An Irish Country Christmas

A well written story of country life.

The whole Irish Country Doctor series has become my recent favorite. Patrick Taylor is an amazing writer, and you become a part of all the characters lives. Patrick and I have corresponded by email a few times, and I shared with him our historical connection of Ireland through the music, folklore, of the Southeastern Appalachian Mountains as the Irish people, my ancestors settled in the mountains and brought their cultural with them.

Wonderful stories

If, like me, you like the writing styles and stories of Patrick McManus The Grasshopper Trap and James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small then you will truly enjoy An Irish Christmas. Often humorous, it's a heart-warming story set in the idyllic, fictional town of Ballybucklebo, Ireland in the 1960's. It is chocked full of eccentric and loveable characters who help to remind us that the simple pleasures are absolutely the best pleasures. This is the first book I have read by Patrick Taylor but I now want to read the two previous ones, as well. I loved it!

There are not too many books that I begin to read and immediately become immersed in the story with a smile on my face, but An Irish Country Christmas is one of them. The characters are well developed and you can easily visualize their surroundings. Patrick Taylor does a good job of adding authenticity to his writing with wonderfully written dialogue. In the back of the book there is a glossary. You'll probably get the gist, but if you really want to enjoy the book, refer to it from time to time for a chuckle or a 'ah-ha' of understanding. Before the glossary check out the half-dozen or so recipes for baked goods and drinks mentioned in the book. My aunt lives in a small town in Ireland and reading this book made me think of her and her stories. More like one big family more than a town. Everyone knowing about everyone else's business and pretending not to care, life in the pub, etc..., it's all there for you to enjoy with a Christmas twist. Give yourself a gift for Christmas... buy this book and savor it!

Patrick Taylor will be the first to tell you that Ballybucklebo does not really exist. But at one time there was a village much like it and that's the one we get to visit in this great series. This is the 3rd book in the series but you don't need to have read the other 2 to enjoy it. There are enough references to the other books so you never feel out of place. The characters couldn't be any better. Dr. O'Reilly with his gruff ways and soft heart, Dr. Laverty who every day appreciates the village more and my favorite, Mrs. Kinky Kincaid, the housekeeper. She's really the glue who keeps it together for her "Doctor, dears". This is a gentle series with great character development -not only of the doctors but of the townspeople. They all continue to grow in each book. This book would be a great Christmas present for the readers on your list. I'm already anxious for the next one.

While this new addition to the author's IRISH COUNTRY series has all the warmth, quaint vivacity, quirky denizens, and quite the quintessence of the Gael and Hibern character and locale, the holiday setting makes it especially evocative of gentility and folksy celebration. The pace is slow as it often is in the gentle reads of which this is yet another fine example. Readers of Jan Karon, James Herriot, Phillip Gulley, and even the venerable Miss Read will find much to love here. Indeed, the present tale very much produces the desire for more of the same and there are two early novels in the series. A sweet gift and a veritable buffet of delight when dark December descends.

This was one of those rare books that one hates to have end. You will wish to stay in this place and continue with the setting, the characters and the mood. "An Irish Country Christmas" is certain to shoot to the top of every best seller list with this engaging tale everyone will wish to call their own. Having not read the others in the series this reviewer is anxious to order them and continue the charmed escape to the Irish countryside. If not already thought of, this series cries to be a boxed set full of lovely illustrations. In troubled times, this writing is just what the soul needs! Patrick Taylors' fictional accounts of the life of a pair of Irish country doctors in a day before modern medicine had created a gap between patient and practitioner are continued in this story that leads up to their shared Christmas. It is a Christmas full of all the happiness and goodwill that has been left behind in modern fractionated culture.I'm certain this book has re-read qualities when after a hard played day, a reader just wants to go somewhere that is simple and good. The reader will feel the warmth of Jameson after a cold walk in the snow and hear the sound of carolers when engaged by this worthy read. Erveryone will be left anxious to find out about what a happens to Barry and Patricia or is it Barry and Sue? There is certainly a lot more in store for us in The Irish Country! Patrick Taylor has created something that is not only a worthy read but would make a nice movie or a BBC-Ireland series such as Ballykissangel. Want to take a holiday but can't afford it? Try the Irish Country Series!