Robert Montefiore graduates from medical school and plunges into the sink-or-swim world of a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He sinks. As if his fears of inadequacy were insufficient, he receives plenty of external validation in the form of dying patients, critical supervisors and incapacitating fatigue. And then there is his love-life.

Robert he has fallen in irrational love at first – and every subsequent – sight with first-year medical student Maggie, and his efforts to woo her all end in disaster. He must find a way to thrive during this four-year trial by fire or be destroyed in the process.

The Education of Dr. Montefiore is set in the fictional Chicago School of Medicine Hospital, a place where heroism and selflessness share the wards with vanity and ineptitude, and where raw trainees struggle to navigate the narrow edge that separates remedy from harm. Hilarious and poignant, this novel explores the themes of self-discovery, the role of institutions and individuals in inspiring young doctors, and the miracles manifest in the functioning of the human body.

I had a feeling I was going to have either a love or hate relationship with this book, and I must admit – I do not feel as though I was wrong.

The story follows a young doctor, Robert, through his four year residency in obstetrics and gynaecology. Whilst this wouldn’t normally be a book I’d immediately pick up, there was something about the blurb of the book that really drew me in – I still can’t quite explain exactly what that was, but maybe I was simply intrigued at a peep into the hustle and bustle of this world due to my mum being a midwife.

We first see Robert starting off as a nervous first year – he’s making mistakes, being too hard on himself and failing hilariously at winning the heart of his best friend’s sister. Robert sinks to rock bottom, but as the old saying goes – when you hit rock bottom, the only way is back up! We then follow Robert as he grows both academically and personally into an extremely talented doctor and well-rounded individual.

Robert’s journey was very uplifting and inspiring to read – whilst I don’t have any experience of working in medicine or hospitals, from my own experiences of being in hospital, and the horror stories you hear from friends and family, I can only imagine the stress these young doctors (and all the other staff!) are put under. Albeit fictional, it was nice to read about someone that made it through the stress – proving that perseverance and being true to yourself can be worthwhile.

Whilst I did thoroughly enjoy reading the book, I must admit that I found it a little difficult to get into – the first 50 or so pages I really had to force myself to get into it. My gut instinct was that this was going to be on the hate side of our love/hate relationship. However, once past the initial hurdle, I flew through the book and loved every second of reading it.

Overall, I give The Education of Doctor Montefiore a 3.5 stars – the book is well written and not too difficult a read despite the various medical terminology throughout. I would happily read it again, and would love to do so after having the chance to discuss the book with someone from the medical industry (I want to know how to true to life the story actually is!).

Robert’s journey had me laughing, smiling and crying and I would recommend it to anyone that works in medicine, or is in a ‘why am I doing this?’ point in their life and/or career.