A Very Peruvian Practice: Travels With LA Senora

'I am not a high shopper,' said La Senora. 'In fact I may even call myself a medium-low shopper. I only buy what I need. The trouble is, I need everything.'The truth of these words all too soon becomes apparent to John Lane after he arrives for a six-week stay as adviser to the Ladies' Health Care Clinic, Lima, a private clinic built by La Senora Pandora del Teodosia Zapallo-Chupado Palermo Bonomini to provide an appropriate setting for her highly qualified husband Dr. Hermogenes. 'Our clinic is mainly for the expecting woman,' La Senora explains. But alas, as yet there is no lift between the delivery room and the wards, so business is limited.As the Clinic staggers from financial difficulty to total insolvency, the author finds himself caught up in the rhythms of Peruvian life, attending bullfights with Dr. Hermogenes who is an aficionado, accompanying La Senora to the weddings and funerals of her large extended family and on her whirlwind shopping expeditions to various interesting parts of Peru, while in the background the chaotic Presidential elections rumble on. Punctuated by increasingly desperate attempts to refinance the Clinic, his stay extends for beyond the original six weeks.John Lane's hilarious account of life with the irrepressible Senora and the unconventional staff of the Clinic opens a unique window on Peruvian society and politics.