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Country Doctor #1
Country Doctor: Tales of a Rural GP
Have you ever wondered how to placate an enraged patient looking for his wife in your bathroom at three in the morning, or what to do with an unidentified corpse in front of a Devon cowshed when the herd is due in for milking? How do you set about returning fifty sets of dentures to their rightful owners after they have become jumbled together in the nursing home oven and just how should you deal with a drug runner rescued from the Caribbean Sea when he pulls a gun on you? And finally just how would you feel if one of your patients was abducted by aliens?
Doctor Michael Sparrow has stumbled across the answers to these and other such thorny questions through personal experience, on his climb up - and not infrequent slide down - the greasy pole to medical success. Along the way he has amassed a collection of true stories detailing some of the humorous, bizarre, macabre and tragic incidents which occur in any doctor's life, but which seem especially destined to happen to him.
From the delivery of a baby when under the influence to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of English mustard, this is the story of one GP's often fumbling attempts to make sense of the career he has unwittingly found himself in.
Doctor Michael Sparrow has stumbled across the answers to these and other such thorny questions through personal experience, on his climb up - and not infrequent slide down - the greasy pole to medical success. Along the way he has amassed a collection of true stories detailing some of the humorous, bizarre, macabre and tragic incidents which occur in any doctor's life, but which seem especially destined to happen to him.
From the delivery of a baby when under the influence to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of English mustard, this is the story of one GP's often fumbling attempts to make sense of the career he has unwittingly found himself in.
310 pages, Paperback
First published September 24, 2002
39 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Michael Sparrow
7 books3 followersRural GP and author Dr Michael Sparrow a long serving current GP in West Devon and East Cornwall - has also had some success with his tales of medical mayhem while serving as a doctor in the RAF, in hospitals and as a local GP.
Originally from Northamptonshire, Michael qualified in 1981 from St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. He joined the RAF and served as a medical officer at RAF Chivenor in North Devon, working with the search and rescue crews. A spell in South Wales was followed by a posting to Belize, in Central America.
Originally from Northamptonshire, Michael qualified in 1981 from St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. He joined the RAF and served as a medical officer at RAF Chivenor in North Devon, working with the search and rescue crews. A spell in South Wales was followed by a posting to Belize, in Central America.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 4, 2020
Country Doctor, originally published in 2002, when the author had recently retired, is part of a series of memoirs about his medical career. Described on the front as “Hilarious true stories from a country practice”, in reality it’s a jumbled series of anecdotes, none of which paint him in a good light, interspersed with musings about the difficulties inherent in being a doctor.
I got this from NetGalley so it seems it’s been republished recently alongside his other books. I note that the NG page is full of 4 and 5 star reviews, while on GoodReads they are mostly 2 and 3 stars, which sadly is what it’s getting from me. Warning - this is a long review because it pushed a lot of my buttons.
Normally I put the same review on GR, NG, and Amazon but in this case I’ll be leaving the personal aspects of my review out from what I post on NG, and as per my reviewing policy won’t be putting this on Amazon unless NetGalley or the publisher specifically ask me to (which is unlikely as it’s unlikely to help their sales.) I’ve just read a few posts recently on a Facebook group I’m in, about whether or not one should leave negative reviews - it seems I’m in the minority as many readers seem not to want to hurt an author’s feelings - well I was given this for a review and there was no requirement that it be positive. My main duty is to other readers.
Sparrow sounds like he’s got thick enough skin to be able to cope with my feedback, if he even reads it.
I was interested to read this - and feel well qualified to review it - as a British trained GP - although I ended up in New Zealand rather than Cornwall! I must be about 20 years younger than Dr Sparrow, although the timelines are confusing as he seems to have graduated in the late 1970s (I qualified in 1993) but he must’ve retired early if he wrote this in 2002 - he doesn’t go into this. Both medicine in general and General Practice In particular have changed enormously since then, although I haven’t worked in the UK since 2002 - but have kept up enough with the BMJ (British Medical Journal) to know that however bad it was then, being a doctor in the UK is ten times worse now. I worked as a GP until 2015 before retraining in travel medicine and taking up part time work in clinical research, supplemented by regular but not excessively frequent shifts at our local accident & urgent medical centre (which is something like the co-ops described in the book except it’s a walk-in centre and we don’t do house calls.)
Purported to be about life as a rural family doctor, this doesn’t actually cover that until about three quarters of the way through, instead being mostly a badly organised collection of anecdotes about the author’s time at medical school and as a junior hospital doctor, then as a GP in the RAF, including a stint in Belize - which he (unforgivably) describes in chapter headings as being in South America! (I knew that it was in Central America even before I became a travel doctor, and I haven’t even been there.)
I’m not sure who he’s trying to impress but the constant references to drinking, all the time, including while on duty, go way beyond normal Jack the Lad student drunkenness (and I trained in Edinburgh so I know enough about that) and become both boring and distasteful.
Similarly, all his comments about his own professional inadequacy/incompetence - which I think are meant to come across as amusing self-deprecation - would be grounds for a charge of bringing the profession into disrepute if this had happened more recently. His collusion in various cover-ups - which he expresses vague regret about - are shameful and sometimes even horrific.
Even his attitude to his elective was pretty appalling. Here in NZ recently there was a major scandal when it was revealed that medical students had been travelling to particular hospitals where it was known that with a bribe, they could get their attendance form signed off on the first day so they could spend the next few months travelling. While that was probably accepted back then, and I know several of my peers came back from their electives in Barbados and Australia with scarily (in hindsight) impressive tans, they did at least pitch up at their designated hospitals now and again. To portray this dishonesty as normal and acceptable in a book published now does no one any favours.
In the last quarter of the book, Sparrow finally tells some tales about his patients in General Practice, many of which triggered memories of anecdotes of my own, as could probably all GPs. I could probably write a book of my own about these, except I know I’m not “hilarious” so I won’t bother. I well remember the horrors of house calls, particularly at night, although I began my GP career at the time when co-ops were just starting so did most of mine in a well equipped car with a driver. Those few that I did in my own as a locum in rural practice still send shudders down my spine, although I agree with the author that you can usually find something to laugh about: I’ll never forget the look on the look on the face of a wrinkled new mother in Haddington, East Lothian, as she puffed on her ciggy in the early hours of the morning, when I asked if her baby was breast-fed - she looked as if I had suggested something truly perverted.
Back to the book, and the descriptions of the various cases he has chosen to describe: many of these were deeply sad, and these later chapters do reveal some glimpses of his maturity and insight - especially the chapter on suicide and addiction within the profession. He soon reverts to sniggery toilet-humour type anecdotes, however, about objects removed from orifices. I guess that these are what sell? Then we’re back in Belize and another rumination about a traumatic experience that he characteristically brushes off and turns into a joke.
I swithered between 2 and 3 stars here - on the plus side, Sparrow can write, and some of his tales were certainly illuminating. The last part of the book should be required reading for new GPs, many of whom resent even the 3 or 4 hours of afterhours work they have to do every 3 or 4 weeks, in a well organised and staffed comfortably appointed medical centre five minutes from the hospital with no overnights and no house calls, in exchange for discharging their 24 hour responsibility for covering their patients. They truly have no idea.
Ultimately I’m rounding down, because I didn’t really enjoy reading this and can’t recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this free review copy.
I got this from NetGalley so it seems it’s been republished recently alongside his other books. I note that the NG page is full of 4 and 5 star reviews, while on GoodReads they are mostly 2 and 3 stars, which sadly is what it’s getting from me. Warning - this is a long review because it pushed a lot of my buttons.
Normally I put the same review on GR, NG, and Amazon but in this case I’ll be leaving the personal aspects of my review out from what I post on NG, and as per my reviewing policy won’t be putting this on Amazon unless NetGalley or the publisher specifically ask me to (which is unlikely as it’s unlikely to help their sales.) I’ve just read a few posts recently on a Facebook group I’m in, about whether or not one should leave negative reviews - it seems I’m in the minority as many readers seem not to want to hurt an author’s feelings - well I was given this for a review and there was no requirement that it be positive. My main duty is to other readers.
Sparrow sounds like he’s got thick enough skin to be able to cope with my feedback, if he even reads it.
I was interested to read this - and feel well qualified to review it - as a British trained GP - although I ended up in New Zealand rather than Cornwall! I must be about 20 years younger than Dr Sparrow, although the timelines are confusing as he seems to have graduated in the late 1970s (I qualified in 1993) but he must’ve retired early if he wrote this in 2002 - he doesn’t go into this. Both medicine in general and General Practice In particular have changed enormously since then, although I haven’t worked in the UK since 2002 - but have kept up enough with the BMJ (British Medical Journal) to know that however bad it was then, being a doctor in the UK is ten times worse now. I worked as a GP until 2015 before retraining in travel medicine and taking up part time work in clinical research, supplemented by regular but not excessively frequent shifts at our local accident & urgent medical centre (which is something like the co-ops described in the book except it’s a walk-in centre and we don’t do house calls.)
Purported to be about life as a rural family doctor, this doesn’t actually cover that until about three quarters of the way through, instead being mostly a badly organised collection of anecdotes about the author’s time at medical school and as a junior hospital doctor, then as a GP in the RAF, including a stint in Belize - which he (unforgivably) describes in chapter headings as being in South America! (I knew that it was in Central America even before I became a travel doctor, and I haven’t even been there.)
I’m not sure who he’s trying to impress but the constant references to drinking, all the time, including while on duty, go way beyond normal Jack the Lad student drunkenness (and I trained in Edinburgh so I know enough about that) and become both boring and distasteful.
Similarly, all his comments about his own professional inadequacy/incompetence - which I think are meant to come across as amusing self-deprecation - would be grounds for a charge of bringing the profession into disrepute if this had happened more recently. His collusion in various cover-ups - which he expresses vague regret about - are shameful and sometimes even horrific.
Even his attitude to his elective was pretty appalling. Here in NZ recently there was a major scandal when it was revealed that medical students had been travelling to particular hospitals where it was known that with a bribe, they could get their attendance form signed off on the first day so they could spend the next few months travelling. While that was probably accepted back then, and I know several of my peers came back from their electives in Barbados and Australia with scarily (in hindsight) impressive tans, they did at least pitch up at their designated hospitals now and again. To portray this dishonesty as normal and acceptable in a book published now does no one any favours.
In the last quarter of the book, Sparrow finally tells some tales about his patients in General Practice, many of which triggered memories of anecdotes of my own, as could probably all GPs. I could probably write a book of my own about these, except I know I’m not “hilarious” so I won’t bother. I well remember the horrors of house calls, particularly at night, although I began my GP career at the time when co-ops were just starting so did most of mine in a well equipped car with a driver. Those few that I did in my own as a locum in rural practice still send shudders down my spine, although I agree with the author that you can usually find something to laugh about: I’ll never forget the look on the look on the face of a wrinkled new mother in Haddington, East Lothian, as she puffed on her ciggy in the early hours of the morning, when I asked if her baby was breast-fed - she looked as if I had suggested something truly perverted.
Back to the book, and the descriptions of the various cases he has chosen to describe: many of these were deeply sad, and these later chapters do reveal some glimpses of his maturity and insight - especially the chapter on suicide and addiction within the profession. He soon reverts to sniggery toilet-humour type anecdotes, however, about objects removed from orifices. I guess that these are what sell? Then we’re back in Belize and another rumination about a traumatic experience that he characteristically brushes off and turns into a joke.
I swithered between 2 and 3 stars here - on the plus side, Sparrow can write, and some of his tales were certainly illuminating. The last part of the book should be required reading for new GPs, many of whom resent even the 3 or 4 hours of afterhours work they have to do every 3 or 4 weeks, in a well organised and staffed comfortably appointed medical centre five minutes from the hospital with no overnights and no house calls, in exchange for discharging their 24 hour responsibility for covering their patients. They truly have no idea.
Ultimately I’m rounding down, because I didn’t really enjoy reading this and can’t recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this free review copy.
February 20, 2020
I was interested in this book as I was after some laughs and it struck me as an 'All Creatures Great and Small' type book, good stories and lots of laughs. In fact, I remember laughing so hard I couldn't breathe when reading James Herriot's books many years ago.
But Michael Sparrow's offering was disappointing. The earlier stories were self-indulgent, involving stories of him drinking too much and being a bit of a lad - thought the whole thing was a bit juvenile and much of it too unreal to believe. The book read a bit better as it developed, but again it all seemed to focus on him, his views and his part in the story rather than let the characters and stories speak for themselves. To be sure, there are plenty of funny stories in health.
The anecdotes were a bit all over the place and they weren't allowed to develop, they were too short and often contained numerous other bits and pieces and interjections.
To me, this book's only saving grace was the odd interesting medical fact - but all in all it was quite disappointing.
I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for a review.
But Michael Sparrow's offering was disappointing. The earlier stories were self-indulgent, involving stories of him drinking too much and being a bit of a lad - thought the whole thing was a bit juvenile and much of it too unreal to believe. The book read a bit better as it developed, but again it all seemed to focus on him, his views and his part in the story rather than let the characters and stories speak for themselves. To be sure, there are plenty of funny stories in health.
The anecdotes were a bit all over the place and they weren't allowed to develop, they were too short and often contained numerous other bits and pieces and interjections.
To me, this book's only saving grace was the odd interesting medical fact - but all in all it was quite disappointing.
I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for a review.
March 11, 2025
I think this is supposed to be a semi-memoir of a country doctor in the vein of the James Herriot Vet stories, but it didn't quite manage to succeed, either in the humour (which fell flat for me), the selection of anecdotes, or in the general writing ability of the author.
The first half of the book is somewhat tedious and not as amusing as the author seems to think it is. If Sparrow's version of British medical school in the 1970's/1980's is even halfway accurate, I'm not in the least surprised that doctors are labelled quacks! Sparrow spends a ridiculous amount of page space describing his drinking sprees, his attempts at getting drunk, and his escapades to get out of doing anything vaguely medically related. From this book, I'm not even sure why the author decided to become a doctor. Reading about someones alcohol abuse habits is just not that entertaining for me. I don't see the point and I found those sections boring.
The book picks up pace and becomes more interesting around the halfway point, when Sparrow spends some time as a Royal Air Force doctor in Belize, and then as a general practitioner in Devon and Cornwall. I still pity whoever was unfortunate enough to land up with Michael Sparrow as their doctor. Hopefully he was too drunk to do any real "doctoring", and his patients sensible enough to run.
In short, this is a disjointed, lacklustre memoir of an arrogant, obnoxious, sarcastically flippant, questioningly-sober doctor, who didn't really seem to care much for the profession or his patients.
The first half of the book is somewhat tedious and not as amusing as the author seems to think it is. If Sparrow's version of British medical school in the 1970's/1980's is even halfway accurate, I'm not in the least surprised that doctors are labelled quacks! Sparrow spends a ridiculous amount of page space describing his drinking sprees, his attempts at getting drunk, and his escapades to get out of doing anything vaguely medically related. From this book, I'm not even sure why the author decided to become a doctor. Reading about someones alcohol abuse habits is just not that entertaining for me. I don't see the point and I found those sections boring.
The book picks up pace and becomes more interesting around the halfway point, when Sparrow spends some time as a Royal Air Force doctor in Belize, and then as a general practitioner in Devon and Cornwall. I still pity whoever was unfortunate enough to land up with Michael Sparrow as their doctor. Hopefully he was too drunk to do any real "doctoring", and his patients sensible enough to run.
In short, this is a disjointed, lacklustre memoir of an arrogant, obnoxious, sarcastically flippant, questioningly-sober doctor, who didn't really seem to care much for the profession or his patients.
February 7, 2020
The first part of this book could aptly be titled The (Mostly) Drunken Mishaps and Adventures of an Accidental Doctor. After a lackluster academic showing, and for reasons that aren't quite clear, the author settled on a career in medicine where he apparently never let a little thing like medical school interfere with a chance to visit the local pub. Any chance to visit any pub. To the point that, if he is to be believed, he was drunk or hungover on duty a great deal of the time. He comes across as obnoxious, rude, and mostly unconcerned with much of anything but himself.
That pretty much sums things up until around the 43% mark (according to my trusty Kindle).
It's at that point that the doctor, now in the RAF, is stationed in Belize. Things get much more interesting from here on in... Mostly because the focal point of the stories are someone other than the doctor himself. Makes for much better reading.
After the Belize portion of the book we finally get around to the promised anecdotes of a country doctor. That part is okay. By this time the author has done such a great job of presenting himself as an obnoxious jerk who finds humor at the expense of others (including his own patients) that he and his reminisces are just about irredeemable. Between snarky commentary and bouts of self-pity on the imposition of having to administer to patients this book falls far short of entertaining.
I realize that some of it is most likely intended as tongue-in-cheek humor - the problem is that it doesn't succeed at it.
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
That pretty much sums things up until around the 43% mark (according to my trusty Kindle).
It's at that point that the doctor, now in the RAF, is stationed in Belize. Things get much more interesting from here on in... Mostly because the focal point of the stories are someone other than the doctor himself. Makes for much better reading.
After the Belize portion of the book we finally get around to the promised anecdotes of a country doctor. That part is okay. By this time the author has done such a great job of presenting himself as an obnoxious jerk who finds humor at the expense of others (including his own patients) that he and his reminisces are just about irredeemable. Between snarky commentary and bouts of self-pity on the imposition of having to administer to patients this book falls far short of entertaining.
I realize that some of it is most likely intended as tongue-in-cheek humor - the problem is that it doesn't succeed at it.
***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review
April 5, 2016
I didn't make it through this book I'm afraid. I found the writing very disjointed. It seemed the author constantly built up to this really great anecdote he was going to tell...and then it was a trivial little story that took 2 sentences or the actual story didn't seem to jive with what you thought you were going to read about. I got tired of his constant "I'm a horrible student and I drink a lot" references. Am I supposed to be impressed? I was hoping for something along the lines of "All Creatures Great and Small" but boy was I disappointed.
July 25, 2024
Hilariously written in a lot of places. Heartwarming at a lot of times. They just don’t make doctors like Michael Sparrow anymore.
July 21, 2024
I’m kind of glad that Michael Sparrow, the author of the memoir Country Doctor, is not my doctor. He declares more than once that he doesn’t know what he’s doing, that he spent a lot of his med school years drinking, and is frequently irritated by his patients. On the other, I would love to spend an afternoon in a pub with Sparrow as he recounts his uproarious misadventures as a Royal Air Force doctor in Belize and general practitioner in Devon and Cornwall...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration.
August 9, 2019
While these stories are probably (mostly) true, I did not find them hilarious (as advertised on the cover). What I most objected to was the admission by the author, a physician, that he was often drunk (even while on duty as a student and intern), and that he mostly didn't know what he was doing. Way too cavalier with the health of vulnerable people for my taste. The writing was pedestrian. I read this book because it seemed that the library download site had been promoting it. I can't imagine why.
November 29, 2017
I couldn't finish this book. Not at all what I expected and I was totally unimpressed hearing all about how bad a student he and his fellow students were and how little they even bothered to attend classes. Sure makes me question how good of a doctor he must be. I certainly would not want him as my doctor.
June 16, 2013
He thinks highly of himself.
April 15, 2020
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.
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.
August 24, 2025
A young doctor is learning the ropes. Some stories are heartwarming and some are just hard to believe. ‘‘This is an attempt is an attempt to make sense of the career he has chosen to be in.” There are at least 3 of these books with this being the first. I cannot wait to get started on volume 2
February 12, 2020
I wasn't keen on the writing style at first as it made Michael come across as a bit of a dick but later on this was corrected and it is a funny book with some good anecdotes.
March 29, 2020
*I received a free ARC of this novel, with thanks to the author, Duckworth Books and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
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
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
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
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
February 17, 2020
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.
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.
May 22, 2022
"Have you ever wondered how to placate an enraged patient looking for his wife in your bathroom at three in the morning, or what to do with an unidentified corpse in front of a Devon cowshed when the herd is due in for milking? How do you set about returning fifty sets of dentures to their rightful owners after they have become jumbled together in the nursing home oven and just how should you deal with a drug runner rescued from the Caribbean Sea when he pulls a gun on you? And finally just how would you feel if one of your patients was abducted by aliens?
"Doctor Michael Sparrow has stumbled across the answers to these and other such thorny questions through personal experience, on his climb up -- and not infrequent slide down --the greasy pole to medical success. Along the way he has amassed a collected of true stories detailing some of the humorous, bizarre, macabre and tragic incidents which occur in any doctor's life, but which seem especially destined to happen to him.
"From the delivery of a baby when under the influence to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of English mustard, this is the story of one GP's often fumbling attempts to make sense of the career he has unwittingly found himself in."
~~back cover
This just wasn't my preferred style of humor.
"Doctor Michael Sparrow has stumbled across the answers to these and other such thorny questions through personal experience, on his climb up -- and not infrequent slide down --the greasy pole to medical success. Along the way he has amassed a collected of true stories detailing some of the humorous, bizarre, macabre and tragic incidents which occur in any doctor's life, but which seem especially destined to happen to him.
"From the delivery of a baby when under the influence to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of English mustard, this is the story of one GP's often fumbling attempts to make sense of the career he has unwittingly found himself in."
~~back cover
This just wasn't my preferred style of humor.
May 28, 2017
A very entertaining read. Found myself laughing out loud as Dr Sparrow relates anecdotes about his patients, about his training and his work in hospitals, in this country and overseas.
I don't know if he's a great doctor, but he is a great writer. His training, enjoying a drink or three with his fellow doctors, some hair raising scrapes and pulling through to successfully complete his training. He spent some time in South Africa, honing his skills to good effect. All of his experiences helped him in his work as a family doctor, with patients of all sorts, some requiring admission to hospital, some having unfortunate accidents, one involving a vacuum cleaner. Read more for all the details, it is a hilarious read.
I can recommend this to anyone interested in the workings of the GP surgery, and anyone who is in need of a good laugh. You won't be disappointed! Dr Sparrow has written another book, Repeat Prescriptions, More Riotous stories from the Country Practice. I'll be looking out for that, a must have read.
I don't know if he's a great doctor, but he is a great writer. His training, enjoying a drink or three with his fellow doctors, some hair raising scrapes and pulling through to successfully complete his training. He spent some time in South Africa, honing his skills to good effect. All of his experiences helped him in his work as a family doctor, with patients of all sorts, some requiring admission to hospital, some having unfortunate accidents, one involving a vacuum cleaner. Read more for all the details, it is a hilarious read.
I can recommend this to anyone interested in the workings of the GP surgery, and anyone who is in need of a good laugh. You won't be disappointed! Dr Sparrow has written another book, Repeat Prescriptions, More Riotous stories from the Country Practice. I'll be looking out for that, a must have read.
September 25, 2022
So after reading “Diary of a rural GP” by Dr Michael Sparrow (3rd book) I wanted to read his other two books. As I have a book buying addiction I am addressing this by not buying books and trying to obtain then via my local library instead.
So I ordered both books Sparrow has written that I’m yet to read “Country doctor, Tales of a Rural GP” and “Repeat Prescription” I didn’t have to wait long as one was in the Swansea area and the other came from a librarian in England via the ‘Books or you’ library scheme.
I got stuck into this book the day I collected it from the library and absolutely loved it.
The synopsis reads
Have you ever had to decide what to do with a very large dead body on a Mexican beach, or an unidentified corpse by a Devonian cowshed when the herd is due in for milking? How should you deal with a drug runner rescued from the Caribbean Sea when he pulls a gun on you? And how would you react if one of your patients was abducted by aliens? If you are a GP it seems these are routine matters. From coping with the suicide of a colleague to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of Coleman’s mustard, this is the story of one rural doctor’s often misguided attempts to make sense of the career in which he has unwittingly found himself.
Some readers who read these books by Sparrow may think that the tales are false, are simply made up to create humor for the reader. However, as I have worked in the NHS for the past seven years, I hace person seen and witnessed some rather strange and really weird things.
So I believe the stories that Sparrow has written and described, I can empathise with some of the situations he found himself in as a Junior House Officer during his time whilst working in hospitals prior to joking the RAF and going on to before the rural GP I love to read the exploits of.
So I ordered both books Sparrow has written that I’m yet to read “Country doctor, Tales of a Rural GP” and “Repeat Prescription” I didn’t have to wait long as one was in the Swansea area and the other came from a librarian in England via the ‘Books or you’ library scheme.
I got stuck into this book the day I collected it from the library and absolutely loved it.
The synopsis reads
Have you ever had to decide what to do with a very large dead body on a Mexican beach, or an unidentified corpse by a Devonian cowshed when the herd is due in for milking? How should you deal with a drug runner rescued from the Caribbean Sea when he pulls a gun on you? And how would you react if one of your patients was abducted by aliens? If you are a GP it seems these are routine matters. From coping with the suicide of a colleague to the unusual whereabouts of a jar of Coleman’s mustard, this is the story of one rural doctor’s often misguided attempts to make sense of the career in which he has unwittingly found himself.
Some readers who read these books by Sparrow may think that the tales are false, are simply made up to create humor for the reader. However, as I have worked in the NHS for the past seven years, I hace person seen and witnessed some rather strange and really weird things.
So I believe the stories that Sparrow has written and described, I can empathise with some of the situations he found himself in as a Junior House Officer during his time whilst working in hospitals prior to joking the RAF and going on to before the rural GP I love to read the exploits of.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2025
Michael Sparrow’s trilogy of memoirs was gifted to me by my Grandma when I was in 6th form and my plan was to enter the world of medicine and train as a doctor. I of course, did not end up a doctor, but I did end up working for the ambulance service, which I like to think is just as good (or better, or worse, depending on who you ask). While a little wordy and a little dull at times, it is a fascinating insight into the reality of a GP and the pressures of a small town. Some may say his writing style is boring, but I found it both gripping and an easy read, with the sort of morbid curiosity that comes from hearing stories of the medical world fuelling me to continue. All in all, a good read, and apt for its time. The world has changed a lot in the meanwhile since this was published, but where other professions have changed drastically, the world of medicine has not progressed in a way that noticeable to the general population.
August 17, 2025
1.75 stars
Whilst interesting to hear about the Drs work during 80s and 90s, it was hard to read due to the unlikeable nature of the Doctor. He came across as lazy and not very knowledgeable. In his time as a medical student and working for RAF he was drinking excessively and many times looking for a fight. It was concerning how mistakes happened and he didnt seek to fix them or report them so that he did not come across as incompetence.
See below notes from during the read:
One phone call as against a weekend of hard labour... You reach for the phone. Welcome to the world of the Friday Afternooners - pg 76 - i dont like how he said this - this dr is coming across as an ass and lazy and hating his job
How could you cremate the wrong person and not tell the family!? Thats disgusting - i know they swapped it after but still
Whilst interesting to hear about the Drs work during 80s and 90s, it was hard to read due to the unlikeable nature of the Doctor. He came across as lazy and not very knowledgeable. In his time as a medical student and working for RAF he was drinking excessively and many times looking for a fight. It was concerning how mistakes happened and he didnt seek to fix them or report them so that he did not come across as incompetence.
See below notes from during the read:
One phone call as against a weekend of hard labour... You reach for the phone. Welcome to the world of the Friday Afternooners - pg 76 - i dont like how he said this - this dr is coming across as an ass and lazy and hating his job
How could you cremate the wrong person and not tell the family!? Thats disgusting - i know they swapped it after but still
February 24, 2020
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.
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.
December 30, 2024
3.5 stars. Very honest and moderately amusing account of author’s doctoring life. Early chapters cover his time as a medical student in late ‘70’s London (much drinking, no studying), then moves on to hospital period (disasters, not always amusing), then time as Air Force medico in Belize (lots of adventures and apparently alcoholic, though this is unacknowledged), and finally his experiences as a rural GP in UK (with irritating but sometimes humorous patients). Don’t think he’s a great doctor and he obviously had a drinking problem, but I did appreciate his honesty regarding the annoyances and mistakes and down side of being a doctor. Not pretending to be a hero in this memoir and he evidently isn’t but that’s ok with me.
January 25, 2020
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.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
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.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
March 22, 2020
This memoir is a collection of stories of a country GP and though most of them seem slightly unbelievable they are true!
From the ridiculous stories which one finds hard to believe true, to the self derision where the doctor wonders what he is doing in this profession, the book is a bit disjointed and rambling and though at most times funny it was not a book which actually held my interest.
I was disappointed that for the most part it seemed as if medical students missed classes or were too hungover to follow these classes. Dented my appreciation of doctors found in this story though right now my appreciation of all medical professionals are at its very height.
From the ridiculous stories which one finds hard to believe true, to the self derision where the doctor wonders what he is doing in this profession, the book is a bit disjointed and rambling and though at most times funny it was not a book which actually held my interest.
I was disappointed that for the most part it seemed as if medical students missed classes or were too hungover to follow these classes. Dented my appreciation of doctors found in this story though right now my appreciation of all medical professionals are at its very height.
September 7, 2020
If there’s anyone left who still believes that doctors are all knowing, super clever and powerful will soon have that notion dispelled if they read this! Full of anecdotes, some funny and some a little disturbing when you discover who is let loose to treat Joe Public. Very worrying when they seem to know only slightly more than their patients. The book is disjointed, meandering from one thing to another with altogether too many mentions of booze. Interesting enough but it hasn’t tempted me to read the other books in this series. I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
February 3, 2022
Medical tales from the perspective of a 'country doctor' with snippets of light (or dark) humour.
- "We think he's dead," spoke one of the gathered throng in a hushed tone, "but we wanted you to tell us. We didn't know what to do."
"Well," I said, drawling slightly, "at least he died with his boots on..."
- Some patients seem to specialise in inverted logic.
"My car won't start," he began by way of explanation, "and I wondered if I could borrow your jump leads again.
No, no, it's all right, because I'm not feeling too well and I'd made an appointment to see you tomorrow. Now," he added virtuously, "my car will start, and I'll be able to come down and see you and you won't need to visit me after all. You see?"
WordPress
- "We think he's dead," spoke one of the gathered throng in a hushed tone, "but we wanted you to tell us. We didn't know what to do."
"Well," I said, drawling slightly, "at least he died with his boots on..."
- Some patients seem to specialise in inverted logic.
"My car won't start," he began by way of explanation, "and I wondered if I could borrow your jump leads again.
No, no, it's all right, because I'm not feeling too well and I'd made an appointment to see you tomorrow. Now," he added virtuously, "my car will start, and I'll be able to come down and see you and you won't need to visit me after all. You see?"
WordPress
April 30, 2024
Flew this book but that may because I wasn’t a huge fan. Honestly the entire first part was basically “I wasn’t smart enough to become a doctor, but I was lucky. You don’t need to work hard” which to me- shouldn’t be the basis of your story. I enjoyed some the anecdotes about patients, as those types of dramatic retellings are the stories of my childhood. But honestly- I just didn’t find the author likable. He put me off from the beginning, especially being a chain smoking GP (???) anyway- an easy enough read but not my favorite.
August 21, 2022
Moderate enjoyment. I have read other easy reading books of a doctor’s cases in rural USA so was looking forward to another something similar. I did get such a read in the last half of the book. However, for some reason, I trudged through the first half which quite encompassed the author’s escapades of a lot of alcohol consumption as a student and RAF surgeon at the start of his career.
Again, the second half was a fun read.
Again, the second half was a fun read.
January 17, 2020
Really enjoyed it. Very funny, excellent writing.
January 23, 2020
I found this amusing but just a little bit self indulgent. There was a distinct lack of country anecdotes considering the title!!
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