From the author of Call the Nurse, come new tales of a London nurse working to help and heal a community on a remote Scottish island. Lively, touching, engaging reading for fans of Call the Midwife and All Creatures Great and Small.“Julia MacLeod shares unique and enchanting experiences as a nurse in rural Scotland. Her stories will ring true with every nurse—or anyone—who has ever cared for a … nurse—or anyone—who has ever cared for a family or a community, whether in Scotland or America. Call the Nurse is a delightful read.” —LeAnn Thieman, author Chicken Soup for the Nurse’s Soul
Mary J. Macleod and her husband left the London area for an idyllic place to raise their young children in the late sixties, and they found the island of Papavray in the Scottish Hebrides. There they bought a croft house on a “small acre” of land, and Mary J. (also known as Julia) became the district nurse. At the age of eighty, she first recounted her family’s adventures in her debut, Call the Nurse, where she introduced readers to the austere beauties of the island and the hardy charm and warmth of the islanders.
The anecdotes in this new volume take us to the end of her stay on Papavray, after which the MacLeod family left for California. Once again, we meet the crofters Archie, Mary, and Fergie, and other friends. There are stories of troubles, joy, and tragedy, of children lost and found, the cow that wandered into the kitchen, a distraught young mother who strides into the icy surf with her infant child, the ghostly apparition that returns after death to reveal the will in a sewing box. There are accidents and broken bones, twisters that come in from the sea, and acts of simple courage and uncommon generosity.
Here again, a nurse’s compassion meets Gaelic fortitude in these true tales of a bygone era.
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Wonderful book !
I enjoyed reading about the inhabitants on the island and how they got along with nature, a degree of isolation and themselves. They may have little but they made out and seemed to be happy. Maybe more so than those with more stuff, less time and more stress. I can see how the island would remain etched in mind.
An interesting story with a historical base and a good ending.
Really good story about a nurse adjusting to life on a severe island.
I really recommend the “prequel” of the nurse as she is growing up also. it would be a wonderful movie series.
Recommended with reservations. Not an unpleasant read but certainly not gripping; great for reading a chapter before bed. I was disappointed in this book. I thought it would be stories of her nursing career and her patients similar to call the midwife. If I were to imagine her job by what I just read I would feel that there was very little call for a nurse and that a veterinarian may have been more useful.
I liked the first person narrative style. I especially liked her non-judgmental, accepting way of learning about and working with her patients and neighbors
It reminds me of the James Herriot books.
I really enjoyed reading about area of world about which I have longed to visit.
Lovely book with realistic stories. Was almost sad when I finished it.
Nice
The story by a British Nurse a collection of stories about her experiences as district nurse on an Island in the Hebrides of Scotland. Lots of humor and interesting characters. I found it especially as I am a retired Nurse who worked for a visiting nurse agency In New York City. The similarities and contrasts to my own experiences made for an appealing story. The setting though vastly different than Manhattan, the dedication of the nurse and connections that formed between nurse and patients felt so familiar.
What a touching and amusing commentary on small town comradery!
An easy read with insight into life, and weather on the islands off the coast of northern Scotland.
This was a very entertaining book to read. I would recommend it.
Much on the order of James Herriot, the author describes a world few of us will ever know, but which houses marvelous, rich, characters.
Expected better quality writing, along the lines of James Herriot for people. The stories kind of just stopped without fullness to bring characters to life. So so.
I love this book and the others she has written about her years as a District Nurse on one of the islands in the Hebrides. All of the stories give us a window into the life of the islanders, and some are just incredibly touching. I would be hard put to pick one I thought was the best. Her writing is descriptive and poetic in places, but it’s her descriptions of the island life and the people who live there that I found so appealing.
Fascinating perspectives on life in very different parts of the world.
Good stories of a family’s lifestyle and experiences.