Cutting for Stone: A novel
by Abraham Verghese
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Book Reviews of Cutting for Stone: A novel
Book Review: Beautiful Journey You Don't Want to End
Summary: 5 Stars
Recently in San Francisco I attended a reading by Abraham Verghese, who has written my favorite book of the year: CUTTING FOR STONE. I'd gotten it from the library, and after @150 pages was so in love with it that when I heard he was going to be at the store, I returned the library copy (there's a huge line waiting for it), and bought a copy just to have the pleasure of his signature. We actually had a little chat after the reading, while he happened by on his way to his car. He asked why I'd chosen his book in the first place, and I didn't have the answer, which occurred to me (like esprit d'escalier) until after he'd left: it's not the initial choosing of a book, but the journey the author takes you on that is important.
I think that Tom Wolfe's I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS was the book that changed my life, because when I was about 50 pages in, I realized I couldn't and therefore wouldn't finish that book despite having purchased it in hard cover. Life is too short, and besides, it doesn't honor an author if you are resenting him with every page just to reach the end. So, I actually don't finish some of the books I open. There aren't enough days left in my life to squander on books I'm not enjoying.
All that being said, I wish I'd thought of that when talking with this soft spoken, gentle man, and had been able to relay to him that the journey he was taking me on was so wonderful, I didn't care if I ever reached the destination. It is a vibrant, living story peopled with individuals to care about, sensual writing with more than a dash of humor and a frisson of suspense.
What I did have the chance to tell him was this: I was furious with an imbicile in the audience who, if you can actually believe this, whined "Why did you have to make it so long?" I told Dr. Verghese that it reminded me of that scene in Amadeus, when the emperor complains "there are too many notes," and Mozart, puzzled, says "It has just the right amount of notes."
Book Review: Literature at its Finest!
Summary: 5 Stars
Cutting for Stone is a multi-generational family saga that transports the reader all over the world: Africa, India, Europe, and the United States (New York City). The story has a heavy dose of medical science, often graphic in detail, but extremely interesting. Much of the action in this story takes place in hospital settings, beginning at Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopia is also in the midst of a revolution.
Marion and Shiva Praise Stone are conjoined identical twins, born to a nun from Madras, named Sister Mary Joseph Praise. Sister Mary Joseph Praise bled to death giving birth, and the father of the twins, Thomas Stone, had not even been aware that she was pregnant. Thomas Stone is a British surgeon, who cannot deal with all that has just happened, and as a result, he flees the country.
The infants are successfully separated at the head, and are raised by Hema and Ghosh, two Indian physicians at the hospital where they were born. As boys the two children were close friends, as adults often rivals. Shiva was the quieter of the two brothers, and almost socially inept. Both Marion and Shiva go on to become physicians like their birth father, and the parents who raised them.
Cutting for Stone was one of those rare books that left a lasting impression. I took much longer reading this 500++ book, than most any other book I've read for several reasons. I did not want the story to end, and I was afraid that I would gloss over some beautiful passages if I hurried through this book. The novel has beautifully drawn characters, great scenery and sense of place, and a bittersweet ending, that I did not expect. This is one book that is not to be missed, and it is sure to be one of the best books I've read this year. (This review is based both on the printed version and the audio book, which was beautifully narrated by: Sunil Malhotra). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Book Review: Cutting for Stone
Summary: 5 Stars
Cutting For Stone- Abraham Verghese - 667 pg. 7/8/10
5 stars
Marion Stone has an amazing, colorful, and tragic personal history. Cutting for Stone is Marion's story, as he tries to piece together the missing fragments of his
life. The book's prologue establishes Marion as the narrator of his own story as he looks back on his 1954 birth in Addis Ababa. It was no ordinary birth. Marion was one of conjoined twins born to an Indian Carmelite nun and an ex-patriot English surgeon. Marion's life revolves around the tragedy and the shocking scandal of his birth. As he and his brother grow up in the place of their birth with loving adoptive parents, all other issues seem to somehow circle back to the circumstances of his birth.
Much of this book is set in Ethiopia as it evolves following World War Two. The end of Italian occupation, attempted coups and the eventual revolution form a backdrop to Marion's childhood. He and his brother, Shiva, grow up as the privileged sons of Missing (Mission) Hospital's two remaining surgeons. Verghese provides vivid descriptions of the combined Indian/Ethiopian culture and the overwhelming poverty of the surrounding area. Missing Hospital is full of memorable and lovable characters. Surgical procedures are described precisely, as are the surgeon's doubts and determination. It was easy to become engrossed in this busy place and to stay there.
Verghese wrote a rather lengthy acknowledgement section to this lengthy book. I appreciated that he took the time to attribute specific phrases and ideas that he used to their many sources. I've added several books to my list as a result. I was not surprised to see that he thanked John Irving for his help and friendship. Cutting for Stone reminded me strongly of A Prayer for Owen Meaney in its structure and themes.
Book Review: "Screw your courage to the sticking place!"
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is NOT a spoiler.
Like many who have reviewed the book before me, at first I found Cutting for Stone difficult to get into. I wasn't sure I wanted to know much more about the initial characters. But by the end, I wished I could have known more & was sorry I didn't pay closer attention in the beginning. Almost every event & character comes to mean something through the story. Some before me have criticized Verghese for this, but I was amazed at how he tied everything together - & not always so neatly or in the way I would have wished. But in doing so I felt that he very effectively showed how even the "little things" in our lives can play important roles.
I especially loved his characters. Sometimes I found myself wondering why the author was dwelling on a minor character or detail only to be pleasantly surprised later about why. It made me think about my own life and how important human connections are to the quality of a life.
Without spoiling any of it, I will say that I feel like I've been to Missing in Addis Ababa during the time period. In looking back over the story, I feel almost as if I just finished rereading a friend's life story. And even though I grew up near NYC during the 70s & 80s I feel that Verghese exposed a cultural side of it that I only saw glimpses of before; one I could probably never have known or understood without reading this book. Again, he showed how the human element is often what completes or even creates the beauty of the place. And if nothing else, I learned about a bit of history I knew practically nothing about.
I could say so much more, but others have already said it better than I could. I will say to stick with it if the beginning seems slow. You will be greatly rewarded in doing so!
Book Review: Best book of 2009?
Summary: 5 Stars
The plot of this book can be summed up neatly: Cutting for Stone follows the lives of two boys from birth to adulthood. The boys, Marion and Shiva are identical twins orphaned at birth who are raised by a surrogate family and grow up on the grounds of Missing Hospital in Ethiopia. Although they individuate in adolescence, their lives continue to be intertwined and develop along parallel paths. Eventually both men practice medicine, one in America and the other in Ethiopia. However, this book is so much more than plot.
Cutting for Stone is a beautifully written coming-of-age novel weaving family, hospital and house staff, patients, community, disease, and country into a complex tapestry. It incorporates love, lust, trust, betrayal, commitment, emigration, faith, poverty, life, death, hope, dreams, fears, and just about every other big theme you can imagine without ever becoming predictable, manipulative, or cliched. It's an epic story that feels intimate and cozy and enveloping. The characters are like family and I'd feel at home if I visited Missing Hospital, Matron, and the staff.
I usually read quickly, finishing a book in a day or two. Cutting for Stone took more than a week. The story was compelling, but I read slowly to savor the words and picture Addis Ababa through Marion's eyes. I didn't want the journey to end.
I will be recommending this book to all my reading friends for a long time to come and can't wait for Dr. Verghese to pass through my city on his book tour. Go grab a copy and start reading - you won't be disappointed.