Jaffareadstoo....: Review ~ Our Country Nurse by Sarah Beeson with Amy Beeson

Harper Element
2016

A bit about the book..

All seems tranquil as newly qualified Health Visitor Sarah motors into a small Kentish hilltop village in her new green mini. She's barely out of the car when she's called to assist the midwife with a bride who's gone into labour in the middle of her own wedding reception. And so her adventures begin..

My thoughts about the book..

I first came into contact with this talented mother /daughter writing duo when I was privileged to read their first collaboration, The New Arrival, which charted Sarah's tentative steps as a student nurse in London in the early 1970s. In this second volume of Sarah's adventures we meet up with her again as she takes up a post as a newly qualified health visitor in Totley, a small Kentish village. The setting couldn't be more idyllic and is such a change of environment for Sarah as she begins to adjust from the activity of London to the suppose tranquility of rural life. But all is not as tranquil as she would suppose and very soon Sarah is thrust into the hustle and bustle of caring for patients who have a multitude of problems.

As always the writing is sharp and crisp and the fine attention to even the smallest detail ensures that the reader always feels fully immersed in the story. The community of Totley and surrounding district comes alive with great compassion and more than a hint of humour which I suspect were both commodities much needed during this time.

I think what comes across in Our Country Nurse is that this was much simpler age to work in and yet people's problems were very real and the care and compassion which was needed was vitally important to communities. There's a generosity of spirit which is apparent in the way that Sarah recounts her story. There is no doubt that she was an enthusiastic practitioner and this comes across in the way that the people of Totley warmed to her. All was not plain sailing for Our Country Nurse but the story evolves so beautifully that it is a joy to read from start to finish.

Best Read with...a glass of ginger beer and a hearty bowl of country soup..

About the Authors