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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Absolutely terrible. I don't know how this book got published.
Geez, first fiction I've read all year.
This book is ancient (abortion was illegal!), but it was a good medical thriller.
Working through a stack of thrillers/mysteries my neighbor gave me. Good quick reads.
This book is ancient (abortion was illegal!), but it was a good medical thriller.
Working through a stack of thrillers/mysteries my neighbor gave me. Good quick reads.
Interesting to read this book in a post -Roe v Wade era. Still the debate over abortions rages on.
I thought the whodunnit aspect of the story was a bit contrived, but it was enjoyable to read anyway.
I thought the whodunnit aspect of the story was a bit contrived, but it was enjoyable to read anyway.
I tried to read this, and have enjoyed Crichton's books in the past. But I just couldn't get past his use of the word "girl" to describe several of the women in just the first chapter. Ugh. The story might be great, but I'll never know now.
If there's one thing michael crichton knows how to do its write an anticlimactic ending. throwing out that guy's name like its a shocking twist and didnt just get muddled among the 2000 joe doctorsons you introduced throughout the book. be so fr. At this point im gonna keep reading his books but stop about 50 pages from the end and make up my own ending. Idek how to rate it bc I liked the journey but and I thought the first reveal was great but the second one was like "okay." And then when I looked up who it was I was like "okay."
I actually thought the sexism and racism was interesting as an insight to how far as a society we have come, but also because of how Crichton satirizes the more overt discrimination. I found it so funny that the MC was complaining about the lawyer only getting hired because of his race literally the same decade that the civil rights act was passed. But the lawyer also had depth-- it's clear he was aware how people viewed him and had aspirations to prove them wrong, a sentiment I feel many Black people can still relate to. To me it felt like Michael Crichton was somewhat aware of the hypocrisies of the racism and sexism within society and those moments acted as satire. That moment with the lawyer is one, but also the part where he mentions that Black people were acceptable as entertainment but not as people (still an issue to this day...) and the parts of the book where the doctors oggled at and creepily befriended young female nurses felt pointed. All of this seemed to be dryly satirizing society rather than being a glorification of it. In that sense I appreciated it more than some books I read in school that centered white protagonists saving non-white people. He just presented it as it was, including the racism and sexism this "progressive," well-educated doctor held towards others. It seems to push back against the narrative of being "one of the good ones" by centering a deeply flawed protagonist with selfish reasons for pursuing the truth. Or Crichton was racist idk. On to the next!
I actually thought the sexism and racism was interesting as an insight to how far as a society we have come, but also because of how Crichton satirizes the more overt discrimination. I found it so funny that the MC was complaining about the lawyer only getting hired because of his race literally the same decade that the civil rights act was passed. But the lawyer also had depth-- it's clear he was aware how people viewed him and had aspirations to prove them wrong, a sentiment I feel many Black people can still relate to. To me it felt like Michael Crichton was somewhat aware of the hypocrisies of the racism and sexism within society and those moments acted as satire. That moment with the lawyer is one, but also the part where he mentions that Black people were acceptable as entertainment but not as people (still an issue to this day...) and the parts of the book where the doctors oggled at and creepily befriended young female nurses felt pointed. All of this seemed to be dryly satirizing society rather than being a glorification of it. In that sense I appreciated it more than some books I read in school that centered white protagonists saving non-white people. He just presented it as it was, including the racism and sexism this "progressive," well-educated doctor held towards others. It seems to push back against the narrative of being "one of the good ones" by centering a deeply flawed protagonist with selfish reasons for pursuing the truth. Or Crichton was racist idk. On to the next!
4/5
My first medical thriller! I loved it. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors, so I knew I would like this book. It was interesting to see how the perspectives on abortion in the late 60s is similar to how some people view it now. The doctor-turned-detective premise was something I really enjoyed.
My first medical thriller! I loved it. Michael Crichton is one of my favorite authors, so I knew I would like this book. It was interesting to see how the perspectives on abortion in the late 60s is similar to how some people view it now. The doctor-turned-detective premise was something I really enjoyed.
Fairly predictable, quite slow at times. Didn't care much for characters, they all seemed like jerks... ugh!
Aside from Timeline, possibly my favorite Crichton book.
A little raw, but a very engaging story nevertheless.
A little raw, but a very engaging story nevertheless.
Disturbingly more relevant now than it was when I read it way back when...
I didn’t realize this was his first book, but it certainly shows. The writing wasn’t bad but it didn’t quite feel like him. This felt like a mix of Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order SVU and CSI. I’m not sure if I mean that in a good way or a bad but hey, I saw it through and actually had to keep reminding myself that the book was written in the 60s when I found flaws. Not bad, not one of my favorites but the flaws I found were more to do with my own taste than the author, his style of writing, or the content. I’d still recommend it if you’re in the mood for a medical drama.