And it's because I love the nostalgia of life in the 50s and I love the reader, who talks irish to me in a wide array of accents, and altogether the stories are enjoyable and interesting. I liked this one. I still want to kick Barry.

Book on CD narrated by John Keating

Book two in the popular Irish Country Doctor series, relating the trials and tribulations of young Dr. Barry Laverty as he begins his practice as a country GP in the mid-1960s in Ballybucklebo, a fictitious community in Northern Ireland full of eccentric and memorable residents.

The entire book takes place over just a few weeks, immediately following the events of book one. Dr Laverty is faced with a possible malpractice suit, damaging his reputation and forcing him to return to apprentice role under senior physician Dr Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly. That’s bad enough but his relationship with Patricia Spence has hit a snag. But their devoted housekeeper, Mrs Kincaid (a/k/a Kinky) assures young Barry show more that everything will work out.

Taylor has a gift for making his character so alive they fairly jump off the page. Whether the exuberance of a bellowing O’Reilly, or the quiet pleading of the elderly Sonny, I felt I knew these people. I also love the descriptions he gives of the landscape; makes me feels that I’ve actually been to Northern Ireland.

I came late to this party, having only read the first book last year. But I was completely delighted, and I’ll keep reading this series. They lift my heart and bring laughter into my world.

The audiobook is performed by the talented John Keating. Whether voicing O’Reilly, Patricia, Barry, Kinky or any of the many other characters, he brings them to life and gives each a unique voice. Fantastic performance! show less

A little crude around the edges - in fact, after reading the first chapter I didn't think I'd want to continue because one of the main characters seemed blustery, rude, and haughty. But I'm glad I persisted - it was a fun story, and I learned a little about the medical world in the process!

A novel about a young country GP, in his first practice in the Ulster village of Ballybucklebo. Entirely fictional, but it reminded me strongly of James Herriot, or even Gervase Phinn in style. Young Barry Laverty assists at a difficult home birth, patches up a child's cut finger, and is threatened with a lawsuit after one of his patients dies. He also carries on a low-key romance with the feisty and ambitious engineer Patricia, and spends a day at the races.

Not a bad second book in the series. It definitely still holds your attention, but since this was a re-read, it did not hold my attention as much. Also the repetitiveness of some of the dialogue between characters starts to grind a bit in the second book. Still enjoyed this one and was glad to revisit with Ballybucklebo. I have previously read this series so I know what is going to come for certain characters, so I was not invested in many of the relationships that start off in this one since I know how they end.

"An Irish Country Village" has Doctor Barry Laverty settling into Ballybucklebo with Dr. Fingal O'Reilly. Barry though gets into some trouble in this one when a patient dies. His love interest, Patricia Spence also may not be show more around for much longer if she gets a scholarship that will take her to England.

Honestly, this book started my slowly dwindling affection for Barry. He's exhausting when you get past the third book in the series. I started to downright dislike him in the last two books too. We get more insight into Dr. O'Reilly and once again O'Reilly does what he can to prevent Councilman Bertie Bishop from having his way about things.

The writing was good and the flow was solid. I just felt my interest waning a bit since I know the outcome of some of the plots that show up in this second book. I started to skim a bit after a while, but all in all, still a solid second book. show less

Re-read 2018

I've been drawn toward reading books set in Ireland since we're planning a trip there next year. I love this series set in the fictional Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland. Young Doctor Barry Lafferty is in his second year in the town and a problem he had with a patient during his first comes back to cause him issues. This takes place in an Ireland that is still reeling from The Troubles, and has bits and pieces that cause issues between the Protestants and Catholics in the town. It's a snapshot of a country caught between it's past and all of the changes that the 1960's are bringing to the world. It's one of my favorite series and an auto-buy for me.