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ivanafool's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Dense reading, the conversations between characters don't always make sense, but they are endearing in their own ways. Ending is uprubt and left open to interpretation as to what our dear Martin Arrowsmith does with the rest of his life. I wouldn't read it again.
waynediane's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent writing and information. Actually, what is interesting is the fact that he is not a Physician ( his father was) about the details of medicine and what was know back in the 1920's. Arrowsmith a Narcissist- great character development in most and interactions back in that era. It is a slow read.
_hollie064_'s review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Les Miserable of medical fiction
vsgayatri's review against another edition
5.0
Sinclair Lewis is a master of descriptions. He boils all manner of people down to the essentials, then boils them some more. Out of the viscous sludge of stereotype he drags out fully formed pictures, so vivid that within seconds you feel like you have known these people and places forever. And perhaps you have. This is a tale of very ordinary people, the ones we are and meet. In anyone else's hands such a story would almost certainly have been drab and uninteresting (aside from Mark Twain, perhaps). But Sinclair revels in the mundane and mediocre. While his gaze is sardonic and cynical, it has a heartfelt understanding of the trappings of human society and science.
A beautiful piece of writing.
A beautiful piece of writing.
elmatera's review against another edition
3.0
In an interview recently, Abraham Verghese (a prominent doctor/writer) cited Arrowsmith as one of the books that people often say inspired them to be physicians. (His personal inspiration was the novel "Of Human Bondage.") When I first started Arrowsmith, it was hard to see how its satirical tone and waffling main character could possibly "inspire" anyone. And in fact, Martin Arrowsmith doesn't end up being a physician, per se, at all. His real passion is research science, and the overarching conflict of the character (and one theme of the book) has to do with the struggle of medicine to become a truly scientific endeavor. In 1925, when Arrowsmith was written, I think this struggle was in a hot and heavy period. Though we now have "evidence-based medicine" and a tacit assumption that we only do things that have been scientifically proven based on real data, I think this struggle is still alive and well in reality.
As for the book as literature worth reading, Martin Arrowsmith's personal struggle actually becomes pretty compelling in the end. For all its satire, the book's portrayal of Martin as someone who has a sincere core but can't help being blown around by social and political forces rings fairly true and is somewhat complex. I was probably most interested in Martin in the middle of the book when he was trying to make a difference as a public health official than I was at the end when he was figuring out that he shouldn't have to fulfill his commitment to his wife if it meant at all compromising his obsessive love of research.
The most irritating part of the book is, of course, its female characters: the first wife who Lewis tries to convince us has a strong sense of self but who seems to have zero wants, needs, or ambitions of her own; versus the second wife who is independently wealthy, has her own ideas about what makes life worthwhile, but sadly seems to need/demand her husband's love and attention in a way poor little first wife never would have (and thus was revered, perfect). Most of the others are smart-mouthed or fairly silly airheads, controlling, wealthy harpies, and pretentious pseudo-intellectuals.
In the end, reading Arrowsmith gave me some interesting medicine-relevant issues to think about and overall an engaging story, in spite of its dated attitudes and style.
As for the book as literature worth reading, Martin Arrowsmith's personal struggle actually becomes pretty compelling in the end. For all its satire, the book's portrayal of Martin as someone who has a sincere core but can't help being blown around by social and political forces rings fairly true and is somewhat complex. I was probably most interested in Martin in the middle of the book when he was trying to make a difference as a public health official than I was at the end when he was figuring out that he shouldn't have to fulfill his commitment to his wife if it meant at all compromising his obsessive love of research.
The most irritating part of the book is, of course, its female characters: the first wife who Lewis tries to convince us has a strong sense of self but who seems to have zero wants, needs, or ambitions of her own; versus the second wife who is independently wealthy, has her own ideas about what makes life worthwhile, but sadly seems to need/demand her husband's love and attention in a way poor little first wife never would have (and thus was revered, perfect). Most of the others are smart-mouthed or fairly silly airheads, controlling, wealthy harpies, and pretentious pseudo-intellectuals.
In the end, reading Arrowsmith gave me some interesting medicine-relevant issues to think about and overall an engaging story, in spite of its dated attitudes and style.
soniapage's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting account of a young man's checquered career in medicine. This is a long book and Arrowsmith goes the long way around to end up where he thinks he wants to be. But does he? The ending leaves you wondering.
jarthur's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
hyun15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
i always knew that medical school was a bad idea
carlylottsofbookz's review against another edition
3.0
To start, this book was about a million times better than I thought it was going to be, to the point where I question my earlier thoughts of Lewis' work. (But I'm not going to go back and read Main Street...)
This book follows the life of Martin Arrowsmith. We meet him as a young child, who is hanging around the town doctor (who also has a bit of a drinking problem...) studying to be a doctor. Arrowsmith takes the doctor's advice, goes to college, then studies medicine and finds that he is pulled in the direction of scientific research. He also finds himself engaged (for a short time to two women at once), and then married to Leora. Leora is in many ways a perfect match for him because she wishes only really to be with him.
He tries at first to be a town doctor in Leora's hometown of Wheatslyvania, but finds that the town people dislike him and he moves on to a bigger city to work for the health department. He does moderately well there until his stubbornness gets him run out of town; and he is on his way to Chicago where he is making very good money, but not happy with the lack of research in his life. He writes to his old professor and soon has a very high paying job in New York doing research. It involves long hours and no social life, but Leora sticks with him through it all.
Then the plague hits the West Indies, and a possible cure that Martin has been working on could save the people. He, Leora and a fellow scientist go to the island and begin treating natives. At one point, Martin goes to another town to continue treating people, and makes Leora stay behind...where she catches the plague and dies alone. (Martin is also at this time either having a full on affair with a woman named Joyce he finds, or simply flirting, it was difficult for me to discern.)
The plague eases up--and although Martin get a lot of credit for his treatment, it is never really scientifically shown that it was his doing that ended the plague. He moves back to New York, publishes, becomes famous, has more money than he's ever dreamed of, and remarries with Joyce.
But nothing is satisfying to him if he is unable to do research, and he eventually leaves Joyce and his son John to join his research friend and work all day and night.
He proves repeatedly to be a stubborn, selfish person. But the book itself is pretty funny and interesting. Lot more science than perhaps it needed...but a good read.
This book follows the life of Martin Arrowsmith. We meet him as a young child, who is hanging around the town doctor (who also has a bit of a drinking problem...) studying to be a doctor. Arrowsmith takes the doctor's advice, goes to college, then studies medicine and finds that he is pulled in the direction of scientific research. He also finds himself engaged (for a short time to two women at once), and then married to Leora. Leora is in many ways a perfect match for him because she wishes only really to be with him.
He tries at first to be a town doctor in Leora's hometown of Wheatslyvania, but finds that the town people dislike him and he moves on to a bigger city to work for the health department. He does moderately well there until his stubbornness gets him run out of town; and he is on his way to Chicago where he is making very good money, but not happy with the lack of research in his life. He writes to his old professor and soon has a very high paying job in New York doing research. It involves long hours and no social life, but Leora sticks with him through it all.
Then the plague hits the West Indies, and a possible cure that Martin has been working on could save the people. He, Leora and a fellow scientist go to the island and begin treating natives. At one point, Martin goes to another town to continue treating people, and makes Leora stay behind...where she catches the plague and dies alone. (Martin is also at this time either having a full on affair with a woman named Joyce he finds, or simply flirting, it was difficult for me to discern.)
The plague eases up--and although Martin get a lot of credit for his treatment, it is never really scientifically shown that it was his doing that ended the plague. He moves back to New York, publishes, becomes famous, has more money than he's ever dreamed of, and remarries with Joyce.
But nothing is satisfying to him if he is unable to do research, and he eventually leaves Joyce and his son John to join his research friend and work all day and night.
He proves repeatedly to be a stubborn, selfish person. But the book itself is pretty funny and interesting. Lot more science than perhaps it needed...but a good read.