Red Pepper Returns

Red Pepper #1

by Grace S. Richmond

Redfield Pepper Burns, M.D., has flaming red hair and all of the temper and vivacity said to go with it. The small-town physician and surgeon maintains a grueling schedule, racing with his nurse from call to call in a powerful touring car, the Green Imp. He must contend with epidemics, professional jealousies, stubborn or deadbeat patients, and a lack of sophisticated surgical instruments. In this first volume of "Red Pepper" Burns stories, the doctor saves a friend from morphine addiction, takes in a young orphan, suffers an accident that may cripple his scalpel hand, and finally looks up from his work long enough to notice one of his many female admirers.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Romance

321 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Grace Louise Smith Richmond (1866–1959), American romance novelist created the Dr. R.P. Burns series.

Her first short stories were published in various women's magazines including the Women's Home Companion, Ladies' Home Journal, and Everybody's Magazine as early as 1898. Richmond wrote 27 novels between 1905 and 1936. Red Pepper Burns was published in 1910. Like most of her strong-willed yet compassionate characters, R.P. Burns is a kind, old-souled country doctor who makes house calls. His fiery red hair and temper to match earned him his nickname Red Pepper, though he is still a charming and endearing gentleman. Mrs. Red Pepper (1913), Red Pepper's Patients (1917), and Red of the Redfields (1924) followed.

Reviews

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. It did descend into caricature a time or two, but that's part of why I love old books. One can't always be sure if the author is in deadly earnest, or tongue-in-cheek.

For instance, when Red Pepper Burns (a doctor) hears that his parents are ill, he travels to see them. He examines them, and then he does some gymnastics for them to watch (!?), and then they're better. I love the unapologetic randomness.

The book consists of highly episodic chapters so it reads more like short stories. Though the romance exists throughout the story, it doesn't necessarily get top billing. Doctor Burns has too many lives to save and speed limits to break... he can barely fit in time for the tenderer emotions.

[Cathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hooked on Grace S. Richmond after the first 50 pages. I love vintage books for their dignity and heart. I wish that men were really like Red Pepper Burns and we as women should strive to be a little bit more like the future Mrs. Red Pepper Burns.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love this funny, endearing Dr. Burns! Of course, since I read book 4 first, I knew he'd find love and with who, but it was an enjoyable story to read. If you love old-fashioned country stories, with a doctor who pays house calls, and tales of friendship and grit...this one has very little romance, though the conclusion hangs on the resolution of it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and the way Dr. Burns cared about others. My copy was printed more than 100 years ago, so the world was a little different then, but the story was charming and well told. This book sat in my mother's bookcase when I was a child and I finally read it. I wish I had taken time to read it years ago.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun old-fashioned novel. Written in 1910 so it has the same feel as a Lucy Maud Montgomery novel (even though Montgomery's novels were more complex and better written). But sometimes I enjoy a simple sweet old novel.

This one is about a doctor who has red hair and a temperment to match. He goes zooming around (50 mph in those days was flying) in his green car from case to case and hasn't had any desire to get married. But then he meets a widow...

The characters are fun. The novel could have been expanded with more characterization and more complexity. But I thought it was fun. It's the first in a series about this doctor.

[Anne White]

Another one of my grandmother's favourites.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! The only reason it doesn't get a five-star rating is for a couple uses of the Lord's name as an exclamation, which knocks off about a star's worth of enjoyment. (Also sad when the author addressed the topic of profanity in an earlier chapter...) Anyway, moving on...

From literally my second glimpse of the hero, I was hopelessly in love! Is he perfect? Not by a long shot. But his heart's so big, and his feelings are so strong, and he cares so deeply for his friends, and just...I seriously just wanted to wrap my arms around him whenever anything went wrong. <3<\3<3

And the love story--so simple and sweet and deep and precious without being all-consuming. I picked the right girl from just about the beginning, and I was so glad! Although there was someone else my heart absolutely broke for...silly omniscient narrator that gets to see glimpses of everyone's heart!

But even besides the romance, I loved the friendships that weave in and out through the pages, particularly between the men in the story. Real, deep, solid friendships like this that aren't expressed in more than a look or a word or just an obvious understanding--my heart is melting so HARD!!! And wow, some of the subjects cut way deeper than I would have expected for such an old book--things like addiction to painkillers, which seems like a very modern problem, but nope... And I'm used to vague, generically churchgoer-esque messages in books like these, but this one hit a solidly Christian message squarely a couple of times--much more than I was expecting, but I loved it!!! (Not into the details of salvation, but turning to God for help where your own willpower isn't enough to carry you through--I loved, loved, loved the way that was brought in!!!)

Very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

Content--mentions of deaths; mentions of the temptations of alcohol and abuse of painkillers; mentions of smoking; two uses of the Lord's name as an exclamation; some mild language ("hanged", "the deuce", etc.); mentions of cursing (not condoned); mention of a girl of bad reputation and an illicit meeting (only tangentially related to the main characters)

[Sawako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Group read with Public Domain Readers. I read it on Gutenberg.

Beautiful. Quick Read. Funny. Romance. True Friendship. Family ties. Looking forward to reading Mrs. Red Pepper.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this little book - fun characters and a good romance, even though I spent most of the book rooting for the poor nurse who is so loyal and obviously in love with the Doctor who never gets a second glance from him... lol

[Lanelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and charismatic main character. I wonder if a movie has ever been made from this story?

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book as I didn’t even remember what it was about. But it was in the public domain so I knew it was written some time ago. From the first page I was pulled into the story and had to smile and chuckle a few times. I really liked Red and his interactions with this neighbors and others.
There was a little swearing, even taking the Lord’s name in vain after a discussion about not doing things like that, so I am not giving this as high of a rating as I otherwise would have.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I liked the old-fashioned style of writing, the setting, and the winsome characters. The plot is a little disjointed, but moves along with plenty of interest. The whole book is just lovely!

There is one bit I didn't like about a patient overdosing on drugs and the doctor tells him to stop. There's a lecture about the dangers of drugs, but it made me upset to see a character I liked in trouble with drugs.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably more of a 4.5, but I definitely liked it better than others of hers I gave 4, hence the 5 star rating.

My issue with this has nothing to do with the book itself, but that the collection of Richmond novels puts this series in REVERSE order, so I read the end of the series first, so I'm annoyed at that. So if you're reading these books, read this one before you read Mrs. Pepper Burns.

[Stephen Fodor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last book in the series by Grace Richmond. Have to say an enjoyable read, clears some stuff up, help this end satisfactorily, no, not end exactly. Just add depth to the characters of the series.
No questions of: what ever happened to...?
A great read, just like first five books.
A truly great series.

[Mariah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very funny book wish I had the first in the series.

[Stephanie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I just wasn't in the right mood for this one. I'll try the sequels another time and probably enjoy them. Currently I'm not feeling earnest enough.

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected but it wasn't what I got. Maybe I thought it would be about the doctor dealing with his patients and their families. What I got was the MC doing a lot of driving, with or without friend attached. He burns up the country roads hither and yon, but we only hear of the cases he dealt with once he's back home, usually flopping in an armchair because he's too tuckered out to go to bed. He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, and yet he never falls ill or anything. Was this the origin of Linus Van Pelt's "humble country doctor"? Yet he's not a country doctor--he's a city surgeon.
When he's not driving hell for leather across the country side he's taking trains--or not, as the case may be.
Nice to see a doctor who would put saving a child's life ahead of his fee, and make multiple housecalls into the bargain. But then this is fiction.
The authoress seemed to lose direction so she whacked in plenty of RO-mance. Eh.

[Kathi Cash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting main character, but not perfect.

This book is ok. It is a good look at life in the early 1900's, unfortunately including unconscious racism, in the form of a mocking song and in describing a Southern servant as "the darky". This offensive content is not widespread, but still disturbing and unnecessary to the plot. The doctor character is interesting. The remaining characters are simple two-dimensional types. Worth reading only if you have nothing else to do.

[Vickie Oddino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but the writing is definitely old fashioned. But one of the things that I really liked about it is how it dealt with some pretty important and timeless topics. For example, one character is addicted to pain killers, and Dr. Burns helps him with this, mostly by refusing to refill his prescriptions. It is interesting how many of the social issues we are dealing with today are the same issues people dealt with 100 years ago!

[Susan Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 sweet story

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked everything about this book: the slightly old-fashioned language, the bits of humor, but especially the main character, Red Pepper, and his unpredictable and clever approach to life and his work as a doctor. The setting and tone reminded me of James Herriot's books. Fun to read, and one I will put away and definitely read again.

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to laugh so much while reading this 100-page book, but laugh I did--sometimes at humorous situations, but mostly at the delightfully whimsical characters. I was also startled by the similarities to All Creatures Great and Small; some aspects seemed almost identical.

Setting: The book was written in 1910, and the story couldn't have been set much earlier, since cars were basically standard fare among the main characters. As for physical location, Red Pepper Burns' residence was never mentioned (mildly irritating me), but a trip to South Carolina was included. From seeing the author's birthplace (Rhode Island), I presumed the story was set somewhere in the northeast U.S. The physical setting wasn't completely abandoned, of course; descriptions of the landscape were prevalent, and drives across the countryside made appearances in multiple chapters. At the same time, there was a town with a hospital.

Characters: Red Pepper himself was great. Delightful, whimsical, dedicated, and masculine. Large, too. His character traits were not particularly unique--almost clichéd--but the author wrote him quite well, and I loved his big heart combined with his guarded self. All the other characters were pretty minor, with little character development. In how they interacted with--and developed the character of--Red Pepper Burns, I did like Pauline, Mccauley, and Chester. Mrs. Lessing left a bit to be desired, for how important she is to the story, but compared to all the other secondary characters she was equally fine.

Plot: At first the chapters were set up as a collection of stories about Red, which was quite enjoyable and whimsical. Later a (romance) plot emerged, about which I am not surprised, but had not expected after the book's beginning. Because of this, the conclusion was nice, but not necessarily a conclusion to the entire book.

Faith content: I wasn't expecting this to be an explicitly Christian novel, but one of the early threads of the story was the problem of swearing, which I greatly enjoyed. There were also subtler Christian ideals and principles throughout the book.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clipping along at a rapid pace, this delightful story is both humorous and sympathetic. Red, a firecracker of a village doctor, is devoted to his patients and takes no guff from anybody. The anecdotes of his life and practice are illuminated by the observations of his friends and neighbors as he proceeds through all activities at breakneck speed. From avoiding the clutches of a determined nuptial-seeking lady and helping a pal break free of an addiction, to conducting grueling surgeries and adopting a little boy, Red Pepper keeps things lively and entertaining.

I am so pleased to have tracked down this book (Project Gutenberg!); Richmond was a new author to me when I found her short Christmas stories recently, and this title I chanced to stumble upon through the rabbit trails of Goodreads. It was wholly enjoyable. I am eager to read the next in the series!

Note: towards the end, there were a few brief references to a Southern servant that some may find derogatory (he was called a "darky"); as this was published early in the twentieth century, I think the remarks were pretty typical of the time and not intended to be offensive, though I did find them unfortunate and off-putting.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable story of a time when men were men and women were women.

There were a few passages where the author obviously had trouble accurately writing the male characters, but it wasn't usually a glaring problem, thankfully.

[Jennifer Booth · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was quaint at first

It was quaint at first, but at the langue was strangely strong for the time period that the book was set in