A Dublin Student Doctor (Irish Country #6) by Patrick Taylor

A Dublin Student Doctor (Irish Country #6) Reviews

• 
  Kathryn

  I thought the previous book in this series was the best up to this point, but it has been eclipsed by this next one in the series! I loved the way Dublin of the 1930s is weaved into 1960s Ballybucklebo and Belfast, but knowing what I know now of Doctor Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly makes me want to go back and re-read some of the other books!
• 
  Donna

  If you are a doctor, you might like this one.
  
  If you like the medical jargon (ie: mumbo jumbo) that hot TV doctors use (and if you have a vivid imagination) you might like this one.
  
  I, on the other hand, didn't love it. It was too procedural with all the medical stuff.
  The procedures....seriously....step by little step were explained. I got to read things that were of no interest to me. They didn't move the story forward or define the characters. It was like a LONG side note. I didn't need convincing that the guy was a doctor (or soon to be doctor). I believed the author the first time, the second time and the 20th time, etc.
  
  I did like the Irish accent of the narrator and the Irish details. I also liked the MC's home life and the complicated relationships within. So 2 stars.
• 
  Robyn

  A DUBLIN STUDENT DOCTOR
  Patrick Taylor
  
  A series and I start on book 6! Ok, but you can read this as a stand-alone book, and I did. I always enjoy books that are set in England, Scotland, or Ireland, they are just so, cozy? Yep, that's the word, cozy. I found this one actually no different. I really loved the split timeline so that the back story of the characters was revealed and colored in. Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly is just the kind of doctor everyone wants as their GP and getting to "see" him before medical school and while in school really fleshes him out.
  
  The book starts in 1930s when Fingal is leaving to go to medical school, then picks up with his pals at medical school. I really enjoyed the challenges faced and overcome, but some of the procedures might have been left out so that the book moved just a click faster.
  
  I did enjoy the depiction of Dublin and I read the book with my own overlayed accent, which was fun. My mother was a surgical nurse so I grew up at the dinner table hearing about all of the procedures done that day. My favorite was the passage when he was trying to do his final and ended up taking a medical history from the funny lady who had been pg 20 times. I appreciated the generous and kind character of Fingal, he is a real hero.
  
  4 stars
  
  Happy Reading!
  
  
• 
  Diana

  This book is the sixth in a wonderful series. This series is one that once I start reading, I don't put the book down until it's finished. These books are very entertaining, and I'm glad they were recommended to me. If you enjoy James Herriot or Richard Gordon these books are for you.
  Re-read 2018
  This book gives you the background of Doctor Fingal O'Reily. It goes through his student days and into the beginning of the second world war when many had to put their lives and studies on hold to go to the front lines.
• 
  Patricia

  I really enjoyed reading this novel which takes place in the 1930's The story centers around Fingal O'Reilly as he attends Trinity College and a hospital. There are sorts of cases to be solved, a lot of which are caused by diseases started by terrible poverty which is rampant in Dublin. An excellent read, and I encourage all of my friends to give it a try!
• 
  Sverre

  ==Diagnostic case studies interspersed by narrative==
  Patrick Taylor enjoys a fervent following of loyal fans for his prolific Irish Country novels so I was intrigued. This, the sixth in the series, is somewhat of a retroactive prequel about Doctor Fingal Flaherty O'Reilly's student days. It was the first of his novels I have read and maybe I realized too late that this was the wrong place to jump on board. My second mistake was buying a book about a student doctor's medical studies written by "a distinguished medical researcher" (as per the jacket blurb).
  
  This book for me was more like diagnostic case studies and medical treatments interspersed by the required doses of prosaic narrative to tie it together. True, I should have been forewarned by the title of the book, but nevertheless I said to myself numerous times that "this Dr Taylor is a bit of a show-off" giving the readers the A-to-Z of every ailment and complication. Could I be excused for buying the book with the hope of being entertained, instead of taking up medicine? So, I felt there was a surfeit of medical detail in this novel and rather a lack of the elements that make a novel great. There is a lot of dialogue in the book but so much of it is trivial banter between friends, shooting-the-breeze stuff. Even when dramatic events were happening I had difficulty being emotionally committed.
  
  Not having read the previous books I became confused at the end where in the present time frame (1965) Fingal and Kitty are not married but clearly attracted to one another. But, just a few pages before that, in the earlier time frame (the 1930's), the couple had reunited after previously breaking up and were on the their way to meet his family so that he could introduce her to them [as his intended]. I had to return to the first chapter to try to sort out that conundrum. The ending should have clarified how their relationship went nowhere in the 30's. I am not getting another book to find out.
  
  Taylor can be given top marks for his knowledge of Irish colloquial localisms and authenticity. An appendix (no medical reference intended) contains a fifteen page glossary. Reading it makes either a strong argument for the wonderful richness of English as it is so diversely spoken around the world, or makes a logical proposition that Esperanto could be put to good use as a communicative tool by English speakers from diverse cultures. I am sorry, but as a non-medical professional I found this book to be quite boring and bland, not devoid of merit but one for loyal followers of the series, fans of the author's writing style and, especially, the medically inclined.
• 
  Obsidian

  This was a great look back at Dr. Fingal O'Reilly as he attends Trinity College and begins his life his novel which takes place in the 1930's The story centers around Fingal O'Reilly as he attends Trinity College in order to study medicine. Fingal is dealing with his father's disapproval of his chosen profession as well as trying to get settled in Dublin. We get to see the beginnings of his friendships with other doctors/surgeons who are mentioned and how he first met Kitty. Definitely read this one if you want to know more about Fingal's history. Things that occur in this book will be referenced in later books so it's a good one to make sure you read.
  
  "A Dublin Student Doctor" follows Fingal and his trials as he attends Trinity College. We get to see Taylor's views of Dublin in the 1930s and the tenements that many in the city were forced to live in. We also get to see how Fingal cares about his patients and has a hard time with juggling his personal life while also pursuing his dream of being a doctor.
  
  You get a lot of Fingal in this one and that was definitely welcomed by me. We have Fingal returning from the races with Kitty, Barry, and Mrs. Kincaid. They come upon Donal who has been hurt on his motorbike. Fingal takes charge as he usually does and follows Donal to the hospital. This causes Fingal to reminiscence on his times in Dublin when he was training to be a doctor.
  
  I will say the writing was good, but very technical. If you don't want to read about how doctors treated things in the past, this is not the book for you. I was personally fascinated by what I was reading. I would say though that the flow was a bit tricky. Taylor goes from the past to present day in this one. This is a narrative trick that he will embrace in future books. It didn't bother me here, but it does in later books.
• 
  Shannon

  I love learning the back story of these characters and I don't overly mind the super technical explanations of medical procedures, but these books are just too slow to be more than 3 stars for me. It's a 250 page book elongated into over 400 pages. It just doesn't need all the extra fluff. Some of the fluff is fun, some of it is just too much.
• 
  Kate

  "Doctor Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, the pugnacious general practitioner in the Irish village of Ballybucklebo, had become a favorite of thousands of readers. Now Patrick Taylor reveals the pivotal events from O'Reilly's youth that shaped the man he would become.
  
  "In the 1930s, Fingal O'Reilly and his fellow medical students face the arduous demands of Dublin's Trinity College and Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital. The hours are long and the cases challenging, but Fingal manages to find time to box and play rugby -- and to romance a fetching, gray-eyed nurse named Kitty O'Hallorhan.
  
  "Dublin is a city of slums and tenements, where brutal poverty breeds diseases that the limited medical knowledge of the time is often ill-equipped to handle. Although Fingal's teachers warn him not to become attached to his patients, can he truly harden himself to the suffering all around him -- or can he find a way to care for his patients without breaking his heart?"
  ~~back cover
  
  Yes, a very enjoyable journey through O'Reily's trials and travails in medical school, and his meeting Kitty and their slowly developing relationship. I read this book almost straight through because I wanted the answer to several burning questions ... and they weren't there. Well, there's always the next book to hope provides the answers, isn't there?
  
  I must say that the author gives fascinating details about the medical knowledge available in the 1930s, and the lack of knowledge, modern antibiotics, and treatments. Heartbreaking, but it does make the reader grateful for the state of today's medical knowledge and availability.
  
  
• 
  Eden

  2020 bk 230. My return to the Patrick Taylor's world was a look at the world of Ireland in the 1920's and 1930's, a world far different from the post WWII world that I have known. When his father refuses to fund Finegal's enrollment in Medical School, his brother has a suggestion. After three years in the Merchant Marine and enrollment in the naval reserves, Finegal returns to Dublin to enroll in the medical school at Trinity. This book recounts stories of those 5 years spent study, training, dating, and ruby. Along the story is the one of his father's eventual change of heart about his career and the devastating illness that will end a family unit. Watching Finegal grow from a young man whose self-confidence took a blow, into a very competent and caring physician was a delight. A feel-good read.
• 
  Gillian

  A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor is a gentle, uplifting read that I'd recommend for anyone- but most especially medical students. This is the first of the Irish County Doctor series that I've read, and I'll be coming back for more. Coming from a medical background, I loved reading about the medicine of the past. My only complaint was that there wasn't more of the medicine!
  
  The characters... I can't go on enough about how wonderful these characters are. They may be fictional but I came to feel as attached as if they were real and was sad to say goodbye at the last page. I couldn't help but be drawn to Fingal - I want to know more about his life and adventures. I'd like to read more about the other three of the Fab Four, but I got the feeling that they don't appear in other books (but I hope desperately that I'm proven wrong).
  
  I loved this book - it warmed the cockles of my heart! A perfect read for a wintery day off.
• 
  Dina

  I am really enjoying this series and this book did a wonderful job of continuing the story in the 1960s but mainly focusing on Dr. Fingal's experiences at a medical student 30 years earlier. It fleshes out his relationship with his parents and brother, his future wife, as well as the medical students he studied with. It also tells a lot about social conditions in Ireland in the 1930s and concerns about HItler.
• 
  Sarah

  After a great day at the races, Doctor O’Reilly comes across a patient of his in an accident and accompanies them to the hospital. While waiting for results O’Reilly remember his time in Dublin where he trained to be a doctor. A good read!
  
  For the full review, check out my blog (link in bio).
• 
  Katsmewsings

  My favourite of the series so far. Loved learning about Fingal’s past!
• 
  Nikki

  This is a nice story. No sex, no cussing, no violence. I liked it fine, although I usually read fast paced thrillers or mysteries, so it was a bit slow for me. However, I would read more from this author.
• 
  Bridget

  At this point, you probably know that I am a big fan of this series. This particular installment provides the back story of one of the main characters, Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly.
  
  There was a lot here that was interesting, and I like that Patrick Taylor is fleshing out the primary characters in these novels. In the case of O'Reilly, we learn that his father was staunchly opposed to his decision to study to become a doctor - his father was determined that he should study a field that was "worthy" of his intelligence. Which then explains to the reader why O'Reilly had served in the navy, so that he could save money to pay for his own education when his father refused to pay for medical school. His school friends are those who have been mentioned in previous books, who are now specialists in their respective fields. And we witness his first meeting with, and subsequent on/off relationship with Kitty O'Hallorhan.
  
  I do have to say that reading this book was especially enjoyable, as I read it while we were visiting Ireland. Being able to be surrounded by places he mentioned in the book was just such a kick!
  
  If you are a fan of the series, you'll likely enjoy this book. If you haven't started reading the series, you really should ...
• 
  Lynne

  Whenever I read a book, I try to notice how it makes me feel, or what it makes me think about. This book, however, had no impact at all. It's the celery of novels; it takes more effort to read than it gives back.
  
  The story centres around Fingal O'Reilly, switching back and forth between O'Reilly's medical school days and his present-day life as a doctor. It appears to be a prequel to a series of books about Dr. O'Reilly's medical practice. Perhaps if I'd read the other books in the series, I'd have gotten more out of this particular addition to the body of work.
  
  I really felt as if the author wanted to continue the story of the character but had nothing new to say about his present situation, and so flashed back to an earlier time instead. The book does not stand alone as an interesting novel, though as I said, it might be much more satisfying to readers who know the characters from previous books.
  
  To me, it wasn't unpleasant to read, but it was utterly forgettable.
• 
  Leslie Zampetti

  Patrick Taylor is the rare writer able to create a compelling series and then keep it fresh while still using the same beloved characters and setting. In his latest Irish Country novel, the reader is transported to Dublin of the 1930's and Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly's struggles to become qualified in medicine. The reader is treated to Dr. O'Reilly as a young man, along with Kitty O'Hallorhan, and the beginning of the romance which was rekindled in the earlier novels (where the characters are older and wiser).
  
  A comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable read...
• 
  Toni Laliberte

  I loved this book, for the sheer knowledge it gives and it's told in a way not to bore or overwhelm, the reader. Patrick Taylor is an exceptional storyteller.
  I enjoyed learning about Dr. O'Reilly's family and friends and his university days and internships. It's all so fascinating learning about how medicine was taught and how barbaric, even in the 30's, procedures and healing was. Hospitals, doctors, nurses, medicines, boy they've come a long way! I'm glad Kitty and Fingal are back together and are getting married. On to the next book and back to Ballybucklebo.
• 
  Jan Sample

  Better than the Irish country Christmas - Description of 1930's medicine fascinating - I forget how much medicine has changed in the last 60 years!
• 
  Lisa

  I just enjoy these books so much. Rather like reading comfort food.
• 
  Sarah

  Just brilliant! The best of the series. A graphic description of medicine in the slums of Dublin in the 1930s.
• 
  Sarah

  Delightful.
• 
  Katherine

  Finally, Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly has proposed to Kitty and she, after all these years has accepted. We readers know that as students the two had fallen in love but, with Fingal's procrastination and dedication to work over personal life, their romance had folded and each went on to separate lives. After a day at the races, as Fingal was taking Kitty home, they come upon a motorbike accident. Who but Donal Doherty is lying in the road regaining consciousness after a severe blow to the head. Fingal sends Kitty home with Barry Laverty and goes to the hospital with Donal, who requires surgery to relief the pressure of blood building in his bruised brain. The surgeon is none other than Dr Crombie with whom Fingal studied medicine in Dublin many years ago. Finding himself again with Crombie and in a hospital setting for several days, surrounded by med students and student nurses to say nothing of the true ward bosses, the ward Sisters, Fingal finds himself transported back to his own student days.
  
  And so, we meet his family, Ma and Father, his brother, Lars and learn of his home life. His relationship with his parents and his struggle to convince his father that medicine is his choice of career despite his father's wishes for him to study nuclear physics. Once he manages to get into med school after a stint in the Royal Navy we are introduced to his best pals, Crombie, Charlie Greer and Bob Beresford. We follow the four through their five years of study. We meet Kitty, a student nurse and watch the development of their romance. Each of these characters are so well defined it is as if they step off the page or rather that we step into the page and hang out with them--doing rounds, treating patients, going to the pubs, to the tenements, taking exams.
  They become our friends, too. The secondary characters are just as developed and complex and many of them have appeared in the earlier five books--some, like Fitzgerald as irritating and arrogant as always.
  
  Though this book takes place, mostly in the '30's and during Fingal's young manhood, it fits perfectly into the series. It is like hearing stories about your parents' youth or the history of a new contemporary friend--interesting and gives insight into how they became the people you know in the present. Read the series from the beginning--the book that now and then appears to be out of sequence is background to the present and gives a sense of reality to the whole.
  
• 
  Susan

  I enjoyed this addition to the series. Everything moves slowly in these novels, so I have a harder time with the ones that move away from the main timeline into the past because it already feels like I’ve been waiting forever for certain things to come about in the 1960s without reading an entire book set in some previous decade. Still, once I was into it, this book caught and held my attention and it was great for the 1960’s storyline to know about Fingal’s family background, his history with Kitty, and his closest friends.
  
  I was surprised the book ended with Fingal and Kitty getting back together. It was a nice ending for this book, but really makes me question how believable it is that they broke up again so thoroughly later on..
  
  I found Fitzpatrick as annoying as would be expected in this book, but it’s a bit surprising he went the direction he did after medical school too. A GP? I’d have thought he’d want the prestige and potential glory in a specialty or research.
  
  Finally, I found Fingal failing those two exams midway through very hard to believe when Charlie, who skipped all the same classes, and Bob who was neither as quick a learner, or dedicated a student, both passed. That felt to me like a really obvious plot device to break up Fingal and Kitty, and to create the necessity for rugby to be sacrificed later on.
  
  A lot of people reviewing these books complain about the lengthy descriptions of medical procedures. I feel like the author takes hi time describing a lot of things including historical facts about places, origins of words and expressions, differences in dialects, the thoughts and feelings of his main characters on a minute by minute basis, and medical procedures. In short, all the things of interest to the author are given loving and thorough attention. I usually have to adjust myself a bit to the slower pace of these books when I switch from something else back to one of these. And sometimes I tune out a bit since I’ve listened to all of these. But I don’t mind it on the whole. This time I truly appreciated one of the discussions of leukemia, the different types, and the treatments or lack thereof. I think it may have explained the diagnoses and treatment paths of two people I know. So, no complaints from me on that score.