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Cruise Ship SOS: The Life-Saving Adventures of a Doctor at Sea
What happens to patients when it all goes wrong at sea?
Say hello to Dr Ben MacFarlane. After spending a year as a repatriation doctor, he's now sailing off around the world as a ship's doctor - and with 3,000 passengers and crew to look after he's in for the most exciting trip of his life.
So join Ben and his colleagues and find out why ship's doctors think bar stools should carry health warnings, why the casino can be safer than the sick bay in a storm and why no amount of sharks, pirates or tidal waves will ever be as dangerous as the midnight buffet. With all the drama and excitement of popular medical dramas like Holby City and Casualty, these incredible true stories are told with warmth and humour.
Ben MacFarlane graduated in medicine from Imperial College, London in 1998 and started carrying out medical repatriations in the spring of 2001. He then spent a year working on the cruise ship circuit and now works full time in a West London teaching hospital.
Say hello to Dr Ben MacFarlane. After spending a year as a repatriation doctor, he's now sailing off around the world as a ship's doctor - and with 3,000 passengers and crew to look after he's in for the most exciting trip of his life.
So join Ben and his colleagues and find out why ship's doctors think bar stools should carry health warnings, why the casino can be safer than the sick bay in a storm and why no amount of sharks, pirates or tidal waves will ever be as dangerous as the midnight buffet. With all the drama and excitement of popular medical dramas like Holby City and Casualty, these incredible true stories are told with warmth and humour.
Ben MacFarlane graduated in medicine from Imperial College, London in 1998 and started carrying out medical repatriations in the spring of 2001. He then spent a year working on the cruise ship circuit and now works full time in a West London teaching hospital.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
October 15, 2024
Cruise Ship SOS is the illuminating account of a young British doctor’s experiences working on a round the world cruise ship voyage. I had previously read Holiday SOS by the same author, which describes his work as a repatriation medic, so was chuffed to see this one available for free on Amazon. This was originally published in 2010 and gives the impression that it describes events from the early 2000s. As with the previous book, I believe that the events described were based on real events, but not necessarily all occurred on the same trip or to him personally, or if they did I expect they’ve been embellished for dramatic purposes.
“As you may well have already realised your job here is to be a counsellor, a physiotherapist, a gastroenterologist, a gynaecologist, a dietician, a pharmacist and an oncologist as well, of course, as a GP, an A&E registrar and a diplomat.”
Ben MacFarlane is still quite junior in his career when he joins the crew for a 3&1/2 month “worldie” in Southampton, England. Working under the benevolent supervision of experienced doctor Edward and assisted by three very capable nurses, he throws himself into the peculiarly artificial world of luxury cruising. The book is a whole series of anecdotes, some humorous, some scary, some terribly sad. With skills and knowledge gained during his years flying sick and injured patients home from around the world, he brings care, compassion and sometimes cure to his very varied patients - except the chancers trying to take advantage of his newness. I wondered how on earth he coped with no Primary Care background, but I suppose that’s why he’s paired with a very experienced clinician.
“Good tip. First rule of medicine: never annoy your doctor because he always gets his own back in the end. I like your style. Thank you.”
Years ago I flirted with the idea of working as a cruise ship doctor, attracted by the idea of limitless luxury travel and the challenges of dealing with whatever emergencies may arise far out at sea. Becoming a Cat Mother and work/like experience changed my mind - including the realisation that given the average age and health status of those who choose that kind of holiday, you would be working very hard indeed, not to mention being permanently on call for both entitled passengers and overworked underpaid crew. I also know how fat I’d get from all those buffets. Reading this has not changed my feelings about large ships - apart from anything, you spend an awful lot of time at sea just to spend one day in the designated port before moving on. I did however thoroughly enjoy Ben’s adventures and would recommend it to anyone interested in medical matters on the open ocean.
“As you may well have already realised your job here is to be a counsellor, a physiotherapist, a gastroenterologist, a gynaecologist, a dietician, a pharmacist and an oncologist as well, of course, as a GP, an A&E registrar and a diplomat.”
Ben MacFarlane is still quite junior in his career when he joins the crew for a 3&1/2 month “worldie” in Southampton, England. Working under the benevolent supervision of experienced doctor Edward and assisted by three very capable nurses, he throws himself into the peculiarly artificial world of luxury cruising. The book is a whole series of anecdotes, some humorous, some scary, some terribly sad. With skills and knowledge gained during his years flying sick and injured patients home from around the world, he brings care, compassion and sometimes cure to his very varied patients - except the chancers trying to take advantage of his newness. I wondered how on earth he coped with no Primary Care background, but I suppose that’s why he’s paired with a very experienced clinician.
“Good tip. First rule of medicine: never annoy your doctor because he always gets his own back in the end. I like your style. Thank you.”
Years ago I flirted with the idea of working as a cruise ship doctor, attracted by the idea of limitless luxury travel and the challenges of dealing with whatever emergencies may arise far out at sea. Becoming a Cat Mother and work/like experience changed my mind - including the realisation that given the average age and health status of those who choose that kind of holiday, you would be working very hard indeed, not to mention being permanently on call for both entitled passengers and overworked underpaid crew. I also know how fat I’d get from all those buffets. Reading this has not changed my feelings about large ships - apart from anything, you spend an awful lot of time at sea just to spend one day in the designated port before moving on. I did however thoroughly enjoy Ben’s adventures and would recommend it to anyone interested in medical matters on the open ocean.
July 25, 2022
More "fun" for Dr. Ben MacFarlane as he takes care of tourists having accidents and just being - - imprudent in their actions while away from home. This time, he's taken on the position of junior doctor on a world-crossing cruise ship.
Some of the encounters are silly, other are sad and even one or two that are heart-breaking - like the veteran who although dying from cancer wanted to visit Singapore where he can say goodbye to comrades who died as WWII prisoners of the Japanese.
A profound insight in the microcosm that is a cruise ship - the crew that keeps everything running, especially the hidden ones in laundry, engineering, and cleaning services as well as the people that interact with the clients - in some cases - a daily basis so that they can enjoy their trip. MacFarlane is an amusing, caring individual and his tales move the story along quite quickly. At the end, the reader is basically left hanging on whether he signed up for another cruise or if he managed to get a job associated with a hospital. It would be interesting to see which happened. Even some tales from a hospital could be amusing.
2022-162
Some of the encounters are silly, other are sad and even one or two that are heart-breaking - like the veteran who although dying from cancer wanted to visit Singapore where he can say goodbye to comrades who died as WWII prisoners of the Japanese.
A profound insight in the microcosm that is a cruise ship - the crew that keeps everything running, especially the hidden ones in laundry, engineering, and cleaning services as well as the people that interact with the clients - in some cases - a daily basis so that they can enjoy their trip. MacFarlane is an amusing, caring individual and his tales move the story along quite quickly. At the end, the reader is basically left hanging on whether he signed up for another cruise or if he managed to get a job associated with a hospital. It would be interesting to see which happened. Even some tales from a hospital could be amusing.
2022-162
March 19, 2023
Maybe more of a 4.5 but it had a mix of travel, different cultures, and the you-never-know-what-you’re-going-to-get scenarios of the medical field so this was right up my alley. I also love to peel back the onion and learn how things work and this is certainly a new view on cruise ships.
September 3, 2017
It's what you'd expect: an episodic series of anecdotes covering a variety of medical situations set on a cruise ship. The writing is competent. No surprises in terms of story or vocabulary choices. I would have liked some more insider information about what really goes on behind the scenes of a cruise ship, more continuity, more interesting characters. The shallow glamour of cruise life is presented just as it appears (except that I would have hated most of what the young doctor says he uncynically and genuinely enjoys). The only character development occurs in one old lady who starts off shy and ends up having some friends. None of the exotic locations are described beyond what you could see from a postcard collection. None of the medical emergencies require any sleuthing or improvising or anything. The text is easy and quick to read. It's ok.
June 30, 2021
Interesting but Flawed
It's interesting reading what a world cruise is like. But I need to mention that no one with English writing/editing skills seems to have read this book prior to its publication. It's annoying sometimes but doesn't interfere with reading it. I reported numerous errors which should be brought to the publisher's attention.
It's interesting reading what a world cruise is like. But I need to mention that no one with English writing/editing skills seems to have read this book prior to its publication. It's annoying sometimes but doesn't interfere with reading it. I reported numerous errors which should be brought to the publisher's attention.
May 30, 2023
The title was a little silly, but it was a fascinating look into the life of a physician on a cruise ship. I hadn't realized how many things cruise ship doctors deal with, or what a large patient load they might have. Interesting reading, and I will try his other book as well.
March 3, 2022
This was a very light read. Unfortunately there are a lot of errors in the kindle edition but all the same a good easy read.
Fun and easy to pick up and put down.
Fun and easy to pick up and put down.
July 31, 2022
A light hearted easy read that opens up the world of the cruise ship.
January 14, 2025
Same as the other book. Not a great book - but easy to read, enjoyable and interesting. A good one to balance out the heavier books & storylines.
December 6, 2023
An interesting insight in to cruising. An amusing read
December 9, 2020
I guess in 2020 reading about cruise ship medical misadventures is about as close as one wants to get to a cruise ship. I can’t decide if this sounds like a fantastic way to see the world for a few months—working on a cruise ship in a relatively cushy position, that is, not taking a cruise as a passenger—or head-beat-against-wall frustrating. So little time to see places! Such constant classism! (In the cruise ship world in general, not from MacFarlane himself.) Et cetera.
He’s a good storyteller, though. The stories are largely anecdotal but flow neatly from one to the next, with plenty of humour to carry things along. Startling to think about a cruise ship having a working morgue with space for three bodies(!), and also just of the vast scale of workers needed on the ship—I’ve never been on or really even near a cruise ship, let alone one of this size (some 1,000 passengers and 2,000 crew), and the conditions under which much of the crew work sound brutal: long hours, low pay, little or no time off, can be turfed for any number of infractions. I’d have loved to see MacFarlane dig deeper into that, and, say, spend some of his free time shadowing a worker in a less privileged position (he had access to most of the things the passengers did, including a private stateroom, while blue-collar ship workers shared inner bunkrooms and could be fired for setting foot in a passenger section).
The one medical story that gave me pause is one of the only ones without an outcome: MacFarlane describes giving the results of a (positive) pregnancy test to a blue-collar worker, an unmarried woman from a more conservative culture who is clearly distraught. She returns to him several times, trying, it seems, to ask for help, but unable to get the words out or articulate what she needs to say. MacFarlane tries—offers up some basic information about pregnancy, offers up his phone in case she needs to call home—but eventually she stops coming. And I wonder about the things he doesn’t ask, or doesn’t write about asking: was the sex consensual? Is she safe? Does she want to discuss her options for the pregnancy? One of the other medical staff tells MacFarlane that they’ve dealt with botched abortions before, which, ye gad, seems like a very good reason to make information about safe abortions available. That may not be what the woman was after, of course (I don’t know, and neither does MacFarlane), but…it’s a dark story to be one of the only anecdotes in the book without a resolution.
He’s a good storyteller, though. The stories are largely anecdotal but flow neatly from one to the next, with plenty of humour to carry things along. Startling to think about a cruise ship having a working morgue with space for three bodies(!), and also just of the vast scale of workers needed on the ship—I’ve never been on or really even near a cruise ship, let alone one of this size (some 1,000 passengers and 2,000 crew), and the conditions under which much of the crew work sound brutal: long hours, low pay, little or no time off, can be turfed for any number of infractions. I’d have loved to see MacFarlane dig deeper into that, and, say, spend some of his free time shadowing a worker in a less privileged position (he had access to most of the things the passengers did, including a private stateroom, while blue-collar ship workers shared inner bunkrooms and could be fired for setting foot in a passenger section).
The one medical story that gave me pause is one of the only ones without an outcome: MacFarlane describes giving the results of a (positive) pregnancy test to a blue-collar worker, an unmarried woman from a more conservative culture who is clearly distraught. She returns to him several times, trying, it seems, to ask for help, but unable to get the words out or articulate what she needs to say. MacFarlane tries—offers up some basic information about pregnancy, offers up his phone in case she needs to call home—but eventually she stops coming. And I wonder about the things he doesn’t ask, or doesn’t write about asking: was the sex consensual? Is she safe? Does she want to discuss her options for the pregnancy? One of the other medical staff tells MacFarlane that they’ve dealt with botched abortions before, which, ye gad, seems like a very good reason to make information about safe abortions available. That may not be what the woman was after, of course (I don’t know, and neither does MacFarlane), but…it’s a dark story to be one of the only anecdotes in the book without a resolution.
April 12, 2023
A good read. Learned a lot about what goes on "behind the scenes." I have cruised a few times and found this book very interesting!
November 1, 2023
wonderful!
Very easy and entertaining read. The characters come alive as we read about them. I’m curious if Ben went on another worldies.
Very easy and entertaining read. The characters come alive as we read about them. I’m curious if Ben went on another worldies.
June 2, 2019
Readable, and pleasant, but not quite what it claimed to be, which was a reasonably factual account of a young doctor’s first tour of duty on a cruise ship. At the end, the author says it’s a ghostwritten account of a lifetime of experiences as a cruise ship doctor combined into a single, fictional round the world cruise. That’s fine, but almost every incident is dramatic, poignant, funny, sad, cliff-hanging or extreme in some way.
It was clear quite early on that this wasn’t quite a real-life account, despite pretending that it was: there was simply too much drama and too little reality in this novel. Too many interesting/dramatic/coincidental events happen one after the other, medical, personal and social.
I don’t doubt that this approach makes for a good story, but I was hoping for something more realistic, describing the life of a real doctor on his first round-the-world cruise. I suspect that story would have had a slightly different feel. I suspect some on the main characters were constructed from multiple personalities too.
So only three points from me, because this wasn’t the story I was hoping to read. I stuck with it because it is well written, and I did want to find out what happened to the “dramatis personae”. But I felt slightly cheated because I was hoping for a personal account, not a novel. And I felt slightly cross when he admitted the deception at the end, although I’d suspected it for a while.
There are genres of writing that can get away with making the reader believe something, then twisting the reader’s view into an alternate version of the truth at the end. I enjoy many of those stories. But this book isn’t one of those. And I just feel cheated.
It was clear quite early on that this wasn’t quite a real-life account, despite pretending that it was: there was simply too much drama and too little reality in this novel. Too many interesting/dramatic/coincidental events happen one after the other, medical, personal and social.
I don’t doubt that this approach makes for a good story, but I was hoping for something more realistic, describing the life of a real doctor on his first round-the-world cruise. I suspect that story would have had a slightly different feel. I suspect some on the main characters were constructed from multiple personalities too.
So only three points from me, because this wasn’t the story I was hoping to read. I stuck with it because it is well written, and I did want to find out what happened to the “dramatis personae”. But I felt slightly cheated because I was hoping for a personal account, not a novel. And I felt slightly cross when he admitted the deception at the end, although I’d suspected it for a while.
There are genres of writing that can get away with making the reader believe something, then twisting the reader’s view into an alternate version of the truth at the end. I enjoy many of those stories. But this book isn’t one of those. And I just feel cheated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2023
Nearly As Good As His First Book
I really enjoyed this book, and found it hard to put down. Like Dr. MacFarlane's first book there is a nice mixture of the medical and the human elements. There are more recurring characters in this since it takes place on a ship.
My one complaint is that the editor seems to have taken a break from this one. There are a lot of failures of editing and sometimes I had to really scratch my head to figure out what was meant in a particular sentence or paragraph. One example I recall, in the middle of a sentence, "you r". When I read a book like this I usually look up words and terms I don't understand. Since I'm not a medical person, nor am I British, I have two categories of things to look up; the difficulty lies in trying to look up a British-ism, or medical condition, when they are also misspelled. That happened more than once in this book.
Even so, each time I had a chance to read more of this book, I found it hard to put down. If you enjoy this type of true life book of medical anecdotes by the people involved, you would probably enjoy this book.
I really enjoyed this book, and found it hard to put down. Like Dr. MacFarlane's first book there is a nice mixture of the medical and the human elements. There are more recurring characters in this since it takes place on a ship.
My one complaint is that the editor seems to have taken a break from this one. There are a lot of failures of editing and sometimes I had to really scratch my head to figure out what was meant in a particular sentence or paragraph. One example I recall, in the middle of a sentence, "you r". When I read a book like this I usually look up words and terms I don't understand. Since I'm not a medical person, nor am I British, I have two categories of things to look up; the difficulty lies in trying to look up a British-ism, or medical condition, when they are also misspelled. That happened more than once in this book.
Even so, each time I had a chance to read more of this book, I found it hard to put down. If you enjoy this type of true life book of medical anecdotes by the people involved, you would probably enjoy this book.
December 22, 2024
Great series
April 5, 2022
I enjoyed every minute of this read. The writing tone is pleasant, entertaining, and descriptive without ever sounding judgmental. That's a good think in telling medical stories. This seems like the type of doctor you would want to consult; compassionate and interested in the patient's whole story. What medical person hasn't wondered what it would be like to work in such a setting? I did right out of school. There were so many eye opening things described here which I had never considered, likely because they are hidden from the passengers. Living and work conditions of the crew, the amount of alcohol that flows constantly, the deaths and infection control issues, which of course have become better known in recent years. It would take a well trained ER team to be ready for any and all eventualities. I can't decide if this makes me want to cruise more, or avoid it. Part of me would like to work on a ship just once!
February 18, 2024
Entertaining and Interesting
Although there are several spelling mistakes throughout which, if there had been half stars would have led me to give a 3.5 rating, I did give 4 stars because I found it an entertaining read!
I have never been on a cruise so I know very little about them but I wrongly assumed that the medical staff on board were there more as a precaution in case of a heart attack, diabetic passenger or norovirus outbreak. I wrongly assumed that otherwise, they didn't often get to use their skills but if this book is any indication, I am wrong in that regard. The author who is a doctor, was kept quite busy from start to finish on this world cruise described by the book. He dealt with many passenger AND crew medical issues from the simple to the terminal and much in between.
I found the cases and passenger descriptions and personalities interesting as well as those of the medical staff and crew. They made a cruise sound quite interesting actually!
Although there are several spelling mistakes throughout which, if there had been half stars would have led me to give a 3.5 rating, I did give 4 stars because I found it an entertaining read!
I have never been on a cruise so I know very little about them but I wrongly assumed that the medical staff on board were there more as a precaution in case of a heart attack, diabetic passenger or norovirus outbreak. I wrongly assumed that otherwise, they didn't often get to use their skills but if this book is any indication, I am wrong in that regard. The author who is a doctor, was kept quite busy from start to finish on this world cruise described by the book. He dealt with many passenger AND crew medical issues from the simple to the terminal and much in between.
I found the cases and passenger descriptions and personalities interesting as well as those of the medical staff and crew. They made a cruise sound quite interesting actually!
July 24, 2022
In a back to back read I really enjoyed this 2nd book. Even more compelling tales of a doctor’s life aboard a cruise ship. Not any ship, but a world cruise lasting four months. The collection of crew members are each interesting - both in the medical center and aboard in general. The descriptives of the layout of the ship was fascinating having only been on passenger decks myself. It shows the distances that must be traveled in emergency situations. The cases and affected passengers are engrossing. The locales visited were beautifully described. It was a thrilling read that ends abruptly with no clue what the doctor’s next move would be. I look forward to the next chapter in his life journey.
September 20, 2023
As a first time cruiser later this year - and a person who gets seasick on a bodyboard (I kid you not), my family think I was trying to scare myself with this read!! But I loved this book. Insightful into cruise life for both customers and staff, humourous and surprisingly sad at times, it describes the entire round the world voyage of a young doctor on his first trip. Believable scenarios, loveable characters, and written with empathy and good humour. I would definitely read more from this author and his biographical experiences.
My only problem with the kindle version (and likely the hard copies) is the high amount of typos, errors and duplicate words. I lost count of the numbers I reported via my kindle!! I hope someone checks and proofs it soon, and it’s not a new book….
My only problem with the kindle version (and likely the hard copies) is the high amount of typos, errors and duplicate words. I lost count of the numbers I reported via my kindle!! I hope someone checks and proofs it soon, and it’s not a new book….
January 5, 2024
Refreshing
Wow, what an interesting, Well written and mostly light hearted story about life on a cruise ship. Having been aboard several (albeit smaller) cruise ships, I would never have expected life below decks to be so fascinating.
Wow, what an interesting, Well written and mostly light hearted story about life on a cruise ship. Having been aboard several (albeit smaller) cruise ships, I would never have expected life below decks to be so fascinating.
March 5, 2019
After reading and reviewing Holiday SOS by Ben MacFarlane, I was eager to reader his second book. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cruise Ship SOS is just as good a read. Dr. MacFarlane is his amiable, compassionate and skilled self as he encounters a variety of medical problems with the crew and passengers of an Around the World cruise. The book highlights the serious, the humorous and the bittersweet. The exotic locations are fun to read about. Highly recommend.
Cruise Ship SOS is just as good a read. Dr. MacFarlane is his amiable, compassionate and skilled self as he encounters a variety of medical problems with the crew and passengers of an Around the World cruise. The book highlights the serious, the humorous and the bittersweet. The exotic locations are fun to read about. Highly recommend.
November 1, 2024
This was a joy to read. It is anecdotal non-fiction about a young doctor serving crew and passengers on his first round the world cruise. I particularly enjoyed the humorous interactions which offset the sometimes sad and poignant cases he and the others on the medical staff had to deal with. Told in short vignettes around individual cases with recurring characters, particularly including his co-workers, it's an excellent book to pick up when you only have a short time to read. One star deducted because of the gory detail around a crew member who severed three or four fingers in the engine room. I finally skipped most of that chapter.
November 1, 2024
I really enjoyed this book, I've read his other book too, and that was just as enjoyable.
This book is about Ben's first job as a doctor, working on a world cruise after leaving his job as a repatriation doctor.
It describes the highs and lows of working on a cruise ship for 3 months, sailing around the world. It's a completely different way of life from that he's ever known, and it was really interesting finding out about the different characters he met and the different ailments he had to deal with.
I'd love to know if he ever took another job working on a cruise ship.
A very interesting read.
This book is about Ben's first job as a doctor, working on a world cruise after leaving his job as a repatriation doctor.
It describes the highs and lows of working on a cruise ship for 3 months, sailing around the world. It's a completely different way of life from that he's ever known, and it was really interesting finding out about the different characters he met and the different ailments he had to deal with.
I'd love to know if he ever took another job working on a cruise ship.
A very interesting read.
July 7, 2013
a British doctor’s perspective of an around-the-world cruise. There were some interesting characters peppered throughout although, being a ‘worldie,’ most of the travelers were old-fashioned British gentry and not the usual passengers we meet on a typical Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise.
I thought this book was really well written, and the credits at the end confirmed the assistance of a ghost writer, making it easy and entertaining to read, more like a novel than a collection of disjointed events that you often get with people writing about their own experiences.
I thought this book was really well written, and the credits at the end confirmed the assistance of a ghost writer, making it easy and entertaining to read, more like a novel than a collection of disjointed events that you often get with people writing about their own experiences.
March 12, 2022
Cruise Ship SOS: The life-saving adventures of a doctor at sea. by Ben MacFarlane.
Interesting story of a doctor who starts his first ever trip as a cruise ship doctor on not a short trip but a world trip of months! He takes this voyage more so as a stop gap job not knowing really how it all works onboard a cruise ship. He meets some very interesting people both as passengers and crew.
Encountering some highs and lows during his time onboard.
Not the worst book I have read .. found it interesting.
Interesting story of a doctor who starts his first ever trip as a cruise ship doctor on not a short trip but a world trip of months! He takes this voyage more so as a stop gap job not knowing really how it all works onboard a cruise ship. He meets some very interesting people both as passengers and crew.
Encountering some highs and lows during his time onboard.
Not the worst book I have read .. found it interesting.
February 28, 2024
I read this book about the true stories of a doctor on a cruise ship, while I was on a cruise ship. I'd hate to think I jinxed the boat, but after reading this book, I found out that one of the musicians on our boat had a heart attack and died - which was very sad. Then on the last day of the cruise, another passenger also had a heart attack, and the ship hurried back to Miami to get him (and three other passengers!) to a hospital. Granted, people who go on cruises tend to be older, but that seemed like more than this ship's share of bad luck. Anyway, I liked the book.
June 18, 2024
I never really thought about the doctor on board a cruise ship before reading Cruise Ship SOS, a collection of anecdotes from Dr. MacFarlane’s first “worldie” as a cruise ship doctor. The author has a great ability with storytelling. The only problem is the book is in desperate need of an editor. There are just so many typos and missing or repeated words. I recommend the book to anyone who has ever been on a cruise or wanted to go on one and especially for those who have any interest in the practice of medicine.
February 20, 2022
Once again, an entertaining book spoiled by a lack of proof reading. One mistake in particular annoyed me as an Aussie - repeatedly spelling the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly, as Manley! How hard is that to get right? Wikipedia or even an atlas would set the author straight on that one. But it was an enjoyable read about a doctor's first experiences on a cruise ship, sometimes happy and sometimes sad or even tragic.
May 20, 2022
Wow.
I ordered this on a lark because I had an upcoming cruise. I am floored as to what a terrific book this is. I couldn’t put it down. It was captivating. Normally I ignore medical details in a book but I read every word. The bonding with passengers and crew as well as the desire to help whether passengers or crew appealed to me. It was funny and sad and definitely empathetic. Thank you for this good read.
I ordered this on a lark because I had an upcoming cruise. I am floored as to what a terrific book this is. I couldn’t put it down. It was captivating. Normally I ignore medical details in a book but I read every word. The bonding with passengers and crew as well as the desire to help whether passengers or crew appealed to me. It was funny and sad and definitely empathetic. Thank you for this good read.
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