This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Emma Kingston
Call the doctor is a tale of a country GP, Ronald White-Copper, working through the First and Second World Wars. It traces the stories of Ronald’s patients, their ailments and stories, as well as Ronald’s own personal highs and lows in life, his family and his career.
The memoirs are lovingly sewn together by his Granddaughter, Deborah White-Cooper, who found her grandfather’s scribbling’s in the attic after his death. Though his stories were scribed in no particular order, they chronicled his life as a doctor from 1910 to 1965. Once pieced together, the finished work reveals stories of love and triumph, courage, hardship and hope. They are touching, heart-warming and at times humorous.
It is clear that Ronald had a natural talent for story-telling, and this work certainly helps to reiterate some of the trials and tribulations of the wars that the generations before us suffered. It also brings home the everyday reality in a powerful and moving way. I learnt something new with almost every page of this book whether it be something historical, something about the nature of people, or something about great writing.
Memoir is not usually a genre that I embrace – my heart lies with fiction and stories, but Call the Doctor showed me how beautiful and moving the stories of real life. That everyone has a story to tell and that they are all interesting in their own way. It has certainly encouraged me to make more room for memoirs on my reading pile.
8/10
Ronald White-Cooper’s Webpage