Cutting for Stone

Well written, good story, good ending - not happy ending but decent.

An history lesson and a medicine lesson all wrapped up in an engaging family drama. Great book!

The main character made me furious at a few points in this novel and I don't think that he was supposed to. You're made to empathize with him and the book treats him like a basic protagonist, but he does a few things for the convenience of the narrative that are infuriating.

I am really sad this book is over! It is an extremely well-written and fascinating story that was completely engrossing.

This book does great as an historical fiction novel, but it lacks in other areas like plot and characterization. The novel takes place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in New York City, and somewhat in India. The author does a fantastic job of transporting the reader to a small hospital in Addis Ababa during the era of Haile Selassie. I greatly appreciate the wonderful details of the daily lives of the doctors in the hospital. Basically, the story is about two twin brother doctors who work in this Ethiopian hospital, with most of the focus on one twin, Marion. The point of view in the novel is that of Marion.

However, the great settings of the novel are often overshadowed by poor characterization and unbelievable plotting. When I was finished with this novel, I cared not a bit about the characters (except Sister Mary Joseph Praise, she's the only one I felt I had some understanding of). In fact, I greatly disliked Marion and Shiva both. I could not relate to them nor could I relate to Genet, their childhood friend. And even though I couldn't relate to them personally, I also could not understand them. I could not see (sane) justification for their actions.

I read this book for my bookclub, and after some discussion, I've concluded that perhaps these characters are so unlike me and so difficult to understand because they are doctors, which I am not. Not only are they doctors, but they are willing to work in a small hospital in Ethiopia with little to no glory or fame. And maybe I just can't relate to that kind of choice at this point in my life. It takes someone very special and very unusual to make such a life sacrifice, and I greatly admire those who do. I'm willing to accept that's part of my inability to relate to the characters.

But, I didn't understand Marion much at all, which makes for a really difficult read of this book. Here are some spoiler questions that have left me stumped:

Why would Marion believe seriously that Genet would save herself for him? What on earth did Sister Mary Joseph Praise see in Dr. (Papa) Stone? Why was Marion so cruel to Genet when they met in NYC? ... etc.

I enjoyed this book for the historical setting, but I didn't care for the characters or the story overall. I know a lot more about Ethiopia now, which is great, and I've got this book to thank for that.

I really enjoyed about 80% of this book. I don't want to spoil it for others, but the ending was one hot mess. And one scene near the end made me question the rest. But Addis Abba was vivid and interesting, and Ghosh was a lovely character.

I will try to find the words to fully capture the love that I have for “Cutting for Stone.” I have kept Verghese on my list of clinical superheroes ever since I read his memoir, “In My Own Country;” however, I had been hesitant to read “Cutting for Stone” because, in my experience, physician penned memoirs lead only to disappointment. Verghese; however, is as much a master writer as he is a master clinician. Although “Cutting for Stone” is a medical story (highlights include attribution to his characters the first living donor liver transplant, the discovery of caffeine for apnea of prematurity and others), it is not foremost a story about medicine. Instead it is an semi-coming of age epic about how people form connections to each other, push others away in the pursuit of perfection and ultimately about self-actualization through realization of human bond.

Despite such lofty ambitions, Verghese never lets idealism or heavy-handedness overpower the fact that “Cutting for Stone” is indeed a novel. His characters shine - each individuals, each with amazing strengths - the cunning Ghosh, the brilliant, fierce Hema, the sharp, quick-witted Genet and the genius but alien Shiva and the loyal, logical Marion - his language is evocative and beautiful and his settings are picture-perfectly described.

A review of “Cutting for Stone” would be incomplete without at least a glancing mention of it's treatment of medical education. What struck me the most was Verghese's characterization of the martyrdom that residency entails as being a defense mechanism. His depiction of the selflessness with which residents treat patients as being a form of indulgence was a little uncomfortably honest. That being said, what “Cutting for Stone” will be exalted for in years to come is the decency with which it treats international medicine graduates. The treatment of such graduates by American medical students is borderline racist, with training programs being judged harshly on the number of such trainees enrolled. It is common for IMGs to be treated with disdain, and Verghese's candor in describing the differences that they experience when they train compared to the training environment faced by American graduates will not soon be forgotten.

I really enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end. Learned so much about Ethiopia and medicine, but loved every minute. Great read.

“What treatment is offered by ear in an emergency?.... Words of comfort.”

This quote epitomizes the ideal of practicing the art of healing and the science of medicine with the person/patient at the center. It is the question posed by Dr. Thomas Stone to a group of interns on grand rounds, a question meant to stump the entire troop. Yet, it is also the question Dr. Marion Stone is able to answer because Dr. Thomas Stone is his father. However, the answered question is the first contact father and son have ever had.

This novel tells the story of an Indian nun and a British surgeon connecting when they land together in an Ethiopian mission hospital, working tirelessly in deplorable conditions to provide medical care to the poor and neglected of Addis Ababa during a time of civil unrest. A set of conjoined twins results from their union, but the mother dies in childbirth while the young surgeon and father, Thomas Stone, flees from the fear, stigma and responsibility the twins represent.

The twins, joined at the head, survive and are separated, yet remain joined in the special way twins seem to share. In their adopted family at the mission hospital, the brothers are guided towards medical healing paths, each one demonstrating special gifts for knowledge, empathy and compassion. Events in Ethiopia bring about separation, betrayal and grief, but the Stone family ties reach beyond and only strengthen as time and events pass.

This novel is one of the few books that I've finished and immediately wanted to turn right back to the first page and start reading again. So many layers of insight and meaning are woven into the characters and the narrative of their lives that one reading doesn't seem to be sufficient. I have a special fondness for detailed medical descriptions of illness, disease and treatments in the form of a well-written narrative and this story more than meets my curiosity and need to know .

I would suggest this book to readers who are comfortable with making the commitment to a long novel, who are fascinated by medicine in literature, and those who love family sagas that make you appreciate your own relatively uncomplicated life, but also want to read about individuals you want to admire and even emulate.

P.S. Don't skip the author's acknowledgments at the end. Abraham Verghese gives credit to the sources of many of his ideas, and I think this act demonstrates a level of character and integrity that just adds more weight to the praise of this beautiful novel. It also is a fascinating look at the way an author finds and works with ideas.

My boss heartily recommended this sweeping, lyrical, and accessible novel, which I am heartily recommending in turn. The story is narrated by Marion Stone, the son of a British surgeon and (compellingly) an Indian nun who dies after childbirth in Ethiopia. Marion and his (initially conjoined) twin brother are lovingly raised on the grounds of the missionary hospital at which they were born by their adoptive parents and alongside the increasingly daring daughter of their housemaid. Though this could be categorized as a coming-of-age novel, the narrative scope is much wider than that and covers the history of Ethiopia over the latter part of the last century while encompassing broad themes, such as compassion, sacrifice and interconnectedness.

The sweeping, almost mythic quality of the story might sound like a grating prospect to some readers, but the author (a surgeon himself) makes it work: the saga steers clear of melodrama and is countered by psychologically astute characterizations, real humor (a woefully unheralded quality in fiction!), and compelling historical and medical detail. The last one- or two-hundred pages had a bit too much plot going on (especially considering the leisurely, decompressed quality of the book's first section), but to the author's credit: he had a lot of territory to cover! Overall, a deeply enjoyable and satisfying read.