Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i would have rated this slightly lower if not for the way the ending unfolded. it felt so complete, both shocking and resonant with the rest of this long, meandering saga. poignant, touching, riveting, etc
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Having read “the covenant of water” first, I came into this novel unsurprised by the style of Verghese’s writing, his prose, and his predilection for all things medical. I know a lot of reviews disparage the passages that focus on medicine, the technical aspects of surgery, the banalities of anatomy, or the intricacies of a delicate procedure that makes non medical personnel squeamish. I think this is a book written by a medical professional almost for medical professionals in a way. Yes there is a story here about families and loss, betrayal, forgiveness, and a search for one’s coming of age, but this is a work that captures an unknown part of life for many. I deeply appreciated how the intricacies of hospital life in a field hospital in a third world country, and in a county/community level hospital in a first world country can be. The whole of surgical residency is described here, with an extremely realistic and eye opening narrative that I think many people don’t realize is the touchstone of medical training. More people need to at least know the depth to which their doctors and future doctors have trained and do train, and that the sacrifices we make take a lasting toll on us.
For all the good that can be said over this book, I did struggle immensely with the characterization of the main male protagonist. His portrayal as this boy and then man with this incredibly unhealthy obsession over one girl is quite taxing to read. Additionally, the copious amounts of sexual passages that are basically just the male protagonist fetishizing his love interest and her body were very off putting and frustrating for me to read at times. His character arc when it comes to this love interest shows no capacity for growth and remains a cumbersome thorn in any readers side. I did, however, appreciate the late stage call back and reference to Galveston island, and the prison hospital there, as my medical school training was spent inside that prison hospital (albeit years later).
In all, I did enjoy this book, but perhaps not as much as “the covenant of water.” While this book intrigued me for its medical and sociopolitical themes, I feel like in terms of characterization and arcs, I felt quite disconnected and disengaged from the story due to the fact that this story is told in a painfully male and paternalistic viewpoint.
For all the good that can be said over this book, I did struggle immensely with the characterization of the main male protagonist. His portrayal as this boy and then man with this incredibly unhealthy obsession over one girl is quite taxing to read. Additionally, the copious amounts of sexual passages that are basically just the male protagonist fetishizing his love interest and her body were very off putting and frustrating for me to read at times. His character arc when it comes to this love interest shows no capacity for growth and remains a cumbersome thorn in any readers side. I did, however, appreciate the late stage call back and reference to Galveston island, and the prison hospital there, as my medical school training was spent inside that prison hospital (albeit years later).
In all, I did enjoy this book, but perhaps not as much as “the covenant of water.” While this book intrigued me for its medical and sociopolitical themes, I feel like in terms of characterization and arcs, I felt quite disconnected and disengaged from the story due to the fact that this story is told in a painfully male and paternalistic viewpoint.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Beautiful
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
If you have read this book, you have experienced something truly remarkable. Cutting For Stone is one of the best books I have ever read - for its narrative, for its warmth, for its literary style, for its humanity, for its un-put-downable quality, for the journey it takes the reader through, for its realism and for its breadth. It is unfathomable to me that someone can create fiction like this and write the way that Verghese has done. If you read no other book in the next decade, read this one.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is partly about medicine and partly about how some doctors interact with their co-workers and heal people in the messy world around them. Sound like a book version of Grey's Anatomy? Not exactly, the characters are human, flawed, endearing, rude and complicated. Add a pregnant nun, conjoined twins, South Asians in Ethiopia, a med student in NY, a crazy political situation and mix it all up! Voila....a great tale. Yes, sometimes I yelled at the book. Other times, I was mad at certain characters, but it certainly drew me in. Just give it a try....you might just be swept away.
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No