One of the first books I picked up from the Singapore library is The Doctor and The Diva by Adrienne McDonnell. I picked it up because it had an intriguing name and the story on the flap seemed interested.

I almost abandoned the book halfway through as it was a heart-strings pulling kind of story. Set in the early 1900’s, the book obviously revolves between Dr.Ravell and his patient – the diva Erika. Erika dreams big of going to Italy and being a singer but first she wants to give her husband Peter a child. Dr.Ravell is the helping Peter and Erika conceive a child of their own as he falls in love with Erika.

A stillborn child, an accusation, end of career, lush tropics – the book has it all

The hardest part of the story is when Erika leaves her 4 year old son with her husband Peter and moves to Italy to pursue her dream.As a mother I often have doubts about the balancing act but Erika’s decision was a heartbreaker.

The best part of the story is the interactions between Erika and her 2 year old. With kuttyma being the same age – our conversations are very similar.

The book ends well – happy endings indeed but it left me with more questions than answers on the personal end