A Very Peruvian Practice: Travels With LA Senora [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

John Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

When John Lane arrived for a six-week stay as adviser to the Women's Health Care Centre of Lima, a private clinic built by La Senora Coraima Pandora del Teodosia Zapallo-Chupado Palermo Bonomini, to provide an appropriate setting for her highly qualified husband Dr Hermogenes, he had little idea what he was taking on. Our clinic is mainly for the expecting woman, La Senora explained. But as yet there was no lift between the delivery room and the wards, so business was limited. As the Clinic staggered from financial difficulty to total insolvency, the author found himself caught up in the rhythms of Peruvian life, attending bullfights with Dr Hermogenes, who was an aficionado, accompanying La Senora to the weddings and funerals of her large extended family and on her whirlwind shopping expeditions to various parts of Peru, while in the background the chaotic presidential elections rumbled on. Punctuated by increasingly desperate attempts to refinance the Clinic, his stay extended far beyond the original six weeks. John Lane's account of life with the irrepressible Senora and the unconventional staff of the Clinic opens a unique window on Peruvian society and politics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Writing in a wonderfully jovial style, Lane creates a highly perceptive and very funny depiction of Peruvian society" -- The Geographical Magazine 20030601 "It is a hilarious commentary on life in Peru" -- Times Literary Supplement 20030601 "It is refreshing to find a writer with the breadth of experience of John Lane ... Lane has a confident and original writing voice ... he is certainly a fine comic writer, and I hope that, in between global troubleshooting, he will find time to write more books" -- Miranda France, Telegraph 20030524 "A delightful account of living in Peru" -- The Field 20040101 "A unique window on Peruvian society and politics" -- Winning Breaks 20040101 'A quirky, jovially funny memoir.' -- The Times 20040124 "Written in a hilarious style, this is a unique look at Peruvian politics, society and culture." -- Liverpool Echo 20031227

About the Author

John Lane spent 35 years in the Royal Navy where he saw operational service in Malaya, Aden and North Borneo and commanded naval establishments in Gibraltar and Oman. After leaving the Navy he served as a Senior Hospital Administrator in the Gulf War, and has worked for the Ryder Cheshire Foundation, and for the International Red Cross in trouble spots across the world. In 1992 he was head of mission for the HALO trust in Afghanistan. He was awarded the OBE in 1985.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: John Murray (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719562090
• ISBN-13: 978-0719562099
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Peruvian Pleasure, July 3, 2004

By 

L O'connor (richmond, surrey United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Very Peruvian Practice: Travels With LA Senora (Hardcover)

In this delightful book John Lane describes the time he spent as adviser to the Ladies Health Care Clinic in Lima. The Clinic has been built by the remarkable La Senora Pandora del Teodosia Zapallo-Chupado Palermo Bonomini for her husband, Dr. Hermogenese. 'Our clinic is mainly for the expecting woman' La Senora explains. John Lane finds himself plunged into an eccentric and fascinating world, at the heart of which is the enchanting Senora. A dedicated shopper, she explains "I only buy what I need. The trouble is, I need everything" There now! Exactly how I feel about shopping myself, if only my husband could understand. Under the charismatic influence of La Senora, John Lane finds himself dressing up as a ballet dancer to perform at a carnival, dressed as Father Christmas distributing presents from the clinic roof, taking part in a bullfight, and getting involved in other alarming escapades. Meanwhile the struggle to finance the clinic continues, "I don't know why there are so many banks here" La Senora remarks "for nobody has any money". John Lane does not ignore the problems of life in Peru, he writes of the poverty, the high crime level, and the massive government corruption. Nevertheless, so beguiling does he make Peru in general and the clinic in particular appear, that by the end of the book, when he finally leaves, you wonder how he could bear to leave this wonderful place and these extraordinary and fascinating people.An absolute delight.