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The Rustle of Bamboo
Here is a hospital story with a difference, for it is set on a Burmese island where one white doctor and two nurses, with a native staff, waged a ceaseless war against tropical diseases, parasites and an utterly exhausting climate. Pat found it hard going in any case...but much more so when she fell in love with the doctor whose only feeling for her seemed to be intense irritation.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
About the author
Lilian Warren
79 books10 followersLilian Warren aka Rosalind Brett, Kathryn Blair, Katrina Britt, and Celine Conway.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
Lilian Warren was born in London, England, UK. She worked as secretary, when at 19, her first magazine story was accepted. She married and moved to South Africa, where she continued writing. In the 1950s, she started to write to Rich & Cowan, and later to Mills & Boon, under various pseudonyms Rosalind Brett, Celine Conway, and Kathryn Blair. She passed away on 1961 in South Africa. Some of her books were published posthumuously.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 22, 2025
An English nurse leaves the unhappy memories of her neglected childhood and failed romance behind, and applies for a post overseas at a ramshackle clinic on an Indonesian island.
Heroine is doing remarkably well at her job until three months into her stay, when a new doctor, the H, traipses into town, ready to shake things up, and boy does he ever. Rude, arrogant, blunt, did I mention rude? H seems to take fault with everything and everyone, particularly the h. To give her credit, she does not let him push her around and once, when the unfair and petty accusations have grown to a fever pitch, she really lets him have it. Surprisingly, this triggers both an apology from him and a detente between them.
Things go downhill again when two OMs, one a handsome Norwegian patient at the clinic, and the other one a dashing mine manager, persistently pursue the h. H is back to his cutting, cruel remarks. It is obvious to everyone but h that he is deathly jealous.
Enters the H' slimy, rich bitch, merry widow ex who is back in town and fixated on getting her man back, even forcing her daddy warbucks to build H an entire hospital with all the technology and staff money can buy as an enticing treat to marry her. H does nothing to dissuade the h that he is getting back together with his ex and in fact he shoves the ex down h’s throat every chance he gets. I hate these kinds of Hs!!!! Grrrrrrr...
Again, kudos to the h for not crumbling under the pressure of OW's nasty remarks and humiliating commands, as OW moves herself into the clinic to be closer to the H and does her best to make h's life a living hell. The h and the OW had some terrific exchanges in which h did not let the other woman get the best of her, and I enjoyed those immensely.
But I couldn't forgive the H for so ruthlessly torturing the h with his supposedly rekindled romance with OW. The worst part of the book is when h comes back from a rare day off to find the OW moved into her small room at the clinic. And the Big, Fat, Bitch dared to move the h's bed to a dark, musty corner so that her own bed is close to the window, she has taken over the closet and drawers, and she has perfumed the air in the room with the nasty scent of her Turkish cigarettes. Bitch, are you for real right now?
The last straw is seeing the succubus OW trying to give the H an emergency tonsillectomy with her tongue. Our distraught nurse runs away, and gets herself stranded in the middle of nowhere with a tropical storm looming. This gives the H some very bad but unfortunately short-lived moments of terror as he tries in to locate and rescue her. When he finally finds her, the shaken H finally confesses to h that he loves her and was only using the ex to make her jealous. Alas, the h forgives him.
Meh. For such a likable, strong, smart h, I still think she ended up with a bit of a schmuck. It isn't a very good romance when either of the two OMs were better men than the H!
Heroine is doing remarkably well at her job until three months into her stay, when a new doctor, the H, traipses into town, ready to shake things up, and boy does he ever. Rude, arrogant, blunt, did I mention rude? H seems to take fault with everything and everyone, particularly the h. To give her credit, she does not let him push her around and once, when the unfair and petty accusations have grown to a fever pitch, she really lets him have it. Surprisingly, this triggers both an apology from him and a detente between them.
Things go downhill again when two OMs, one a handsome Norwegian patient at the clinic, and the other one a dashing mine manager, persistently pursue the h. H is back to his cutting, cruel remarks. It is obvious to everyone but h that he is deathly jealous.
Enters the H' slimy, rich bitch, merry widow ex who is back in town and fixated on getting her man back, even forcing her daddy warbucks to build H an entire hospital with all the technology and staff money can buy as an enticing treat to marry her. H does nothing to dissuade the h that he is getting back together with his ex and in fact he shoves the ex down h’s throat every chance he gets. I hate these kinds of Hs!!!! Grrrrrrr...
Again, kudos to the h for not crumbling under the pressure of OW's nasty remarks and humiliating commands, as OW moves herself into the clinic to be closer to the H and does her best to make h's life a living hell. The h and the OW had some terrific exchanges in which h did not let the other woman get the best of her, and I enjoyed those immensely.
But I couldn't forgive the H for so ruthlessly torturing the h with his supposedly rekindled romance with OW. The worst part of the book is when h comes back from a rare day off to find the OW moved into her small room at the clinic. And the Big, Fat, Bitch dared to move the h's bed to a dark, musty corner so that her own bed is close to the window, she has taken over the closet and drawers, and she has perfumed the air in the room with the nasty scent of her Turkish cigarettes. Bitch, are you for real right now?
The last straw is seeing the succubus OW trying to give the H an emergency tonsillectomy with her tongue. Our distraught nurse runs away, and gets herself stranded in the middle of nowhere with a tropical storm looming. This gives the H some very bad but unfortunately short-lived moments of terror as he tries in to locate and rescue her. When he finally finds her, the shaken H finally confesses to h that he loves her and was only using the ex to make her jealous. Alas, the h forgives him.
Meh. For such a likable, strong, smart h, I still think she ended up with a bit of a schmuck. It isn't a very good romance when either of the two OMs were better men than the H!
September 4, 2018
Reviewed this as White Doctor. Totally agree with Naksed's assessment, below.
June 14, 2025
A red-headed doctor and an emotionally closed off nurse in Burma.
"How much do you love me, Mark?" she asked unevenly. "What an inane question! You can't measure love, my foolish Pat. Surely I've given you enough evidence that I'm doing all the daft things men usually do when they're in love? I'll never be able to bear the thought of your going into an operating- theatre, and I don't even want you to nurse any more, though I don't suppose you'll be able to break off abruptly. I've watched you for exhaustion with the utmost anxiety and even made you do a little more sometimes, to find out if you were anywhere near breaking point. You aren't - don't worry. I've had sleepless nights over you, detested the sight of you talking with any other man - even Vincent - and I've swished like hell that I could undo the girlhood you had and put a happy one in its place."
For the first half of the book the h is so busy with her own misery, patients and rugged conditions, that she hardly notices the new doctor.
You could say that he’s admonishing her because of unprofessionalism instead of jealousy when she’s prone to petting a male patient and holding his hand.
The book is very dated and full of "whiteness" as the biggest accomplishment.
"How much do you love me, Mark?" she asked unevenly. "What an inane question! You can't measure love, my foolish Pat. Surely I've given you enough evidence that I'm doing all the daft things men usually do when they're in love? I'll never be able to bear the thought of your going into an operating- theatre, and I don't even want you to nurse any more, though I don't suppose you'll be able to break off abruptly. I've watched you for exhaustion with the utmost anxiety and even made you do a little more sometimes, to find out if you were anywhere near breaking point. You aren't - don't worry. I've had sleepless nights over you, detested the sight of you talking with any other man - even Vincent - and I've swished like hell that I could undo the girlhood you had and put a happy one in its place."
For the first half of the book the h is so busy with her own misery, patients and rugged conditions, that she hardly notices the new doctor.
You could say that he’s admonishing her because of unprofessionalism instead of jealousy when she’s prone to petting a male patient and holding his hand.
The book is very dated and full of "whiteness" as the biggest accomplishment.
September 4, 2018
The H spends too much time trying to get the h jealous -- it was rather cruel and really unnecessary, and he's glad she's in tears about it. Also, I'm assuming that everyone knows that a book called "White Doctor" is inherently racist, so come prepared for that if you decide to read this.
Also, he's a red-headed H and we all know that those are always irascible cranks.
Also, he's a red-headed H and we all know that those are always irascible cranks.
October 1, 2018
Originally published in 1950s. This version was published in the 1960s. The setting remained in the 1950s as written and located in Burma. This was set in a hospital with a doctor hero and nurse heroine. Enjoyable at the time of reading in 1975.
March 4, 2017
AKA "A Rustle of Bamboo"
February 21, 2024
Red-haired hero alert! (To those who care about these things)
I really enjoyed this old skool Harlequin. I confess that it might be because I haven't read anything in a while and this time out in a hospital in Burma really felt like an escape from our current reality.
Naksed has a thorough plot review - but I'll just sum it up here:
Wonderful, spirited heroine is a trainee nurse in a ramshackle hospital in the tropics. She is half-alive because of a terrible childhood with warring divorced parents and a failed romantic relationship. She likes being numb to the world, btw.
Hero doctor replaces the sad sack director and shakes everyone up - including the heroine. He pays her a lot of attention. They have actual converations and actual experiences together. A budding romance is coming along nicely until the OW shows up to fill in as a senior nurse.
Heroine is jealous. Hero is jealous of all the men in love with heroine. Lots of silly triangle angst until OW leaves in a huff and heroine is caught in a rainstorm.
I really liked these two together. I believed their gradual progress to love and I think they'll have a great marriage. He really woke her up and she is all the better for it. I love when a hero brings out the best in a heroine. She will always have him wrapped around her finger - even though he doesn't realize it yet.
Caution: this is a long, slow story. It suited my mood, but it might not work if you're looking for something fast and intense.
I really enjoyed this old skool Harlequin. I confess that it might be because I haven't read anything in a while and this time out in a hospital in Burma really felt like an escape from our current reality.
Naksed has a thorough plot review - but I'll just sum it up here:
Wonderful, spirited heroine is a trainee nurse in a ramshackle hospital in the tropics. She is half-alive because of a terrible childhood with warring divorced parents and a failed romantic relationship. She likes being numb to the world, btw.
Hero doctor replaces the sad sack director and shakes everyone up - including the heroine. He pays her a lot of attention. They have actual converations and actual experiences together. A budding romance is coming along nicely until the OW shows up to fill in as a senior nurse.
Heroine is jealous. Hero is jealous of all the men in love with heroine. Lots of silly triangle angst until OW leaves in a huff and heroine is caught in a rainstorm.
I really liked these two together. I believed their gradual progress to love and I think they'll have a great marriage. He really woke her up and she is all the better for it. I love when a hero brings out the best in a heroine. She will always have him wrapped around her finger - even though he doesn't realize it yet.
Caution: this is a long, slow story. It suited my mood, but it might not work if you're looking for something fast and intense.
August 29, 2023
8.5/10 I enjoyed this story about British nurse + doctor in the tropics. The setting is extremely well described. The heroine is feisty and stands up to the red-headed doctor, who is rough on the edges but decent at the core. He is quick to apologise when he is in the wrong. Predominantly in the heroine's POV, the progression of her feelings to the hero is gradual and believable (not always the case with this author). They share a few pleasant scenes together. The resolution is the usual one where the hero thinks the heroine is in danger, he comes to her rescue and there is a showdown where shuttered feelings are revealed.
February 25, 2024
The jungle hospital setting was more interesting than the quasi romance. Purposely making the person you love jealous to “wake them up” is cruel.
February 28, 2025
On a re-read I liked this more. I do feel that one has to get into the mindset of this author by reading a lot of her books before you can really appreciate her characters.
A trainee nurse heroine (22) goes to Burma after an awful childhood and being blindsided by a man on her 21st birthday and after 3 months a new doctor (34) takes over running the small tropical hospital. Just as the heroine is beginning to wake up to the attraction of the hero, his ex-girlfriend comes to help out and changes the atmosphere. The OW is typically rich, beautiful, ghastly and excluding the heroine (and taking over her room). A wonderful OM in this story is an injured Norwegian who falls for the heroine nurse and there's a mine manager that she sometimes sees as well - both causing jealousy with the hero. Not till the end do we see the hero really cares for the heroine, but it's a nice declaration and it feels as is their HEA is guaranteed.
A trainee nurse heroine (22) goes to Burma after an awful childhood and being blindsided by a man on her 21st birthday and after 3 months a new doctor (34) takes over running the small tropical hospital. Just as the heroine is beginning to wake up to the attraction of the hero, his ex-girlfriend comes to help out and changes the atmosphere. The OW is typically rich, beautiful, ghastly and excluding the heroine (and taking over her room). A wonderful OM in this story is an injured Norwegian who falls for the heroine nurse and there's a mine manager that she sometimes sees as well - both causing jealousy with the hero. Not till the end do we see the hero really cares for the heroine, but it's a nice declaration and it feels as is their HEA is guaranteed.
August 8, 2016
A nice medical romance between the doctor of a small island hospital and a junior nurse. It is a very small hospital on an Asian island. Attitudes towards the native islanders are quite different to current attitudes. The book was written in the 1950s. It is quite lengthy for this type of novel and in my opinion could have been cut down by 20% or so. There is a nasty OW and some OM that court the heroine but she gets her man in the end.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews