Tales of a Country Doctor

by Paul Carter

Paul Carter was born in Coventry, England, and educated at King Henry VIII School and Guy s Hospital. He migrated to Australia in 1976 and has been a country GP in central Victoria for the last twenty-six years. He lives with his wife Gillian on a farm in the Macedon Ranges. Apart from writing, he enjoys portrait painting. He has eight beautiful grandchildren, all of whose names he can remember.

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Read by over 25,000 people Dr Paul Carter's style is filled with kindness, wit and laughter as he regales stories from his time as a doctor in a country town in Australia . He has written three wonderful Australian best-selling books that remind us all of what is truly important in life.

Connect with Paul here:
http://www.paulcartercountrydoctor.co...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulCarterWr...

Reviews

[Steve lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A positive review in my favourite broadsheet and the appropriate subject matter enticed me to buy this tome as a Christmas gift for my lovely lady. The link is her profession as a practice nurse and this being, after a cursory glace, the recollections of a rural doctor. That she wept and chortled her way through it and then insisted meant that I really had no choice but to follow suit. An easy read, it did have the same effect on me which, in reference to another review on this site, James Herriott never did. 'Hale and Hardy' was the cause of laughter and much misty-eyed-ness, particularly at the end (spoiler alert) when the good bachelor doctor does find, later in life, as I have, someone wonderful to love.
After an empty marriage unexpectedly terminates,the hero heads for a tree change in the form of a country practice in regional Victoria. As it turns out this is a quasi-memoir and it's left to the reader's imagination how much is true and how much is fictional overlay. Here in the bush Paul Carter's doppelganger finds the love of a loyal dog (Hardy) and many patients, as well as revealing a love for the telling (retelling) of a humorous yarn as reflected in these stories. There are tales of birth, injury, foolhardiness, rumour, innuendo and disease as well as , sadly, poignant death.
Although there's no flashiness to Carter's style, one story, tall or otherwise, segues into another seamlessly carrying the reader effortlessly along. I really do hope that Carter has another volume of yarn-spinning in him.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Nice touches of humour & sadness mixed in with some good yarns. It was clear the author was influenced by James Herriot but I don't think that's a bad thing - who doesn't love All Creatures Great and Small? Wouldn't mind reading a sequel if there was one (something I rarely find myself saying) but I've just checked and I don't think there is.

Confusingly enough I am pretty sure the Paul Carter who wrote this is NOT the same Paul Carter who wrote all the memoirs about working on oil rigs OR the same Paul Carter who wrote the historical book about Colonial Australia, OR the same Paul Carter who wrote a couple how-to books about weight lifting, OR the same Paul Carter who wrote an acting handbook! All of these Pauls (who *I* believe to be five different men) are lumped together on goodreads under a photo of PC II (the oil rig guy).

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute delight of a book to read. I can claim no stroke of genius for selecting it, as it was a complete accident. I was looking for another author called Paul Carter and saw this one and when I read the outline, it reminded me of a beautiful man called Dr Brian Heber who died a few years ago and was a GP in Mudgee in Western New South Wales. Brian was a superb GP with a great feeling of humanity and had many stories that he told us about his patients. He was such a caring country doctor. Like Dr Paul Carter, Brian Heber was also English (we met him on a ship when we were returning to Australia after a few years in London) and went out to Mudgee many times to see him and Jan. But getting back to 'Tales' - I devoured every page with delight and heartily recommend it to anyone who liked reading about how an old fashioned country doctor relates to his patients and tells their stories of the human condition. I liked it so much that I have given it a 5 out of 5 and would have given it 6 if I could. I am now reading the sequel (more tales) and I'm enjoying it equally as well.

[Suzy Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a truly fine read, filled with much wit, sprinkled with sadness and extremely lively characters.

What a beautiful meander through rural practice and life in Victoria.

Paul Carter writes a wonderful yarn, filled with lovely characters and takes you on a journey that you don't want to end.

I truly hope that there is a followup to Hale & Hardy, as I feel there would be so many more lives we could glimpse.

Highly recommend!

[Lari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected when I bought it, as I originally though Hardy was a person, not a dog, but a pleasant read. I enjoyed the rather meandering style, where a new story would be brought up in the middle of the current one. Felt like sitting on his back patio with a drink, listening to his latest tale of the neighbourhood.

[Paul Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read !!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly amusing tales.

[Lyndsay Montgomerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Picked this up from a hostel bookshelf and really enjoyed it. Mostly lighthearted and funny with some sad moments mixed in. A nice insight into life in the Australian countryside.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed and I cried, and overall just loved it. Definitely gives James Herriot vibes.

[Leanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very ordinary reading, didn't really get into it at all. I have been a total Herriot fan for most of my life and I suspect this chap has too, he doesn't quite have the same self depreciating humour that the Herriot books share and his stories are less engaging. I suppose I was expecting the dog to feature more and the narrative to be more biographical. I didn't enjoy his dialogue or like the character within the stories maybe he should try writing his real memoirs instead of boring us with imaginings.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more a collection of anecdotes than a novel as such. While they were very pleasant anecdotes to read, I missed the development of plot and characters which was largely peripheral in this book.

[Tee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great tales here, the author takes you on a journey, sometimes funny, sometimes sad. Overall I enjoyed this book

[Starr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Lisa Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of all time. Funny, heartwarming, sad, beautiful.