On Call

by Anita Burgh

St. Edith's has served the local community for 150 years, but is under threat of being swallowed up by the more glamorous and modern Thorpedale General. How will this affect the people who work and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0752816950
• ISBN13: 9780752816951
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
• Length: 476 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

An enjoyable read - and not too taxing on the brain!

This is the second book that I have read by Anita Burgh, the first being "Breeders" - and although about different topics they are both very similar in style. "On Call" focuses around the nurse Chrissy Galloway, coming to terms with life as a widow and just moving back to her hometown Fellcar to take up a new nursing position. As with "Breeders" Anita Burgh adds a large cast of characters and we follow the stories from their different perspectives. Initially I found there were rather too many characters and got a little confused but things settled down halfway through the book once it became clear who were the important people. Although enjoyable with a gentle romance and a small whodunit I felt that the characterisation in this book was poor. What characters there were all seemed rather cardboard - the fat nurse with BO is obviously a baddie, the strong silent type doctor is obviously a goodie, the cheesy hospital manager is a baddie etc etc. Our heroine is appealing but seems to say the most incredibly trite things the whole time - as a nurse she should know better, especially a nurse on a cancer ward. The book highlights the different stages of relationships - breakups, death of a partner, infidelities, new romances etc and made me rather glum about the prospects of lasting happiness with one person in Burgh's worldview. Still it was a good lightweight read, perfect for the beach on holiday or something, just don't expect too much.