I liked this book very much. It is the story of RJ Cole, doctor. This is the last book of a trilogy about the Drs. Cole. The first two were about lands far away and long ago. The other docs were men and RJ is a woman. She has inherited "the Gift" that some of her ancestors had, in that she can feel the imminent death of a person simply by holding their hands and sensing the outcome of their health.
There is alot going on in this book. Three women have been friends for many years and we follow their struggles as they become doctors and the paths they choose in their lives and careers.
RJ eventually becomes a country doctor after leaving a bad marriage and a career in Boston. Her father is a good mentor and she confides in him and has a good relationship with him. He is not sure about her decision but supports her. She does well in the country and is well received after some time.
She has a love interest, David in her life and it is complicated and becomes more so as the story moves along. He has a daughter, Sara, who is wary of hert at first, but then accepts her into their lives. Then there is tragedy and you must keep reading...
She volunteers in an abortion clinic. I sighed as I read that part and it is part of a fallen world, so I guess the author must have included it for a reason.
For awhile, she lives alone in this house on the verge and the lyrical language of her life is truly poetical. The imagery that comes to mind when reading all the outdoor scenes is really lovely. You can close your eyes and feel like you're right there. Beautiful!!
I was sorry to see it end, but, alas, there are several more books by Noah Gordon that I haven't yet read!!

Matters of Choice is the third book of Noah Gordon's successful trilogy. This part takes a jump of several centuries, focusing on the life of one of the descendants of the protagonist of the first novel. Like the first part, the medicine will be the thread of the plot, but this time, the main character is a female that will have to confront gender bias in a difficult time to be a woman doctor. For me, this book is even better than the first, especially for the realistic atmosphere of the time and the strength of the main character. It’s a fiction book that mixes adventure, drama and above all, a journey through the exciting world of science.

Spanish version:
La doctora cole es el tercer libro de la exitosa trilogía de Noah Gordon. Esta parte hace un salto de varios siglos para centrarnos en la vida de una de las descendientes del protagonista de la primera novela. Como en la primera parte, la medicina será el hilo conductor de la trama, pero esta vez se e añadirá el hecho de que la protagonista femenina deberá enfrentarse a los prejuicios de sexo en una época difícil para una mujer médico. Para mí este libro es aún mejor que el primero, sobretodo por la genial ambientación de la época y la fuerza de su protagonista. Es un libro de ficción que mezcla aventuras, drama y sobretodo un viaje a través del apasionante mundo de la ciencia y las personas.

To end the trilogy, Gordon offers us a current story, whose protagonist is a woman who faces the problems of today's society, Dr Roberta J. Cole, who after suffering a series of traumatic personal experiences makes the decision to completely change her lifestyle and become a rural doctor.
An entertaining story with a bittersweet ending (such a coward, David).
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Para poner fin a la trilogía, Gordon, nos ofrece una historia actual, cuya protagonista es una mujer que se enfrenta a los problemas de la sociedad de hoy en día, la Dra. Roberta J. Cole, quien tras sufrir una serie de traumáticas experiencias personales toma la decisión de cambiar totalmente su estilo de vida y convertirse en una médica rural.
Una historia entretenida con un final agridulce (qué cobarde, David).

Después de tanto tiempo he podido concluir la historia de la Familia Cole, o no?!! Jajaja. Siempre es de mucho placer leer a Noah Gordon, sus libros son geniales y llenos de esa magia que te envuelve e invita a pedir más. Gran libro. Excelente trilogía!

If you enjoyed Noah Gordon's "The Physician" and even "Shaman," don't read this final book in the trilogy! In "Matters of Choice" Gordon lost his way and produced what could only be described as a second rate novel, possibly written to appeal mostly to women. It lacks style, story and interest. It is predictable and pedantic. Sorry I read it.

The last book of the trilogy is set in present day. Similar to the other two books, Dr. Roberta J. Cole has the special gift that she can tell the life/death of someone just by holding their hand.

Dr. Cole starts out in Boston in a busy world with many responsibilities and wants to get away to the quieter life. After getting a divorce, she moves to a back woods kind of place and opens up a private practice. She meets a father and daughter and falls in love with both of them. Tradegy strikes and everything is just broken apart. Dr. Cole manages to come through and thrives with her practice. In the end she gets what she wants, well almost.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The last book in The Cole Trilogy was not the historical fiction for which Noah Gordon is known. It’s much more contemporary, although he does manage to stay in the storyline by creating a female Cole descendant who has also inherited “the gift.”

I thoroughly enjoyed R.J. Cole’s story and appreciated the contemporary twist the author added to the story, with societal issues playing a big role: abortion and health care cost in the U.S. I’ve read several reviews that faulted the author his political liberal views. I guess they didn’t bother me because I’m pretty much on the same page.

Will definitely be reading more Noah Gordon. Next up (at least on tap for 2023) is The Last Jew which I’m very much looking forward to.

The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge - 2023
Prompt #39 - The final book in a series

Me faltaba este libro "más moderno" que salió muchos años más tarde de mi lectura de la primera y segunda novela dela triologia y esto no podía ser... tenia que leerlo porque Noah Gordon es para mí uno de los grandes (aunque no todo lo que escribe me encanta).

Sin duda me ha gustado el toque de continuidad muy muy leve que le ha dado con el "Don" (no he podido evitar esbozar una sonrisa con nostalgia) pero soy de los que opinan que me ha faltado algo más y que no es el broche "perfecto" para la triolgia.

Este libro no se basa tanto en la historia de los avances médicos sino que nos explica el sistema sanitario estadounidense. Al igual que Obama ha intentado establecer un sistema de seguridad social que cubra a toda la población, Clinton ya lo intentó durante sus años como presidente y en esos años se desarrolla la historia de este libro. La verdad que tras leerlo uno se alegra de tener el sistema que tenemos, por muchos fallos que pueda tener.

El tema del aborto volverá a surgir y veremos diferentes opiniones sobre el tema en función de las creencias de cada personaje hasta que al final tendrá una importancia crucial en el desarrollo de la historia. No veremos un final feliz, tampoco triste...pero este libro nos deja con una sensación agridulce.

En definitiva, el libro no está a la altura de los dos primeros de la saga. No es que no me haya gustado, pero cuando has leído los dos primeros las comparaciones son inevitables. Creo que al no tener ese componente histórico ha perdido encanto. Además es evitable al no ser necesario leer todos para entender la historia.

While I enjoyed the story, this book was a disappointment compared to the first two novels. While given historical fiction that piqued interest on two celebrities, this narrative was just a story--and a predictable story too. I was interested in the characters but could see the plot twists coming a long way off. Not Gordon's greatest accomplishment.

I enjoyed this book, but it is not quite what u was expecting, since the first two books in the series were historical fiction and this was contemporary. The topic was a difficult one to tackle. I applaud Noah Gordon for doing so, but can see how he might alienate some of his readership with the views expressed.

Once again, Noah Gordon wraps a sense of modern reality in the story of the Coles. For me, personally, this wasn't the brightest of the trilogy, but that is most likely due to the fact that it is set in 'today's world. My knowledge is deeper about the issues, so R.J's experiences were not unexpected as it relates to the practice of medicine. I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.

After the rich, historic settings of the first two books in the Coles Trilogy (The Physician and Shaman), Matters of Choice felt like a bit of a letdown. It's not a bad novel, nor poorly written. It just doesn't feel like the same quality of literary fiction after reading the other two books.