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jacki_f's review against another edition
3.0
Elizabeth Taylor is a surgeon at Wellington Hospital. She's highly accomplished and arrogant, at the top of her game. She has learned to tamp down her emotions to the point where she's pretty cold in her interactions with both colleagues and loved ones. She's hard to like.
The book opens with an operation that goes wrong and the rest of the book is about the fallout from that. The theme of mistakes with fatal consequences is also explored by the parallel descriptions of the disastrous Challenger launch in 1986.
I like books that leave it to the reader to infer things without spelling everything out but I felt like this book was too sparsely told. I didn't mind at all the assumption that we would follow the medical jargon (most of it was clear to me and the few parts that weren't didn't matter). However I felt like I was being shut out of Elizabeth's thought processes and occasionally things that seemed quite pivotal were just mentioned after the fact. I would have liked more of that and less of the Challenger story.
The book opens with an operation that goes wrong and the rest of the book is about the fallout from that. The theme of mistakes with fatal consequences is also explored by the parallel descriptions of the disastrous Challenger launch in 1986.
I like books that leave it to the reader to infer things without spelling everything out but I felt like this book was too sparsely told. I didn't mind at all the assumption that we would follow the medical jargon (most of it was clear to me and the few parts that weren't didn't matter). However I felt like I was being shut out of Elizabeth's thought processes and occasionally things that seemed quite pivotal were just mentioned after the fact. I would have liked more of that and less of the Challenger story.
ettegoom's review against another edition
3.0
At the beginning, I found Liz brusque and unlikable. Through the story she gained some humanity, which I appreciated.
The story was interesting overall, although the writing was, at times, difficult to follow. I'm still not entirely sure that I understand the conclusion... I'll have to re-read it I think.
The story was interesting overall, although the writing was, at times, difficult to follow. I'm still not entirely sure that I understand the conclusion... I'll have to re-read it I think.
hopeslittlelibrary's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is really hard to review.
There was a lot about it that I really enjoyed, and some scenes that shocked me (I like that) but it was also a little confusing.
The writing style was at times quite jarring to read.
Seems to be quite a polarising read, with people either giving it 4 stars, or 2 stars.
I did like it, and it was definitely something different which I appreciate.
There was a lot about it that I really enjoyed, and some scenes that shocked me (I like that) but it was also a little confusing.
The writing style was at times quite jarring to read.
Seems to be quite a polarising read, with people either giving it 4 stars, or 2 stars.
I did like it, and it was definitely something different which I appreciate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death
chelsea21's review
1.0
*received an ARC
*it was recommended for fans of "Cutting For Stone" and "State of Wonder", two of my favorites
*disjointed plot
*flat characters
*no depth
*it was recommended for fans of "Cutting For Stone" and "State of Wonder", two of my favorites
*disjointed plot
*flat characters
*no depth
brmhall's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
cmoo053's review against another edition
4.0
A Mistake seems to be a novel that is either loved or loathed and in a lot of ways I can see why. I personally, found this story about medical mishap immensely affecting. Although almost every character was flawed in a way that grated, shocked, or appalled me at various moments I finished this novel with an immense amount of empathy for them. I don’t have the experience to comment on the accuracy of the portrayal of the NZ hospital system here, or the medical community at large, but this story seemed to me to capture the unrelenting pressure, and deep personal sacrifice that a career in this field demands. Shuker has a lot of interesting things to say about what we do to survive this kind of pressure and how these demands colour our relationships both within and beyond the world of work. There were scenes in this novel that made me feel physically ill, but I suspect this is exactly how Shuker wanted his reader to feel in these moments. It’s a novel that draws heavily on traditions of NZ gothic, and although I found it confronting I was both mesmerised and moved by it.
fmurray97's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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