Country Doctor

Fun read, occasionally cringe-worthy

I enjoyed this book. Some of the anecdotes are funny, some are sarcastic, but all are informative. At the start of the book, author Michael Sparrow comes across as insensitive and incompetent. Some of the anecdotes were truly cringe-worthy and at a certain point, I wondered if the book was worth reading. The answer for me turned out to be a resounding YES. When Sparrow’s humanity starts to show, he becomes the type of author one wants to have coffee or beer with. Overall, it is a great book and I recommend it.

fun, medical-doctor, situational-humor, verbal-humor, reminiscences, England*****

Can you imagine a physician who doesn't think he's God Almighty and has all the answers in the universe even though he couldn't correctly diagnose an ear infection using an otoscope? Well, this well seasoned General Practice physician (now known as a Family Practice Physician) is just that miracle. This self effacing humorist covers his professional life from med school onward into a rural practice in the English countryside where he learned as much from his patients as they did from him, all with his tongue firmly in cheek. Even though I am of similar vintage, a nurse, and an American I could easily relate and laughed my sox off throughout the book. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Duckworth Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This follows Michael Sparrow the author and General Practitioner in the English Countryside. While reading the first twenty percent of this book I wondered why anyone would want this man as a doctor.
But as the story progress he gets better at his craft. This follows him from school through a stint in the RAF with time spent in Belize. As he comes back to the English Countryside it takes you in to a side of medicine that many may not get to experience leaving in farm and ranch community were a house call maybe twenty minutes away. These place so small that a trip is not wasted such as the office secretary may drop off a couple prescriptions to patients along the way. There were times that he even as had the opportunity to try his hand at being a vet like the time he had patient whose dog was struggling and come to find out he had a couple of fingers stuck in his throat. For a while I was wondering were the humor was going to come it took a while but ii is there depending on your interpretation it maybe a little disturbing. There is a chapter that also deals with what happens to these givers of life when the they fall off the rails. This is worth a read and I would recommend it.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for a fair and honest review. I see that this book has been released a few times in the past so it must be the most current version coming.

I guess many readers may open this book expecting a sort of hybrid of James Herriot mixed with Adam Kay. Sad to say, any such expectations will be doomed to disappointment. It’s not that the book lacks humour, there are enough laugh out loud moments to satisfy this requirement. It’s just that the ‘tone’ of the book occasionally jars too sharply. There is a very difficult balance to be struck by a doctor writing a book such as this, and ‘Dr Sparrow’ perhaps doesn’t always get this balance right. Adam Kay has demonstrated that the rather black humour for which the medical profession is notorious needn’t stand in the way of achieving that elusive balance. The almost mandatory arrows directed to the (admittedly crucifying) stresses and trials of medical training as a junior doctor do not strike a false note, so what is it that misses the target?

This is always going to be a highly subjective opinion but, for this reader, at least, there are one or two episodes that ought to have been edited out, and, perhaps, a little too much effort devoted to establishing a ‘Jack the Lad’ persona through some (exaggerated?) accounts. This reader found those episodes that allowed the professional trying to do his best for his patients to be seen, albeit with a carefully attuned ear for the humour to be found in the everyday, could have been given greater prominence at the expense of some of the less attractive episodes.

However, there is sufficient in the book to maintain the reader’s interest, and a good supply of merriment. It may be Michael Sparrow’ misfortune that James Herriot and Adam Kay, in their different ways, have set the bar quite high.

I love books like this, I have read many similar over the years.
As soon as I saw this on Netgalley I hoped they would let me have an advance copy as I was looking forward to reading all of the funny and bizarre stories that would happen to a Country GP.
I actually work with a GP called Dr Sparrow so found it hard not to continually think of him in my head reading it.
The Dr Sparrow from this book made me laugh out loud, cringe in a few occasions but in a I can't believe you did that manner and made me wish we could chat over a beer listening to some of these.
I really wish the start was a little more condensed and we heard more about his latter days as a proper Country GP. Some of the book is a little jumbled and could do with rearranging in a better order, some parts hard to follow.

I enjoyed it and could see through th jumble and bravado. I will go and read his 2 others.

The first thing that I thought when reading this book was, "Boy, I'm glad he is not my GP!" because it didn't sound like he got up to much at med school, other than trouble and drinking.
The second thing I thought was how brave he was admitting his shortcomings and errors so publicly.
The third thing was. "Is that his real name?"
And so begins our journey down the memory path of Dr Michael Sparrow. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny interspersed with more serious, thoughtful points. I did not enjoy the med school drunken antics part, but later on his anecdotes were very good, although at times it did feel to me he was trying to channel James Herriot's method of storytelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

It is a light hearted book. It describes very critical events of doctors patient relationship in a light hearted and really funny way.
It is a very hilarious book and Dr Sparrow has unique style of writing.
He describes situations in a way that makes you laugh.
You read the sentences, then meaning sets in and then there is giggling sensation.
Volantarily he undermines his own IQ and talent and makes fun of himself.
And he has really emotional description of his friends in between.
I am not sure all events are true, but they are all funny.
Amount of alcohol that he takes is above normal.
It should be read without any judgement of description of patients and diseases in a very light and joke like pattern.
Book is hard to put down and takes you to countryside where doctor sparrow treats his patients with his limited resources.
He has written three more books. I will also like to read them. But sadly they are currently unavailable on amazon.in.
It is a really funny book that is highly recommend to all readers, especially to those with medical backgrounds.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for review copy.

As the author himself points out, these are not the gentle tales of a certain Darrowby vet, so anyone expecting soft, self-deprecating humour is in for a bit of a rude awakening!

Michael Sparrow fills us in on anecdotes from his training and his various work placements in hospitals, the army and as a GP, and does so with the sharp, black humour of someone who has seen far too much tragedy and human suffering.

The reader gets insight into a world of alcohol and drug abuse, negligence, murder and downright stupidity… and that’s just the doctors! But Dr Sparrow is by no means bringing the profession into disrepute – instead he shows us the toll paid via their own physical and mental health by the caring professions, simply because they do care. The author actually doesn’t come across very well at the start of the book, as he portrays himself as an unwinning combination of cocky and dim, and the humour feels somewhat forced and brash. However, once you get used to the tongue-in-cheek, side-eye style of writing, you come to appreciate his candour and his willingness to sacrifice his pride for the sake of a good story.

Most winning of all, as the book progresses each story is increasingly invested with a light-hearted, wry humour that carries the reader through the book as buoyantly as it must have carried the author through his medical career. There is no wallowing in the horrors and tragedies; no bemoaning the fate of modern medicine and belittling contemporary colleagues. Instead there is a Pythonesque insistence on seeing the funny side to every disaster or mishap, and on seeing the silver lining of redeeming qualities in even the dourest doctor or dullest student.

Which is lucky really, as if you took these stories at face value, you would hesitate to ever set foot in a hospital or surgery again! At which point I suppose all the staff could repair to the pub early and… hmmm, I think I’ve seen through Dr Sparrow’s cunning plan! 😉



In our clinical years, should we survive that far – and by no means everyone does – we get to touch the public, although mostly in places we would each rather we didn’t have to.

– Michael Sparrow, Country Doctor

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Darkly humourous and well written, I enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The author's experiences as a Country Doctor that are highlighted in this book are funny for the most part. The author did focus a lot on his time as a student in writing this. However, the stories were a nice and relaxing read.

I enjoyed this book. It might not have been quite as much about the life of a country doctor as perhaps the title and blurb suggested, but it was an interesting collection of anecdotes from the student and RAF days of the author, together with some more recent escapades.
Michael Sparrow has a great sense of black humour and his writing is a delight to read. He comes over as optimistic and determined, both important qualities in a doctor I imagine. He is the first to recognise the ridiculousness of some of the situations he's found himself in, and that's nice as it means you laugh with rather than at him.
Entertaining and eye-opening, it's a lively read.

No, this is not a rip off James Herriot book. What you'll find is a true life story of a general practice doctor responsible for the health of many while trying to figure out his own life. You will hear his antics while in school and wonder how he ever made it through to practice medicine. Then you find yourself emotionally touched by his everyday determination to provide the best care possible. A really good read that will have you recommending it to your friends and family....all the same people you recommended that James Herriot series to.

Funny real at times eye opening.This country doctor shares his life his story .He shares moments where is unhappy cranky other moments where he is brave .There are hilarious situations times where you are glad he’s not your dr.Realky enjoyed this cranky honest open drs. memories #netgalley#countrydoctor.