An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor picks up where An Irish Country Christmas left off. Dr. Laverty is continuing as assistant to general practitioner Dr. O’Reilly. But he’s having doubts about staying on. Although he enjoys working with and being mentored by Dr. O’Reilly, and likes the small town and its people, he wants a domestic life with a wife and family. He is in love with Patricia Spence who has gone off to school to become an engineer. While he was originally supportive of her goals, it seems he only will support her so far. He’s willing to wait for her to get her education, but then he expects her to come live in Balleybucklebo and keep house for him. Patricia has given him multiple clues that she wants different things out of life. At the beginning of this novel, she breaks the news to him that she cannot envision a small town life. Moreover, she’s met someone else. It’s over.
Laverty is heartbroken, wondering what he might have done differently, and wondering if he is really cut out for small town doctoring. Will he get bored? Will he grow increasingly frustrated when all the difficult cases have to be referred out? Should he pursue his interest in and talent for OB/GYN?
Dr. O’Reilly, on the other hand, is moving full-steam ahead with his romance with nurse Kitty O’Hallorhan. The only problem is that his long-time housekeeper and cook, Kinky, is getting nervous about being replaced.
The gentle progress of Laverty’s healing and O’Reilly’s courtship make for a pleasant plot arc. The medical emergencies and non-emergencies that they deal with along the way keep the book interesting. And, of course, their "arch-enemy", Councilor Bishop, is still up to no good and needs thwarting.
While the novels follow a pattern, they have some surprises and I’m sure I’ll keep following the developments. I’d like to see less of Laverty’s friend, Jack, who is a skirt-chasing surgeon who is getting more and more annoying, but the other characters are lots of fun.
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