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Cutting for Stoneby Abraham Verghese |
Dale Israel: As an avid reader, I hunger for books that completely sweep me away to another place, where the characters become my best friends, and where time stands still and I'm a part of a world unlike any other...and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese did just that! I absolutely adored this thick, juicy novel and would rank it right up there with Memoirs of a Geisha, Pillars of the Earth and Pope Joan.
Cutting for Stone tells the story of identical twin brothers born
as a result of a secret union between an Indian nun and a brash British surgeon
at a mission hospital in Ethiopia. Orphaned at birth when their mother dies
during childbirth and their father abandons them, the story is narrated by
one of the twins. It's a coming of age story that takes the reader on
an unforgettable journey into one man's remarkable life. The beauty of
this page turner is that the reader really gets to know the characters
and feels their joy, pain, disappointment, etc. While a few people on
Amazon (where I happened upon this "jewel") were disappointed with the
last 75 pages believing that the ending was rushed, I happened to
find the entire story totally engrossing. Now I must say, there is
a lot of medical descriptions here that may not be appealing to those
faint of heart, but as a nurse I was fascinated. If you read only
one book this summer, this is the one to choose. Rarely do I
give books more than 4 stars but I would give this one 6 if I could!
Read it and let me know what you think. I loved it!
Rating: *****
