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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
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:
Yes
Heat and dust cling to every page, dragging me into Ethiopia’s tangled pulse. The book reaches into places most don’t see, pressing stories into my skin like rough cloth. Emotions surge sharp and raw, twisting through facts that refuse to soften or explain away.
The people carry their histories in heavy silence—each scar, every quiet moment, folded deep inside. The writing slices through the easy and the neat, settling instead on truths that bruise and burn.
Details settle inside me like sharp stones, each one shaping a world both fragile and fierce. The voices whisper long after the words stop, marking a place where hope clings stubbornly beneath hardship.
This isn’t a gentle journey—it scratches, it bites, but it never lets go.
The people carry their histories in heavy silence—each scar, every quiet moment, folded deep inside. The writing slices through the easy and the neat, settling instead on truths that bruise and burn.
Details settle inside me like sharp stones, each one shaping a world both fragile and fierce. The voices whisper long after the words stop, marking a place where hope clings stubbornly beneath hardship.
This isn’t a gentle journey—it scratches, it bites, but it never lets go.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Way too much medical lingo and descriptions of conditions and procedures. Too much information.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I felt especially in the beginning like it was trying too hard. Like someone told the author how to write a bestseller and he made sure to include everything on the list. That being said, it is definitely entertaining and well written so maybe its a plus to tick all the bestseller boxes ;)
A very unusual coming of age story set mostly in Ethiopia. Not for the squeamish or faint of heart - there are numerous graphically described surgery scenes and depictions of horrible illnesses and injuries that the author makes it all too easy to imagine. That said, he is truly eloquent on the subjects of medicine, the body, life and death. Because he sets his fictional narrative in a real time and place, I felt like he opened up a bit of the world for me. I enjoyed this book very much and now want to read Verghese's first book.
DNF I have a high tolerance for slow books, but I got to page 120 and the only thing that happened was a baby was born. Just boring.
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Ultimately I enjoyed reading it. The thing I like most about Verghese is how he mixed in detailed medical information and descriptions of surgery with a sweeping story full of characters and with beautiful sentences.
Things I liked:
-setting changing, from India, Ethiopia, New York, etc
-middle class family perspective set against revolution and other political events
-medical plotlines, surgical residency, surgery descriptions, and how health and disease played a huge role
-everything ties together
-love is central to this story
Things I didn't like:
-the relationship to sex for almost all the characters, I felt there was quite a bit of mysoginy here including a sex scene that felt distasteful and in actuality would be considered assault - I did not feel like there was a critique of mysoginy here
-pacing, a very slow start to this one. this is in keeping with verghese's writing style I think, as he painstakingly sets you up for a good emotional payout later
Things I liked:
-setting changing, from India, Ethiopia, New York, etc
-middle class family perspective set against revolution and other political events
-medical plotlines, surgical residency, surgery descriptions, and how health and disease played a huge role
-everything ties together
-love is central to this story
Things I didn't like:
-the relationship to sex for almost all the characters, I felt there was quite a bit of mysoginy here including a sex scene that felt distasteful and in actuality would be considered assault - I did not feel like there was a critique of mysoginy here
-pacing, a very slow start to this one. this is in keeping with verghese's writing style I think, as he painstakingly sets you up for a good emotional payout later
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Rape
The last 1/4 of the story redeemed this for me. I thought many parts were long winded and drawn out so it made it difficult to want to finish.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
This was a great book. I learned a lot (more than I wanted to) about surgery, as well as the history of Ethiopia.
Nice story, too. Started off a bit slow, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.
Nice story, too. Started off a bit slow, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down.