#10 - QUALITY OF CARE by Elizabeth Letts

by Elizabeth Letts
8.5/10
March 14th
March 16th
Mainstream Women’s Fiction 2005 263 pages
Clara Raymond, an OB-GYN physicianWalter, her business partnerGordon Robinson, her ex-boyfriend
Lydia Benson Robinson, her best friend from childhood
Eleanor Norton, owner of the California horse ranch
Jazmyn, stable hand at California horse ranch
Present day, New Jersey/California
Where did the book come from: Recent purchase
Reason for reading the book: Read review in Romantic Times magazine

I like these NAL Accent books. They’re trade paperback size and on the bottom it says “Fiction for the Way We Live” – Other authors in this line include a favorite of mine, Lisa Wingate; and several books I have in my TBR pile. I even like the feel of this book. The smooth pages, the size. I also like the conversation guide in the back which includes an interview with the author as well as a discussion guide. I do admit to sometimes reading the conversation guide before the book, allowing for spoilers sometimes, but it has never ruined my enjoyment of the book itself.

From the website for NAL books: Clara Raymond is the kind of obstetrician any woman would want—caring, skilled, dedicated. But she is caught off guard when a pregnant woman is wheeled onto the labor and delivery floor with what seem to be minor complaints. The patient turns out to be Lydia Benson, a childhood friend who saved Clara’s life after a terrible horseback-riding accident. And at Lydia’s side is her husband, Gordon Robinson, a man whom Clara once loved passionately and then left, although she has never forgotten him.

That night, in the labor and delivery rooms, the brief reunion goes tragically wrong. For Clara, the consequences will include a journey to California and to her own past— and a rediscovery of hope in a place she never expected…. An involving, nuanced story about the search for healing and the fragility of both our bodies and our souls, Quality of Care is an unforgettable debut by a talented and thought-provoking literary voice.

My comments: I am a sucker for a good medical story and this is a doozy. Letts, a midwife herself, writes about Dr. Clara Raymond an obstetrician who is on-call but busy with another patient when a childhood friend (Lydia) who is 34 weeks pregnant arrives in labor and delivery. Lydia happened to marry Clara's former live-in boyfriend, Gordon but Clara has lost touch with the two until they show up rather unexpectedly at the hospital. Lydia has vague symptoms but since Clara is busy with the other patient, goes unattended by other than the nursing staff for a brief period of time. Soon things go tragically wrong and eventually Clara ends up taking a trip to her childhood home in California to find answers regarding her own past. This book is really well done and is a great debut by an author to watch. The California portion of the book takes place on a horseranch and it says in the bio that the author is not only a midwife but a former competitive equestrian. I enjoyed nearly everything about this book and my only big complaint is that the book wasn’t longer. For those of you who are tired of the run-of-the-mill women’s fiction or coming-of-age stories, I would highly recommend QUALITY OF CARE for a great chance of pace. This is an exceptional read and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. It can’t be too soon for me.