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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
I'm on the fence with this book.
The language was very atmospheric: great and on point descriptions of environment, medical jargon, interesting dialogues.
However, there were too many characters and I occasionally lost track who was who and what purpose they were serving.
(Also, I have to mention some of the ideas are extremely outdated, however I am not taking any stars away for that, the book is the product of its own time)
The author did a great job with building up a suspense, but failed to deliever the end, which seemed very rushed and unsatisfactory.
Despite everything, I still think it's worth reading.
I'm on the fence with this book.
The language was very atmospheric: great and on point descriptions of environment, medical jargon, interesting dialogues.
However, there were too many characters and I occasionally lost track who was who and what purpose they were serving.
(Also, I have to mention some of the ideas are extremely outdated, however I am not taking any stars away for that, the book is the product of its own time)
The author did a great job with building up a suspense, but failed to deliever the end, which seemed very rushed and unsatisfactory.
Despite everything, I still think it's worth reading.
1960’s or 2019?
This book had me enthralled from the get go and it wasn’t until the illegality of abortion in the United States was mentioned that I even realized it wasn’t modern. With the exception of some now-politically incorrect language, it could have been written yesterday. Incredibly timely and relevant, I loved it and couldn’t put it down.
This book had me enthralled from the get go and it wasn’t until the illegality of abortion in the United States was mentioned that I even realized it wasn’t modern. With the exception of some now-politically incorrect language, it could have been written yesterday. Incredibly timely and relevant, I loved it and couldn’t put it down.
Crichton was an incredibly compelling and thoughtful writer. Throughout the book, I was turning the page as fast as I could to see what's next, even if my sisters were teasing me as I read because the subject matter left me frequently grimacing.
This is Michael Crichton's fourth book and the first that had a more serious vibe.
As I said in my previous reviews about Crichton's thrillers written under the pseudonym [a:John Lange|12619|John Lange|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311735441p2/12619.jpg], while a medical student, they were written for financial reasons and were not high literature.
The reason for writing this book was a discussion he had with a senior doctor.
Crichton: Why does the medical profession not address the inequalities and health hazards of the present situation (abortion)
Senior Doctor: Abortion is illegal.
Crichton: I know. It's also medically dangerous and unfair.
Senior Doctor: Abortion is illegal.
He felt that behind this cryptically laconic answer, there were more things left unsaid so during Spring break he wrote this book in 10 days.
The following year (1968) the book was released under the new pseudonym Jeffery Hudson, which caused a stir in Boston (the place that the story takes place and the city Michael studied Medicine).
Everyone was saying who is this Hudson guy that knows so much about the Medical School?
Of course Crichton was joining the conversations acting his role pretty well.
Some months later and the book won the Edgar (Allan Poe) Award and Crichton was alarmed that by accepting the award it would reveal the true identity of Jeffery Hudson: Michael Crichton, a Boston Medical Student.
But in the end he received the award and thankfully for him nothing else happened.
By 1994, when he was already famous, he republished this book (the edition I read) and what I said above is included in his introduction.
And why does this book have a more serious vibe than the previous thrillers?
Because here he is touching a taboo subject, something which is still current even today, let alone in the sixties: Abortion
The story begins with a girl dying from uncontrollable bleeding. The reason is abortion.
Looking for answers a doctor becomes a medical Sherlock Holmes trying to find out the reasons behind this death and the cause of it (abortion). And since this is a taboo subject in the medical world a lot of people want the reasons behind this death to remain unknown, and they might try to silence the doctor too.
At the end of this edition there are appendices were Crichton discuss different procedures, arguments and ethics on abortion.
Crichton's experience as a medical student and as a writer of this book were probably the seeds for the medical series created by Crichton known as ER with George Clooney as a protagonist in the first season.
Read it also in Greek at βιβλιοαλχημείες
As I said in my previous reviews about Crichton's thrillers written under the pseudonym [a:John Lange|12619|John Lange|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1311735441p2/12619.jpg], while a medical student, they were written for financial reasons and were not high literature.
The reason for writing this book was a discussion he had with a senior doctor.
Crichton: Why does the medical profession not address the inequalities and health hazards of the present situation (abortion)
Senior Doctor: Abortion is illegal.
Crichton: I know. It's also medically dangerous and unfair.
Senior Doctor: Abortion is illegal.
He felt that behind this cryptically laconic answer, there were more things left unsaid so during Spring break he wrote this book in 10 days.
The following year (1968) the book was released under the new pseudonym Jeffery Hudson, which caused a stir in Boston (the place that the story takes place and the city Michael studied Medicine).
Everyone was saying who is this Hudson guy that knows so much about the Medical School?
Of course Crichton was joining the conversations acting his role pretty well.
Some months later and the book won the Edgar (Allan Poe) Award and Crichton was alarmed that by accepting the award it would reveal the true identity of Jeffery Hudson: Michael Crichton, a Boston Medical Student.
But in the end he received the award and thankfully for him nothing else happened.
By 1994, when he was already famous, he republished this book (the edition I read) and what I said above is included in his introduction.
And why does this book have a more serious vibe than the previous thrillers?
Because here he is touching a taboo subject, something which is still current even today, let alone in the sixties: Abortion
The story begins with a girl dying from uncontrollable bleeding. The reason is abortion.
Looking for answers a doctor becomes a medical Sherlock Holmes trying to find out the reasons behind this death and the cause of it (abortion). And since this is a taboo subject in the medical world a lot of people want the reasons behind this death to remain unknown, and they might try to silence the doctor too.
At the end of this edition there are appendices were Crichton discuss different procedures, arguments and ethics on abortion.
Crichton's experience as a medical student and as a writer of this book were probably the seeds for the medical series created by Crichton known as ER with George Clooney as a protagonist in the first season.
Read it also in Greek at βιβλιοαλχημείες
Crichton is always a win
This is the first Michael Crichton book outside of Jurassic Park that I laid my eyes on. It was in my grandma's books because it was something to do with medicine, her thing. Almost 30 years later and I finally pick it up to read and couldn't put down. Crichton has never disappointed when it comes to story telling and it was nice to see one of his first books started his career off strong. I really enjoyed this from start to finish. Started and finished in one day, two sittings.
Would recommend any of his books, any day
This is the first Michael Crichton book outside of Jurassic Park that I laid my eyes on. It was in my grandma's books because it was something to do with medicine, her thing. Almost 30 years later and I finally pick it up to read and couldn't put down. Crichton has never disappointed when it comes to story telling and it was nice to see one of his first books started his career off strong. I really enjoyed this from start to finish. Started and finished in one day, two sittings.
Would recommend any of his books, any day
I've read a lot of Crichton and I enjoyed this one quite a lot. I found the step outside of the "tech" realm really refreshing (though I do know this particular novel is an older one of his). The ending ties up rather quickly, but I still found it entertaining
This is the first book published by Michael Crichton (pseudonym Jeffery Hudson). I still miss his writing, and I had never read this book before so it was time for me to dive into his back list. I can't remember what alerted me to this book, but I was also intrigued to read more about the clandestine abortions that women had to seek out in the days before Roe v Wade.
This is definitely a book of its time when the safest communication was a pay phone, when a young white woman would rebel against a parent by dating or sleeping with a Negro, and when LSD was prevalent. It's difficult as a modern reader to encounter the racism, the misogyny, and the hatred towards abortionist doctors and pregnant women.
A Case of Need was a compelling read for me because of the subject matter of abortion and the impact on women, particularly in these times of rollbacks with healthcare in general. It's inconceivable
that we're still so close to a woman bearing all the responsibility for sexual encounters, to the point of the poor being either lucky enough or unfortunate enough to find back alley methods or to the wealthy being able to afford the privacy of confidential and convoluted reasons for a D&C. A Case of Need is scary for its portrayal of how little agency women have, particularly women without financial resources.
Crichton's writing is clumsy and rushed. He uses a lot of medical terminology with footnotes, so it is a slog to make it through all of the narrative. This was a book that meant a lot to me because of the subject matter but it's definitely not a favorite due to the level of writing skill. I'm still glad that I read it, but I would recommend this book only to other readers who are interested in exploring a "slice of life" rather than a well written book.
This is definitely a book of its time when the safest communication was a pay phone, when a young white woman would rebel against a parent by dating or sleeping with a Negro, and when LSD was prevalent. It's difficult as a modern reader to encounter the racism, the misogyny, and the hatred towards abortionist doctors and pregnant women.
A Case of Need was a compelling read for me because of the subject matter of abortion and the impact on women, particularly in these times of rollbacks with healthcare in general. It's inconceivable
that we're still so close to a woman bearing all the responsibility for sexual encounters, to the point of the poor being either lucky enough or unfortunate enough to find back alley methods or to the wealthy being able to afford the privacy of confidential and convoluted reasons for a D&C. A Case of Need is scary for its portrayal of how little agency women have, particularly women without financial resources.
Crichton's writing is clumsy and rushed. He uses a lot of medical terminology with footnotes, so it is a slog to make it through all of the narrative. This was a book that meant a lot to me because of the subject matter but it's definitely not a favorite due to the level of writing skill. I'm still glad that I read it, but I would recommend this book only to other readers who are interested in exploring a "slice of life" rather than a well written book.
A great look at people's need to have a physical object lesson.
It might just be pregnant brain, but I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in this novel. There were a number of really important people (one in particular) who were briefly introduced, and then I had forgotten who they were by the time they showed up again at critical junctions. Also, reading as someone who is anti-death in a context where abortion is the accepted norm, the story seems a little less than timely. I know it was topical when it was published, but 30 years is a long time in 21st century medicine.
All that being said, the material was meticulously researched (as is a Crichton hallmark), and the story moved briskly, so it certainly wasn't boring. I don’t regret reading it, but I probably won’t revisit.
All that being said, the material was meticulously researched (as is a Crichton hallmark), and the story moved briskly, so it certainly wasn't boring. I don’t regret reading it, but I probably won’t revisit.
After finishing this book I was amazed by how a book from the late 1960's can touch on issues that are still prevalent in our society today. Abortion, race, and drug-usage were a few of the heavy focuses of this novel.
A Case of Need reads somewhat like a film noir and we are transported into some of the darker scenes of Boston. Dr. Berry is trying to piece together whether his friend Art Lee could have accidentally killed a young member from a well-known medical family through a botched abortion. Though the victim's mother has accused Lee, Dr. Berry can't believe that his friend could make such a careless mistake. Finding that the police will be no help, he decides to investigate the death on his own and discover whether or not they have the true criminal behind bars.
This story was advertised as a "medical thriller" on Kindle Unlimited and, knowing that Michael Crichton is the author of Jurassic Park, decided to give it a shot. Being an avid fan of the "thriller" genre, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The plot was definitely a little dark, focusing heavily on the topics of abortion and death, and got a little hard to stomach at times. However, I liked the twists and turns that Crichton led us on and was incredibly excited when the details of the story finally began to unfold. However, once we got a clear picture of what was actually going on, the plot just stopped. We didn't get to see anyone brought to justice and there were more than a few loose ends left to tie up. That being said, the ending was definitely lackluster and left me wishing that there had been just a little bit more.
The ending along with several other small factors are what led me to a 3-star review. As we are transported into the world of medical professionals, we are asked to follow along with their private conversations which use high levels of medical jargon. The terms were difficult for the average person to follow and led to me having to read almost all of the footnotes that were provided (or look up the information myself.) This constant lack of understanding ended up distracting from the plot and could lead to confusion. In addition to the confusion from the medical language, I found that a lot of minor characters were introduced within a short period of time and I had difficulty telling all of them apart or remembering what roll they had played in the story when they reappeared at a later time.
It would appear the Crichton's writing simply got better and better as he continued, but it was fun to see how much he had grown throughout his writing career. Definitely glad I gave it a chance, but surly would not recommend it to a friend unless they were extremely interested in medical stories.
A Case of Need reads somewhat like a film noir and we are transported into some of the darker scenes of Boston. Dr. Berry is trying to piece together whether his friend Art Lee could have accidentally killed a young member from a well-known medical family through a botched abortion. Though the victim's mother has accused Lee, Dr. Berry can't believe that his friend could make such a careless mistake. Finding that the police will be no help, he decides to investigate the death on his own and discover whether or not they have the true criminal behind bars.
This story was advertised as a "medical thriller" on Kindle Unlimited and, knowing that Michael Crichton is the author of Jurassic Park, decided to give it a shot. Being an avid fan of the "thriller" genre, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The plot was definitely a little dark, focusing heavily on the topics of abortion and death, and got a little hard to stomach at times. However, I liked the twists and turns that Crichton led us on and was incredibly excited when the details of the story finally began to unfold. However, once we got a clear picture of what was actually going on, the plot just stopped. We didn't get to see anyone brought to justice and there were more than a few loose ends left to tie up. That being said, the ending was definitely lackluster and left me wishing that there had been just a little bit more.
The ending along with several other small factors are what led me to a 3-star review. As we are transported into the world of medical professionals, we are asked to follow along with their private conversations which use high levels of medical jargon. The terms were difficult for the average person to follow and led to me having to read almost all of the footnotes that were provided (or look up the information myself.) This constant lack of understanding ended up distracting from the plot and could lead to confusion. In addition to the confusion from the medical language, I found that a lot of minor characters were introduced within a short period of time and I had difficulty telling all of them apart or remembering what roll they had played in the story when they reappeared at a later time.
It would appear the Crichton's writing simply got better and better as he continued, but it was fun to see how much he had grown throughout his writing career. Definitely glad I gave it a chance, but surly would not recommend it to a friend unless they were extremely interested in medical stories.