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The Doctor and the Diva

The Doctor and the Diva
A Novel
by Adrienne McDonnell
Published in USA Jul 2010,
432 pages.

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Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Jill S. (Eagle, ID)
The Docotr and the Diva
This book captivated me from the start. It is an easy and engaging read. The issues tackled in the book--fertility, career and love are timeless. Although some of the transitions are choppy, the characters are believable and well developed. This book would be great for any bookclub discussion.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Lynn R. (Wautoma, WI)
The Doctor and the Diva
This book was a fairly easy read. The main locations of this story are Boston, Italy and South America. The descriptions of Italy and South America are excellent. I could see these places in my mind easily and since I have never been to either place, this was wonderful. Since it was said that the characters, Erika and her husband Peter were based on a real people, I really did not like either of them. They chose to have a child, they did more than choose, they tried things to conceive a child that were fairly experimental in the era of the book. She wanted to move to Italy to follow a career in opera and her husband traveled extensively with his import business located in Boston. Neither person wanting to give up anything for the sake of a child. This poor child never felt love the way a child should while growing up. We wonder why our children today are so messed up. I felt the ending of the story was the only way it could have ended in real life, not very happy. Although Erika seemed content with her life in the end, I feel she must have been very sad! I felt that the book was trying to make you feel compassion for Erika, but I did not. I only felt compassion for Quentin, the child.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by Linda A. (Palo Alto, CA)
Good but...
Were it possible, I would rate this book 3.5. On the positive side, I was compelled to keep reading to find out "what happens next." However predictability, an anecdotal style creating a certain choppiness, and too many implausible occurrences keep it from being a solid 4 for me.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)
THE DOCTOR AND THE DIVA
The Doctor and the Diva, Adrienne McDonnell's first novel, is a wonderful read from start to finish. It is inspired by the life of the author's son's paternal great great grandmother who deserted her husband and son to further her career as an operatic singer. This book is about obsessions:her unfailing attempt to bear a child, to fulfill her dream to to go to Italy and become a singer, and the love she had for a man, a well-known fertility doctor who is in charge of her care. We learn about the early beginnings of fertility treatment, we discover the beauty of the places she traveled by McDonnell's beautiful descriptions...all this in a book that will undoubtedly draw you in until the final page.

Rated 4 of 5 of 5 by RoseMary W. (Boardman, OH)
The Doctor & the Diva
An interesting story with excellent descriptions of settings and character development. Some transitions between sections in chapters were choppy but the novel was an easy read.

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Virginia B. (Forest Park, IL)
Wonderful book!
An excellent read! The author described locations so beautifully I felt as if I was in Trinidad and Italy. It was interesting to read about the early treatment of infertility. I felt Erika's pain about not having a baby and but wanting a baby so bad she put her own passion of singing on hold. Erika's and Ravell's love story was so tender you want them to be together.

The book was an easy read and I loved every page.
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