rodica_b's review
3.0
Very sweet, very wholesome book of memories of a nurse. Less medical history, more anecdotes about the people and the place. I wanted more poetry, more feelings, the style is a bit matter-of-fact to me, but it’s a solid and pleasant read and the author seems like a person I would want to have as a friend. 3.5*
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.5
I liked this. Thumbs up. I think I'll check out the sequel ... I just don't know how much this will stick with me, and it wasn't something I could give a summary of, as it was a bunch of smaller stories, as stated in the foreword "a most dignified account of many incidents ranging from amusing and also sad to tragic". It reminded me of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small, which is a favorite of mine, so I'm not sure why I didn't rate this higher. Perhaps it's just that here writing the review, I can't think of what else to say about it. I've been looking at books in a "what would we discuss at bookclub?" and can't think of a ton of things (and everything I would consider would be more along one of the incidents rather than the writing or the book as a whole). I haven't read [book:Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End in the 1950s|1197423] - but I have watched most of the first season (it's been a while) so beyond the title, I see some similarities there, although it is based earlier in the 1950s, this is the 1970s (my birth year - doesn't seem as "historical" even though the location here is a bit more primitive than where my parents were living that same year). Call the Midwife was published a year before this ... I have to wonder if it's title had any impact on the titling of this book? Very similar.
Listened to the audio, included in AudiblePlus. I was able to grab a Kindle copy from the library - didn't really need to refer to it much, although I did pretty early on as with the heavy accent in the narration I really had no idea what was meant when "wee cuppie" was said (a whecupee?)
Listened to the audio, included in AudiblePlus. I was able to grab a Kindle copy from the library - didn't really need to refer to it much, although I did pretty early on as with the heavy accent in the narration I really had no idea what was meant when "wee cuppie" was said (a whecupee?)
skigirl1689's review against another edition
2.0
I found this memoir very disjointed, and I had a very difficult time keeping the people in the author's story straight. There were some fascinating stories along with some very disturbing accounts. It did offer a glimpse of the remoteness and challenges of life on the Hebride Islands. I was expecting more focus on the author's job as a country nurse, but most were about everyday life on the islands. The thing that frustrated me the most was there were no details as to when or why the author left the island or what happened to most people she wrote about.
sarahlisbeth84's review against another edition
3.0
This was a bit disjointed and I found it impossible to keep the characters straight, but it was still super interesting. It's intriguing to realize that there are still remote communities that happily live seemingly a few decades behind the rest of us!
govmarley's review against another edition
3.0
Quaint, interesting anecdotes about a family who moves to the remote Hebrides of Scotland. Mary J, the country nurse, sees the islanders through good times and bad. Some stories are funny, some are quite sad, and some will make you shake your head.
An interesting look into the culture of rural Scotland and the life of a woman devoted to helping others.
An interesting look into the culture of rural Scotland and the life of a woman devoted to helping others.
renbooks's review against another edition
5.0
The author really has a talent for painting a scene, it made me feel like I was there... Made me want to go there. Her time spent as a nurse on a remote island off Scotland was very interesting. I'll definitely read the next one. I thought there would be more stories about her job as a nurse, and most of the anecdotes related to that, but overall it seemed more about island life than nursing. Still enjoyed it very much and would recommend it.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
This is to memoir what cozies are to the mystery/crime genre. It's about the author's exploits as a nurse on a remote Scottish island in the 1970s. The island (and surrounding island) seems to have had its fair share of drama, despite the small population -- plane crash! Woman imprisoned for years! Incest! Ghosts! Cutting out a window to get a patient out! -- but it's all told in a chatty, low-tension style. It feels a bit as though the author's just popped round for tea and is regaling you with tales of her youth. (Luckily, she's the relative/neighbour you actually like.)
It's as much about general island life as it is about her work as a nurse, and while I rather wished for more details something (for example, the house they bought sounded like a dump -- I would've loved to hear more about what went into making it habitable. But then, I like books about houses...), it's...how to put this...it's a comfortable read, with the feeling that no matter what life throws at the people in the book, they'll carry on.
It's as much about general island life as it is about her work as a nurse, and while I rather wished for more details something (for example, the house they bought sounded like a dump -- I would've loved to hear more about what went into making it habitable. But then, I like books about houses...), it's...how to put this...it's a comfortable read, with the feeling that no matter what life throws at the people in the book, they'll carry on.
jbiscuit's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0