Tuesday, May 20, 2014

HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE: A MEMOIR (CAROLYN JOURDAN)


MY REVIEW:
Algonquin Books|August 19, 2008|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-1-56512-613-8

Carolyn Jourdan, an attorney on Capitol Hill, thought she had it made. But when her mother has a heart attack, she returns home to the Tennessee mountains, where her father is a country doctor and her mother works as his receptionist. Jourdan offers to fill in for her mother until she gets better. But days turn into weeks as she trades her suits for scrubs and finds herself following hazmat regulations for cleaning up bodily fluids; maintaining composure when confronted with a splinter the size of a steak knife; and tending to the loquacious Miss Hiawatha, whose daily doctor visits are never billed. Most important, though, she comes to understand what her caring and patient father means to her close-knit community.

With great humour and great tenderness, HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE shows that some of our biggest heroes are the ones living right beside us.

Well, another book I read in one-sitting that I just couldn't put down. I love memoirs and this was a great read. I fell in love with Carolyn, she was so funny and felt so inept at her job and did actually screw up quite a number of things. She certainly wasn't cut out to be a receptionist and sticking to her job as a lawyer would be in her best intrest. lol

The characters we meet in this story are also hilarious, although some are quite ill, the humour shines through anyway and Dr. Jourdan has such a calming and peaceful demeanor that he can keep the most tenuous situations under control except when it comes to his "tilting table!"

Trust me, you'll love this memoir and before you know it you'll be turning the last page. I would like to see Carolyn pen a second memoir continuing with more stories and situations that she ran into while subbing for mother in the office.

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