Scan barcode
schmoterp's review against another edition
3.0
Arrowsmith tells the story of Martin Arrowsmith, a bright idealistic scientist on his life's work. From the beginning of his time at medical school, he is influenced by the prodigious and eccentric Dr. Gottlieb. Gottlieb's motivation was science and the search for truth; he was critical of "commercial" medical practitioners and those sycophantic scientists doing work for money and glory. This would become Arrowsmith's chief struggle throughout his professional life.
Complicating matters, as it so often does, Martin falls in love...a couple of times actually. He would eventually marry Leora who's devotion to Martin is saintly. Neither Martin nor any other man deserves a woman so patently unselfish as I found Leora to be. For the record, Martin is only somewhat aware of how lucky he is. Nevertheless, it is because of Leora that he makes certain choices and it is through Leora that he comes back to his roots in the laboratory. During this time, he has a breakthrough with a substance he calls "phage" and it would lead him to do field research and testing of the phage with a bubonic plague outbreak in the Caribbean. Leora would succumb to the disease that Martin was trying to cure. Upon his return home, he is jettisoned into upper society, finding a second wife who is rich rich rich. She birthed his only child, a son, and she even built him an enviable laboratory right at home. His trade-off would be to attend dinner parties and chit-chat with people he disdains as much as he could stand. Martin eventually decides his work must not be interrupted by the trappings of high society or family and moves into the woods with an old colleague. Some time later, his wife and son meet come to Martin and he rejects them again. It is during this hermit phase that Martin claims he is finally truly working but I believe Martin was happiest when he was working in the laboratory and with Leora.
It would appear that Sinclair Lewis wrote this novel as a social commentary to the change in American medicine following the effects of the 1910 Flexner report recommending that medical schools only teach mainstream science. The novel takes Arrowsmith down many career paths including small-town doctor, professor, researcher, and director. There are glib references to incompetence, fraud, pseudo-professionalism, and probably some other not-so-great tenants of the medical profession (or any profession, really). In a way, some of this book reminded me of Robin William's speech in Patch Adams about how some doctors have an expectation of their own reputation with a reverence bordering on religious piety rather than a profession of humanity. I dunno...maybe that's not completely analogous.
There were times I laughed out loud. Sinclair has a dry wit that despite being nearly 100 years old, still rings true. That can't be said for all of Arrowsmith's vernacular which is beyond dated to the point where meanings are unknown and the reader must ignorantly guess. It took me awhile to finish this one and I eventually abandoned the Kindle version for the Audible version. Even still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I imagine it might be a fun book to read in school....perhaps mostly as a first-year medical student. In some ways, it even reminds me a bit of another satire, [b:A Confederacy of Dunces|310612|A Confederacy of Dunces|John Kennedy Toole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562554946l/310612._SY75_.jpg|968084].
Complicating matters, as it so often does, Martin falls in love...a couple of times actually. He would eventually marry Leora who's devotion to Martin is saintly. Neither Martin nor any other man deserves a woman so patently unselfish as I found Leora to be. For the record, Martin is only somewhat aware of how lucky he is. Nevertheless, it is because of Leora that he makes certain choices and it is through Leora that he comes back to his roots in the laboratory. During this time, he has a breakthrough with a substance he calls "phage" and it would lead him to do field research and testing of the phage with a bubonic plague outbreak in the Caribbean. Leora would succumb to the disease that Martin was trying to cure. Upon his return home, he is jettisoned into upper society, finding a second wife who is rich rich rich. She birthed his only child, a son, and she even built him an enviable laboratory right at home. His trade-off would be to attend dinner parties and chit-chat with people he disdains as much as he could stand. Martin eventually decides his work must not be interrupted by the trappings of high society or family and moves into the woods with an old colleague. Some time later, his wife and son meet come to Martin and he rejects them again. It is during this hermit phase that Martin claims he is finally truly working but I believe Martin was happiest when he was working in the laboratory and with Leora.
It would appear that Sinclair Lewis wrote this novel as a social commentary to the change in American medicine following the effects of the 1910 Flexner report recommending that medical schools only teach mainstream science. The novel takes Arrowsmith down many career paths including small-town doctor, professor, researcher, and director. There are glib references to incompetence, fraud, pseudo-professionalism, and probably some other not-so-great tenants of the medical profession (or any profession, really). In a way, some of this book reminded me of Robin William's speech in Patch Adams about how some doctors have an expectation of their own reputation with a reverence bordering on religious piety rather than a profession of humanity. I dunno...maybe that's not completely analogous.
There were times I laughed out loud. Sinclair has a dry wit that despite being nearly 100 years old, still rings true. That can't be said for all of Arrowsmith's vernacular which is beyond dated to the point where meanings are unknown and the reader must ignorantly guess. It took me awhile to finish this one and I eventually abandoned the Kindle version for the Audible version. Even still, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I imagine it might be a fun book to read in school....perhaps mostly as a first-year medical student. In some ways, it even reminds me a bit of another satire, [b:A Confederacy of Dunces|310612|A Confederacy of Dunces|John Kennedy Toole|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562554946l/310612._SY75_.jpg|968084].
izvalentyn's review against another edition
I'd have to come back to this one - since it was for class, I did more skimming than actual reading, and I definitely relied too heavily on SparkNotes to prepare for class discussions.
What I did read was interesting though, and I'm anticipating having more time to delve into it more.
What I did read was interesting though, and I'm anticipating having more time to delve into it more.
naturalistnatalie's review against another edition
3.0
A perfectly fine story for a piece of literature. I enjoyed the scientific slant to the plot even if I don't have any medical training myself. Poor Martin had a hard time figuring out what he wanted to be once he graduated from medical school. It's a career story that felt very modern, even if the setting was anything but. Martin wanted to be a researcher from the start, but he couldn't figure out how to make it work. At the same time, his mind kept being drawn back to the lab, regardless of what he was supposed to be doing. And he was too tied to scientific ideals to work well with people in his other career choices.
The other main character in the book was Leora, Martin's wife. She didn't get near as much fleshing out as a character as Martin did. I kept wondering what Leora did all day while Martin was working. She was always there for Martin, whatever time he showed up and whatever lab help he needed. However, it's not like she was the perfect housewife. She couldn't cook, was always slightly unkempt, and had no kids. So, what did she do all day? And then to have her die of the plague all alone while Martin was off meeting his future wife. Not a great end for her, that's for sure.
The other main character in the book was Leora, Martin's wife. She didn't get near as much fleshing out as a character as Martin did. I kept wondering what Leora did all day while Martin was working. She was always there for Martin, whatever time he showed up and whatever lab help he needed. However, it's not like she was the perfect housewife. She couldn't cook, was always slightly unkempt, and had no kids. So, what did she do all day? And then to have her die of the plague all alone while Martin was off meeting his future wife. Not a great end for her, that's for sure.
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a decade or more since the last Sinclair Lewis book I read. I went through a spate in school reading everyone I could get my hands on. Arrowsmith wasn't one of them but my local library had a copy and feeling nostalgic for an old favorite author, I snatched it up.
Martin Arrowsmith, the title character, is a high spirited medical student, and later doctor. He's in constant fear of selling out while the women in his life wish for him to be a rich and famous doctor. Or at least successful.
The book covers his entire career from medical student, to resident, to country doctor, to researcher and his work down in Jamaica. My favorite part of the book by far was his time in college because Lewis managed to capture what college life is like in the sciences. Having been with my husband through his entire college education I saw a bunch of points of similarity between Arrowsmith's education (the lack of free time, the juggling of different papers, the research, the oddball advisors) that I was often laughing as I read through this section.
What fascinated me most though was how Arrowsmith compartmentalizes the different aspects of his life. There's Dr. Arrowsmith, world famous doctor, Sandy Arrowsmith husband, Martin the student and so forth. Throughout the book the plot pauses for Arrowsmith to have dialogues with the different aspects of his life and personality.
Like a typical Lewis novel, Arrowsmith ends without a pat resolution. Martin's life goes through good parts and bad parts as does his career and even when he finally has a huge success, becoming a household name, Martin Arrowsmith still isn't satisfied with himself or his skills. Thus the book ends with him just about to start another internal dialogue.
Martin Arrowsmith, the title character, is a high spirited medical student, and later doctor. He's in constant fear of selling out while the women in his life wish for him to be a rich and famous doctor. Or at least successful.
The book covers his entire career from medical student, to resident, to country doctor, to researcher and his work down in Jamaica. My favorite part of the book by far was his time in college because Lewis managed to capture what college life is like in the sciences. Having been with my husband through his entire college education I saw a bunch of points of similarity between Arrowsmith's education (the lack of free time, the juggling of different papers, the research, the oddball advisors) that I was often laughing as I read through this section.
What fascinated me most though was how Arrowsmith compartmentalizes the different aspects of his life. There's Dr. Arrowsmith, world famous doctor, Sandy Arrowsmith husband, Martin the student and so forth. Throughout the book the plot pauses for Arrowsmith to have dialogues with the different aspects of his life and personality.
Like a typical Lewis novel, Arrowsmith ends without a pat resolution. Martin's life goes through good parts and bad parts as does his career and even when he finally has a huge success, becoming a household name, Martin Arrowsmith still isn't satisfied with himself or his skills. Thus the book ends with him just about to start another internal dialogue.
susanhert's review against another edition
Just couldn't care about the characters in this book and so many pages of not caring was too daunting a task. On to something else.
kathleenitpdx's review against another edition
4.0
This is Sinclair Lewis' classic novel about the conflict between "pure" scientific research and practical or commercial research. I read it in high school and had forgotten nearly all of it. And I wonder if my 16/17 year self got any of the satire. I got a couple of good chuckles from it. This was published in 1925 and I am fascinated by the depiction of the US in the early 20th century--the slang, prohibition, cultural divides, the "home front" during the Great War, travel by train, ship and auto. Arrowsmith's struggle in St. Hugh during a plague epidemic as he tries to conduct an experiment that means some people will not receive his possibly life-saving treatment continues to echo today.
I have trouble with the women in the book. Leora is described as the best of Lewis' women! What? because she tolerated being ignored and abandoned most of the time? because she was willing to sit and watch with adoring eyes while Arrowsmith worked? And Joyce who had been living a life of her own for some time who tried to remake Arrowsmith to fit what she wanted as a husband.
I have trouble with the women in the book. Leora is described as the best of Lewis' women! What? because she tolerated being ignored and abandoned most of the time? because she was willing to sit and watch with adoring eyes while Arrowsmith worked? And Joyce who had been living a life of her own for some time who tried to remake Arrowsmith to fit what she wanted as a husband.
jessicawang's review against another edition
3.0
Ah, Sinclair Lewis, the only person to date to have declined the much wanted Pulitzer Prize. Although he declined, the Pulitzer Board still lists him as the 1926 winner, so of course I read it anyway. I was looking forward to finally read something by Lewis after seeing his name appear so many times in the Jury's decision notes.
This book is a little hard to describe, but I would put it some sort of science/social commentary category. It's the first medical book I've read, and it was able to make bacteria and test tubes all seem rather interesting and not too dry. We follow Martin Arrowsmith from his early childhood through mid-life as an idealistic truth-seeker who wrestles with the ideas that were hotly debated by the medical community in the 1920s. There's the truth-seeking academic side who cares about only the science which is always being rushed or "exploited" by the profit-seeking pharmaceutical companies and research think tanks. (I put "exploited" in quotations because I will leave it up to you to decide which side's arguments have more merits.) One thing I found striking is that despite being written almost a century ago, a lot of these topics are still relevant in the 21st century as we see moral debates over things like the business practices of Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Arrowsmith experiences much of the debate first hand, and his career path meanders through both sides of the debate so that we get a pretty well-rounded picture of the medical industry.
I may be alone in this view, but I found the medical commentary much more interesting than the social aspects of the book. For one, I found most of the women characters written to be one-dimensional caricatures of wives, girlfriends, and nurses. Dear sweet Leora Arrowsmith is loyal, loving, and eager to learn from her husband - I have seen such a trend in these early Pulitzers of men looking to "educate" their naive, unsophisticated wives. She goes from living under her father and brother's rules to living under Martin's rules. She is the most likable character in the entire book, and I wish she had more of a presence beyond caretaker or jealous wife. The book is also a little repetitive at times - the same medical debates are being argued on different platforms again and again, but overall the writing is so smart and witty that I can forgive the repetition.
Ultimately, I wanted Martin to grow and learn from his mistakes, but instead he packs up and moves to a new job in a new state every time he becomes disillusioned. He grows frustrated that he is unable to find a like minded community and has to move every time his arguments make him unpopular with his employers or colleagues, but he is always so sure that the problem is with everyone else and not him. While I think ultimately the characters were a little under-developed and problematic, the ultimate focus of the book is the scientific community, and I was impressed with how well Sinclair Lewis was able to reconstruct this. I'm curious to see how people in the medical profession today would receive this book, so if you're a doctor, pharmacist or nurse, please let me know your thoughts!
***
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in science and social criticism, people who like books set in the roaring 20's, and people who have and don't mind listening to that one idealistic friend talk for way too long over a few beers.
This book is a little hard to describe, but I would put it some sort of science/social commentary category. It's the first medical book I've read, and it was able to make bacteria and test tubes all seem rather interesting and not too dry. We follow Martin Arrowsmith from his early childhood through mid-life as an idealistic truth-seeker who wrestles with the ideas that were hotly debated by the medical community in the 1920s. There's the truth-seeking academic side who cares about only the science which is always being rushed or "exploited" by the profit-seeking pharmaceutical companies and research think tanks. (I put "exploited" in quotations because I will leave it up to you to decide which side's arguments have more merits.) One thing I found striking is that despite being written almost a century ago, a lot of these topics are still relevant in the 21st century as we see moral debates over things like the business practices of Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Arrowsmith experiences much of the debate first hand, and his career path meanders through both sides of the debate so that we get a pretty well-rounded picture of the medical industry.
I may be alone in this view, but I found the medical commentary much more interesting than the social aspects of the book. For one, I found most of the women characters written to be one-dimensional caricatures of wives, girlfriends, and nurses. Dear sweet Leora Arrowsmith is loyal, loving, and eager to learn from her husband - I have seen such a trend in these early Pulitzers of men looking to "educate" their naive, unsophisticated wives. She goes from living under her father and brother's rules to living under Martin's rules. She is the most likable character in the entire book, and I wish she had more of a presence beyond caretaker or jealous wife. The book is also a little repetitive at times - the same medical debates are being argued on different platforms again and again, but overall the writing is so smart and witty that I can forgive the repetition.
Ultimately, I wanted Martin to grow and learn from his mistakes, but instead he packs up and moves to a new job in a new state every time he becomes disillusioned. He grows frustrated that he is unable to find a like minded community and has to move every time his arguments make him unpopular with his employers or colleagues, but he is always so sure that the problem is with everyone else and not him. While I think ultimately the characters were a little under-developed and problematic, the ultimate focus of the book is the scientific community, and I was impressed with how well Sinclair Lewis was able to reconstruct this. I'm curious to see how people in the medical profession today would receive this book, so if you're a doctor, pharmacist or nurse, please let me know your thoughts!
***
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in science and social criticism, people who like books set in the roaring 20's, and people who have and don't mind listening to that one idealistic friend talk for way too long over a few beers.
bibliocyclist's review against another edition
3.0
"The square was rimmed with the gloom of mango trees, which shut out the faint-hearted breeze and cooped in the heat--stale lifeless heat, in whose misery the leering silence was the more dismaying. Through a break in the evil mangoes they beheld a plaster house hung with black crape."
"But these admirable truths did not keep the operation from hurting any more than it would have eased the removal of an appendix to be told that it was a bad appendix, an appendix without delicacy or value."
"But these admirable truths did not keep the operation from hurting any more than it would have eased the removal of an appendix to be told that it was a bad appendix, an appendix without delicacy or value."