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Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures

by Vincent Lam (Goodreads Author)

3.35 of 5 stars 3.35 · rating details · 3,372 ratings · 338 reviews

Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating...more Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.

“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.”

In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.”

From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Paperback, 355 pages

Published September 26th 2006 by Anchor Canada (first published January 17th 2006)

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Lists with This Book

Scotiabank Giller Prize winners

7th out of 20 books — 39 voters

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Medicine and Literature

93rd out of 724 books — 746 voters

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Mar 20, 2009 Kyla rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 - I'm really. really surprised this won the Giller Prize. Another case of a Doctor writes a book based on his work history and the critics swoon, because it's not a world typical writers come from or an arena that they cover. A novelty act, almost. Some stories are interesting, but again, I would add it's not because of the writing per se (which is readable but plain, not spare plain, just plain plain), as much as the backstage peek at a Dr.'s life. Also, it just makes me mad when other prof...more

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Oct 24, 2007 Rosa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has all kinds of impressive blurbs on the back cover, including praise from Margaret Atwood and Sherman Alexie himself (who has never struck me as the easy to please type) - I initially sought it out because of a really favorable review in Entertainment Weekly. Maybe all the hoopla led me to expect too much, but I just didn't see what the big deal was. Lam is a very skilled and nuanced writer, but it still seemed like most of the stories were more driven by plot than by character devel...more

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Jun 07, 2012 Steven Buechler rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great examination of how doctors are normal people too. I just wish I had known about the Glossary of terms in the back of the book when I had started reading it.

Page 324
5:25 - Suddenly awake
"Dr. Chen."
A face, a curtain pulled aside, I can't see who.
"Unnhh?"
"Dr. Chen!"
"Yeah I'm awake!" A panic, a heart-pounding proclamation, "I'm awake." Did I say that twice? I'm not sure what I said and what I dreamt.
"Brady at thirty. Pressure of fifty on nothing, ETA three minutes."
The voice I think it's a n...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Gerri rated it 3 of 5 stars

This debut novel by doctor/author Vincent Lam won the 2006 Giller Prize and highly recommended by Margaret Atwood has languished on my shelf since it's much hyped publication until I was forced to read it as a Book Club selection.
The twelve short stories are linked by four recurring characters: Dr. Fitzgerald,Dr.Chen who marries Dr.Ming,and Dr.Sri.They are young ambitious Toronto medical students who graduate and practice medicine in their respective specialties,their hectic lives are connecte...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Sue rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: medicine

This is an extremely interesting book, especially if you are acquainted with anyone who has endured the appallingly stressful rigors of medical school and lived to tell about it. Written by an author who has done just that, this book is a work of fiction that interweaves the stories of several aspiring young doctors and follows them through their professional lives. Along the way, he reveals them to be intelligent, ambitious, complicated, and very, very human. In other words, he tells his story...more This is an extremely interesting book, especially if you are acquainted with anyone who has endured the appallingly stressful rigors of medical school and lived to tell about it. Written by an author who has done just that, this book is a work of fiction that interweaves the stories of several aspiring young doctors and follows them through their professional lives. Along the way, he reveals them to be intelligent, ambitious, complicated, and very, very human. In other words, he tells his story like it often is, and not like we would wish it to be. (CAUTION: If you were once a fan of Marcus Welby, M.D. -- that was a TV show, for those of you too young to remember -- you will HATE this book. No character in it is all-wise, all-sacrificing, or constantly a paragon of medical virtue. They are, instead, human, and therefore behave both wisely and stupidly, kindly and selfishly -- just as we all do, if we are honest enough to admit it.)

If you choose to read this book, be sure to give it time to really "grow on you." Usually when I read a book, I know within the first 50-100 pages what rating I am likely to give it by the time I'm finished. (Though, for any authors out there reading this, note that I DO continue to keep an open mind!) This book surprised me by continuing to draw me in more and more as its story (really, it's plural -- stories) progressed. I thought the author was particularly skillful in the way he introduced each vignette -- at first, I was never sure how this piece of the individual's tale was going to fit into the story as a whole. By the end of the book, however, I was fully satisfied that I had seen enough of each character's struggles and gifts to give me a sense of their unique personality and how they had changed -- for good and for bad -- during their lives.

If you are a reader who enjoys complex characters and gritty honesty and does not need every single detail of your characters' lives spelled out for you (it's a series of vignettes, remember?) then I would definitely recommend this book to you. And I will be sure to read more of Vincent Lam's work.(less)

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Aug 10, 2011 kingshearte rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, cdn-books-worth-reading, fiction

Short stories are not really my favourite type of reading, but this was here, and I'd heard good things about it, so I read it. It was actually really good, despite having won a Canadian literary award. I found almost all the stories very interesting and quite compelling.

However. It still had the various issues that make me not really care for the short story as a form. Although you do get some insight, in the context of whatever the current situation being painted is, you don't really get to kn...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Neil Mudde rated it 3 of 5 stars

A great first plus Giller prize for Dr. Lam,, it gives one a good insight as to how to go about getting into medical school, never be satisfied with just 80% 100% is a must
A great insight into different cultures, Ming who is Chinese, is driven through her family to reach her highest potential, along the way she shacks up with Fitzgerald, who turns out to have problems, Ming is so organized and sets a schedule for Fitzgerald which does not allow him any free time, not wanting to give the whole st...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 01, 2010 Parksy rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5

Some very good true to life medical stories, mixes with some not so great fiction character studies. Worth a read overall though.
---------------

Book Description
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it m...more 3.5

Some very good true to life medical stories, mixes with some not so great fiction character studies. Worth a read overall though.
---------------

Book Description
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.

“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.”

In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.”

From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life.(less)

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Feb 23, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite

Really good. I enjoyed it a lot and found the narrative really interesting and striking in some places. It's a series of short stories basically, each one has one or two of the main characters in and follows a loose timeline from the start of their careers and as they get older and more experienced. It's got a nice flow to it and Lam doesn't feel the need to smack you in the face with exposition every time the narrative jumps a few months or years, you can fill in the blanks nicely from the info...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Vincent Lam joins the ranks of doctor-writers with his award-winning debut novel. Compared to the popular TV dramas Grey's Anatomy, House, and ER, Bloodletting (set to become a Canadian TV drama itself) offers an intriguing look at na_

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Jan 22, 2010 rabbitprincess rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like realistic medical stories

Recommended to rabbitprincess by: Julia

Shelves: bibliotheque, oh-canada, 2010, family-friends-acquaintances-recs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A very good collection of stories, especially considering that this was the author's first book! He has faithfully followed the maxim of "write what you know", drawing on his experiences as an emergency room physician to write a series of short stories connected by four protagonists (Chen, Ming, Sri and Fitz) as they make their way through medical school and eventually come to terms with their work as doctors, dealing with personal problems and how they relate to their patients. He is a very viv...more A very good collection of stories, especially considering that this was the author's first book! He has faithfully followed the maxim of "write what you know", drawing on his experiences as an emergency room physician to write a series of short stories connected by four protagonists (Chen, Ming, Sri and Fitz) as they make their way through medical school and eventually come to terms with their work as doctors, dealing with personal problems and how they relate to their patients. He is a very vivid writer, with well-chosen details and of course a mastery of the medical jargon, but it does not seem an excessive amount of jargon (indeed, there is a glossary of medical terms at the back of the book, at least in the edition I read).

Apart from the medical scenarios, another thing Lam does well is give a sense of place. Or perhaps this is true for people who have been to or lived in Ottawa or Toronto. Since I am familiar with these cities, the details he chose for his stories really brought back memories for me and I could picture the scene very clearly, especially the bike accident -- as soon as the narrator mentioned the intersection that Fitz was approaching, I thought "OH NO he's going to get hit by a bus." It's rather a dangerous intersection for cyclists.

One story that was particularly interesting was "Winston", about a man who has a psychotic break. The reader is immersed in his viewpoint for a great deal of the story, and the way Lam brings in reality and simply presents the two competing perspectives is really good. It would make an excellent topic of discussion in an English class.

My favourite story would probably be "Contact Tracing", probably because it does an excellent job of showcasing Lam's medical writing and makes the reader really emotionally invested in the characters. I also enjoyed the consultation notes, if only because I translate medical reports and am somewhat familiar with the format. The only criticism I would have for this story is that Sri's death offstage (discussed briefly by Chen and Fitz) seemed rather gratuitous. This is probably my biggest criticism overall, that and maybe a couple of stories are too open-ended. Most of them ended with just enough closure for my liking, though.

To sum up, this is a great book, and if you've been on the fence about it, go pick it up. It's thought-provoking, educational and an absorbing read.(less)

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Dec 07, 2010 Shirley Schwartz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: prize-winners

I am usually not a fan of the short story genre, but I read this book because I'm working my way through the Giller Prize Winner list. This book won in 2006. It is certainly a different look at medicine and the moral and ethical dilemmas that the people in this profession face on a daily basis. I can understand why the book won the award even though I didn't really care for it that much. The series of stories in the book are connected by the four medical students and the course of their careers...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was a series of stories about doctors and their patients. The stories followed 4 doctors through their careers, from medical school through mid-career practice, but the stories were also based on their various patients and situations. One doctor's job is to fly to remote areas of the world to rescue patients who need medical care they can only get at home; another pair of doctors are infected with SARS; another doctor must deal with a mentally unstable patient and try to figure out if...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, canadian-authors, short-stories, the-gg-s

This is a book of short stories revolving around 4 characters. We meet some when they are applicants, and others while attending medical school. We also see some unique cases when they are in their residency or later in their career. As a nurse, the jargon was not too impenetrable (although my area of practice is very far removed from the life or death pace of the emergency room) but I found that I was more interested in their interior lives, and as such I found the first few stories much more a...more

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Sep 17, 2009 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

I guess I'm fluctuating between giving this 2.5 stars and 3 which I perceive as average or likable for a book I've read. The only female character in this collection is not very likable. The first story centers around her considering an interracial relationship and then the follow up shows how insecure and overly focused (aka neurotic) she is to follow it through so she breaks her boyfriends heart by just ignoring him. After that she is seen in snippets in two other stories.

The character of Fit...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Louise rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Ugggh, this was the worst book (which I didn't even finish) that I've read in a long time. The stories were bland and boring with no quality of enjoyment or entertainment whatsoever.

From back cover:

"Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures is an astonishing literary debut, a collection of mature and intricate stories connected through the relationships that develop among a group of young doctors as they move from the challenges of med school to the intense world of emergency rooms, evac missions, and t...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Kevin Dobson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Author Vincent Lam has created an interesting array of inter-connected characters & stories revolving around medical students and their subsequent graduate selves. There are incredibly in depth & insightful pages dedicated to character development & relationship portrayals early on in the book but it seemed to me that this intimate revelatory content wasn't carried further as the story unfolded. In it's place were first hand accounts of the precarious nature of the medical professio...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Zara rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is an easy, engaging read (it took me a few days). I didn't realize the chapters were meant to be interrelated short stories until much further down the work. It's an excellent "insider view" from a doctor's perspective, the dilemmas of those in the medical profession: the body politic of the health system, the de-sensitized conditioning necessary to meet high volume and demand, the inevitability of sickness and death, and the tension between remaining professional, yet compassionate, w...more

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Oct 04, 2010 Zoë (In The Next Room) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories

Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures is the debut novel by doctor and author Vincent Lam, and it was also the winner of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize, a prestigious Canadian literary award. The book is a novel in short story format, with all the stories loosely connected by their main characters Fitzgerald, Ming, Sri and Chen, a format similar to Ray Bradbury's the Martian Chronicles and taking place over several decades. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures begins with the story "How To Get Into M...more Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures is the debut novel by doctor and author Vincent Lam, and it was also the winner of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize, a prestigious Canadian literary award. The book is a novel in short story format, with all the stories loosely connected by their main characters Fitzgerald, Ming, Sri and Chen, a format similar to Ray Bradbury's the Martian Chronicles and taking place over several decades. Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures begins with the story "How To Get Into Medical School Part 1" in which Ming and Fitzgerald both try to attain with the high grades necessary to get a coveted place in medical school, while always dealing with their feelings for each other and what a relationship with a white boy would mean for the Chinese Ming. Lam follows his characters through medical school and the following years, and they deal with the large responsibility and personal stress that being a doctor entails. There is also some relationship drama as Fitz struggles to accept Ming's decision about their relationship, especially after she meets the Chinese Chen in medical school.

I don't really feel the need to discuss each particular story because they didn't really leave a lasting impact on me. I found Ming particularly unlikable, and was mostly indifferent to Chen. The most interesting character by far was Fitz and I felt like Lam skipped over a lot of what could have been the best part of the book- what caused Fitz to end up the way he did. Lam never lets the reader in on Fitz's family life or other what other triggers he may have had, and so Fitz felt closed off and inaccessible. In particular I wondered why Ming was so important to him. Ming is the source of Fitz' obsession even later in the book when he claims he has gotten over her (but no other significant relationships are mentioned or discussed, so the fact remains unbelievable) but the reader not only can't relate to her but overall finds her heartless. I never understood what Fitz, or Chen for that matter, saw in her and although the relationship may not have been the focus of the book it played a big enough role in the fates of the three characters that I wish Lam had offered more substance to it.

Lam does a good job of bringing the language and vocabulary down to a level that the average reader can understand, if anything it could be faulted for its simplicity, and I was never confused by the medical procedures going on in the book. In fact, the glossary at the end of Bloodletting seemed unnecessary, and many of the words that were included actually seemed a bit ridiculous (for example 'vocal chords'). I admit my familiarity with the Giller Prize is lacking but I was particularly surprised that Lam's book won, especially when I compare it to the wonderful 2009 winner, The Bishop's Man by Linden MacIntyre which I read this summer. Overall, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures was more like reading a well written lab report than a fantastic novel- Lam's careful choice of description and clear knowledge of the subject shine but it lacks the passionate core which would really make a reader fall in love with the book.
(less)

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May 22, 2009 Stacy rated it 2 of 5 stars

I found this in the shelf in the library where they put all the "hot" items. I am not entirely sure why this is considered a hot item. The writing was readable but very simple, and there wasn't enough character development. I didn't realize it was stories until I started to read it, and I almost put it down immediately. I am not a fan of short stories, but this wasn't your typical shorts piece. It read more like a novel, with a core group of doctors that we first met in college and medical schoo...more

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Jan 31, 2010 Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was an iffy start for me. I wasn't sure I bought in to the first few stories which felt a bit awkward. After reading a few though, my appreciation for both the intertwining of stories and the creativity of this writer grew on me. I enjoyed the glimpse into the world of young doctors and didn't flinch at the glossary in the back, which I think must have been difficult to address for the author- I read the first few chapters wondering what various acronyms were and was a bit surprised th...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, canadiana, fiction, short-stories

There is no denying that Vincent Lam can write. His tale of 4 medical students in Toronto is engaging and captivating. I quickly found myself drawn in, wanting to know about Ming, Fitz, Chen and Sri. But in the end, I felt short changed. There are lots of medical stories, but especially once they are through med school, the now doctors are just that, doctors. I kept hoping to find out more about Ming, the only female in the group, and arguably the most driven by her own and cultural expectations...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Redparrot rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this more than I expected. I became aware of it during a CBC interview with Lam and he told the story of being a cruise doctor on which Margaret Atwood was travelling. He made her acquaintance and subsequently gave her a draft for review. It was a lightening-in-the-bottle story that compelled me to see what could spark that kind of success.

I also had it loaned (and recommended further) by a work peer.

It is a series of chapters that can both stand on their own and be part of a larger nar...more

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Jan 08, 2011 Kerry rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Medical drama is the new hot thing, at least on TV, but this book fails to deliver. The stories are depressing, the writing seems to drag on, and the characters are just excruciatingly boring/unlikeable. I esp. hate the character Chen -- she epitomizes every stale stereotype of an overachieving Asian that is more a robot (or study machine) than a human being with a heart. I am just so sick of Asians themselves perpetuating this kind of stereotype. If you want really refreshing contemporary liter...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Leya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, short-stories

It's Grey's Anatomy set in a hospital in Toronto. What it really is, a collection of short stories that follow the above mentioned characters while they study, learn, perform their duties and go on with their lives.

I admit, I was dreading starting this book, I was afraid that it would be dull and I would struggle to read it. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading each short story. I tend not to like short stories because I feel that I cannot connect to the characters, but...more

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May 26, 2012 Shishir rated it 3 of 5 stars

started slow but picked up later fiction Based in Toronto in the 90's interwoven lives of upcoming Doctors examines the values of chinese and other culture doctors; well explains some of the common themes language was basic mostly but it seemed to improve as the story went along! Could relate to a lot of Eastern thinking as well as the reality of being in a Hospital and making tough decisions language was good on brief occasions message- Doctors are human too and their lives though revered act a...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I'm not usually a fan of short story collections, but i liked almost all of these (only didn't like Night Flight). It helped that they were all connected somehow, i think:) i also liked the progression in the seriousness (relationships and medical) as the characters progressed through med school and to being doctors. I was pleased with myself for how much of the medical terminology i knew, but the notes are worth reading for the author's humourous notes:P Just a note: if you're like me and can o...more

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Dec 19, 2008 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: medical people, those who like reading about medicine

This is not a novel as such, but a collection of short stories about four medical students (Ming, Chen, Fitzgerald and Sri) as they go through their study and then as doctors.

As a health professional, I really enjoyed this book, as it didn't 'dumb down' the medicine. But it can still be enjoyed by others, thanks to a concise but good glossary at the back of the book.

The only complaint I have is that we didn't really get closure of the characters, only speculation, and that we see more of some c...more

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Apr 19, 2009 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

It starts off a little slow and dull but as it progresses the stories become much more fascinating.

There definately was not as much closure with each of the characters as I would like. There is a lot of speculation and guessing that had to be made in order to really figure out what happened to a character. Also there is a strong charcter change in Fitzgarald from the progressing medical student who actually looked like he was progressing forward to the alchoholic who just wanted to give up in l...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winner, bestsellers, canadian, short-stories, general, own

This book won the Giller Prize here in Canada. Which is apparently the biggest prize win here, so good on Vincent Lam. The author is an emergency physician in Toronto, and basically writes what he knows. Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a collection of intertwined short stories that involve some of the same characters. Considering I usually can take or leave short stories, I was quite impressed with this collection. I think it helped to have a connecting thread between them, that way you'r...more

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