What Cannot Be Cured: The Continuing Ballad of Maggie Doyle

by Judith S. Glover

Four years have passed. Maggie has found happiness in Provence with Peter, but when tragedy strikes, she will need her friends around her, once more. But where is Roger and what is ailing him? And why is Lars, his lover, building a sculpture of a great pair of wings in Maggie’s barn? Maggie may not want to know the answers.
Meanwhile Jack plans his future from prison, whilst Janet struggles with her loneliness. At home, her is lodger spying on her and ruffling some dangerous feathers in the process.
Maggie finds she needs another miracle to make things right, yet miracles bring their own troubles with terrible and unexpected consequences. Friendships will be tested and Love found in unusual places, for what cannot be cured, must be endured.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2021

About the author

I started writing in 2000 whilst studying Philosophy at Murdoch University in Western Australia whilst taking time out from working as a psychotherapist in the NHS and in private practice the U.K
Over the years I wrote short stories in the genre of magical realism and some sci fi, which I recently published as a collection .Maggie Doyle, the protagonist in my first novel Butter and Whiskey : The Ballad of Maggie Doyle first appeared in one of the first stories I wrote. And she just stayed with me. And is still not done with me, it seems.
I have now taken early retirement and am dedicating my time to writing and am lucky enough to live in beautiful Tasmania.

Reviews

[Sarah Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book (the second in the series) was unputdownable. Maggie is a wonderful character. Her journey is fraught, tragedy lies in the wings, but hope always hovers on the horizon. The lives of all the characters revolve around Maggie, sometimes unravelling towards heartbreak, sometimes, redemption. With this novel, you experience it all, including the tranquility of French countryside and Maggie's absolute faith in God. As I finish the book, I can't help but ask, will she get the peace she deserves, and I can't wait to find out! Bring on book 3, please.

[B.P. Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was happy to return to Maggie's ongoing story and characters, and also to enjoy more moments of Glover's writing that give me pause - casual touches of insight that give depth to the warp and weft of her storylines. I rather liked this one, because it reflects the narrative itself:

Comparing protagonists to characters in an opera, "...the true reality of our existence lies not in the solo strands, but in the complex harmonies which emerge from the interweaving of collective experience, and does not belong to any one individual in particular."

I think that sums up, at least in part, Glover's stylistic approach to the two Maggie Doyle tales; there's also romance, thriller tropes, and magical realism all bound in a human and humane tale of love lost, and found again...

[Allan Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening of What cannot be Cured takes place years after the events of Butter and Whiskey. Maggie Doyle has had four years of bliss at her new home in France when tragedy strikes. Overwhelmed by grief Maggie again teeters on the brink of losing herself to mental illness. Maggie finds her way back with the support of her friends and builds on her inner strength in caring for others. When her dear friend Roger is stricken with illness Maggie prays for a miracle which seems to be granted. But in this world of mystery and magic Maggie finds that miracles may not come without a cost. The Catholic Church steps into Maggie’s life again, as a force for good or evil remains to be seen. As the implications of a mysterious death in London threatened to spill over into Maggie’s life, Maggie and Roger’s mysterious friend Lars reveals a secret.
Judith Glover’s sequel is a novel that immerses you in the time and place. Her characters draw you in and keep you engaged until the end. I look forward to reading Judith’s next work. Five stars.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Held my interest throughout