Algemene kennis

Officiële naam: McDonnell, Virginia Bleecher
Pseudoniemen en naamsvarianten: Kirby, Jean
McDonnell, Jinny
Geboortedatum: 1917
Geslacht: female
Korte biografie: Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.

McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.

McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
Ontwarringsbericht: Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was the author's legal name; Jean Kirby and Jinny McDonnell were two pseudonyms.

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Nurses Three First Assignment door Jean Kirby

Penny Scott's first job after graduating as a nurse involves looking after a patient in "a lonely summer home in the Ozarks where strange, frightening things happened without warning." Written in 1963 when nursing was one of the few professions women were encouraged to enter, this book probably was aimed at making the job look exciting.

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gypsysmom | 1 andere bespreking | May 10, 2018 |

Nurses Three : First Assignment (A Penny Scott Story) door Jean Kirby

First line:
~ Penelope Scott shifted in her straight chair and recrossed her feet ~

I just finished Nurses Three: First Assignment which, I have owned since 1963. I was given it by a friend Sylvia for my 11th birthday. I grew up to be a nurse and it gave me quite a chuckle to re-read this book at age 59. Penny is a new graduate who gets a job as a private duty home nurse for an elderly gentleman who has had a heart attack. The patient has two sons who are both interested in dating Penny and she seems to have no problem with that from a nursing ethics point of view. She also becomes quite personally involved with the patient and his family and his financial situation. I can see that the story would have made nursing seem quite glamorous to me as an 11 year old. Penny also helps a deaf-mute boy learn sign language and get away from his abusive father. Oh, if nursing were only truly like this!

The book is seriously outdated in terms of medical information and, as mentioned before, the lack of nursing ethics but as a 'blast from the past' it was a fun read.

I think I shall move this one off my shelves. I don't think I would want any young person in my life reading this book now.… (meer)