Great book! I couldn't put it down!
It was slow at the beginning, but about a quarter into the book it was one I couldn't set down. I want to see what was going to happen next. Was sad how it ended for I read another book that had the same ending and didn't want it to end that way.
Spanning from a quiet turn-of-the-century upstate New York community to a war-torn London, from the bedsides of the poor to a bustling New York emergency room, this book follows three generations in a family of doctors - the Farrells. The Farrells are brilliant, dedicated...and subject to a love that will bring them to the brink of destruction. I enjoyed this book from one of my favorite authors. I give it an A+!
Dr.Martin Farrell watched his father, also a doctor, work himself to an early death from the constant demands of his country practice, and so is determined to make his own medical career more lucrative. He becomes interested in brain surgery but to be able to afford to train as such, agrees to marry Jessie, the crippled sister of Fern, the woman he has always loved. The girls' wealthy father realizes that this is the only way that Jessie will be married and safe after his death and convinces Martin that this is the only path to his dream of becoming a top brain surgeon. They have a daughter, Claire, a pretty and clever girl who is set to follow in her father's footsteps. Martin and Jessie divorce after bitter fighting and Martin marries Hazel, a homely but good woman who gives him three more children. Martin's professional career grows and develops but he can't forget his love for Fern and this love, though never mentioned, eventually sours his marriage. Claire does become a doctor but prefers a practice more like that of her grandfather with closer contact with her patients. There are many dramas interwoven through this story of three generations of doctors with their personal loves and tragedies, and I found this to be one of those big, cosy reads which are just right when one is in the mood for it.
the cover is different on my book and i read it so long ago that i don't remember the details. However, the book is still in great shape.
Wonderful sweeping novel, Plain at her best.
