Book Recommendation
Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary MacCleod
This is the true account of Mary MacCleod and her family's experience on a remote island in the Scottish Hebrides.
Fifty years ago Mary and her husband dreamed about doing what many couples still dream about: moving away from the hectic lifestyle of big city life. In this case that was London. When they take a vacation to a remote Scottish island they see an opportunity to make their dream come true.
They put their plan into action, thus beginning a complete transformation in their lives, one Ms. MacCleod vividly recalls when she puts her story into print in 2013.
Not only does the family adjust to a lack of modern conveniences and a house that is in need of much tender loving care, they take on a harsh north Atlantic climate, and adapting to the culture of the islanders. As a young woman with 2 very small children I had the experience of moving to an island off the coat of Maine for a number of months. If you weren't born there, you were an "off islander." Maybe in 30 or 40 years that title would rub off - maybe.
But the MacCleod family all love the beauty and freedoms the island has to offer; their children adapt well. Mary's husband is versatile and gifted with his hands, making him easier for the hard working island people to relate to.
This is largely Mary's story. She becomes essential to the islanders when she takes the position of district nurse. She had no idea what she was letting herself in for!
The ink isn't even dry on her contract when the calls start coming in to deal with medical situations of every variety you can come up with. There is inclement weather, lack of medical facilities, and the often archaic but deeply entrenched ideas of the patients and their families to deal with. But Mary is not just a capable nurse, she is wise, versatile, and has a wonderful sense of humor - not to mention sturdy and healthy, two more essentials for this job.
I felt every emotion you can imagine as I read this book. From laughing out loud and a few joyful tears, to gut-wrenching sadness. Mary felt that way too. Eventually Mary moved away from the island, but she wouldn't trade those years for anything in the world.
I had an interesting thing happen in regards to this book. A friend on Goodreads noticed I had clicked it to read. She wrote that I would not like it. She sees the books I read and thought it was too sad of a book for me. I took her advice. I didn't read the book. I remembered it was a BBC series on PBS. While it was a good show it often did make me sad.I watched the series, in which the the nurse was single, until she left the show.
ReplyDeleteI have read sad books, however. Sometimes I do ok with them. Sometimes not. Examples would be WWII stories.If it is really sad I give the book a low rating even though the writing and story are well done. This really isn't a valid way to evaluate a book now that I think of it. This is a subjective opinion. A book should be objectively evaluated. I need to rethink how I assess a book. Who would have ever thought I would get here from where I started!
That surprises me. I didn't think the story was sad. It was like life, with ups and downs and tragedies and humor. Some of the Mary's anecdotes and memories are hilarious. It was an
Deleteeye opener to read how many of the amenities considered standard for daily life in the western world were still not commonplace on her island in the 1970's.
Well, I guess I had better check it out. Thanks! :)
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