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2nd out of 15 books
—
20 voters
Acceptable Risk
by
Robin Cook
As the bestselling master of medical suspense, Robin Cook has always always been on the cutting edge of the latest medical controversies. In Acceptable Risks, he confronts one of the most provocative isssues of our time--personality-altering drugs and the complex moral questions they raise. "Takes on the ethics involved in such personality-altering drugs as Prozac."--Publi...more
Paperback, 416 pages
Published
August 26th 1996
by Pan
(first published May 1st 1993)
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Very exciting story. A woman who works as a nurse meets a biochemical engineer and they begin dating. She takes him to her family home, dating from the 1600s and tells him that one of her ancestors was hanged as a witch back then. He investigates the grain bins in the cellar and hypothesizes that, due to a shortage of wheat, the community had been making bread from rye flour, which will mutate if kept in a damp place such as a cellar. He takes a small sample and develops a chemical, and by playi...more
No me gustó nada!
Con esto no quiero desanimar a nadie, pues mirando por internet o la misma libretera que me lo recomendó, hay gente que a la que le encantó.
Aunque el argumento parecía muy interesante, fue una gran decepción (y un via crucis) leerlo:
El inicio es muy bueno y prometedor (juicios de Salem de 1692) pero todo se acaba cuando la trama se situa en 1994...
Para empezar el estilo literario de Robin Cook, para mi gusto, deja mucho que desear: dialogos poco naturales, simplones y a rato...more
Con esto no quiero desanimar a nadie, pues mirando por internet o la misma libretera que me lo recomendó, hay gente que a la que le encantó.
Aunque el argumento parecía muy interesante, fue una gran decepción (y un via crucis) leerlo:
El inicio es muy bueno y prometedor (juicios de Salem de 1692) pero todo se acaba cuando la trama se situa en 1994...
Para empezar el estilo literario de Robin Cook, para mi gusto, deja mucho que desear: dialogos poco naturales, simplones y a rato...more
I really enjoyed this book and read it quickly! It was fascinating how a poisonous mold is offered up as an explanation to what happened during the Salem Witch Trails and why modern science should also be careful with formulating new drugs to solve illnesses.
That being said, I feel like the book was really against taking medication for psychological issues and I understand the point of taking a drug to be more assertive or overcoming shyness is probably not a good thing. However, there are many...more
That being said, I feel like the book was really against taking medication for psychological issues and I understand the point of taking a drug to be more assertive or overcoming shyness is probably not a good thing. However, there are many...more
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Kim Stewart, a 27-year old nurse, can trace her family all the way to 1692 Salem witch trial, where one of her ancestors, Elizabeth, was convicted of witchcraft and executed. Kim’s new boyfriend, Dr. Edward Armstrong, a brilliant scientist, collected samples from Elizabeth’s house and was able to discover a new fungus, that he thinks was the reason for strange hallucinogenic behavior in Salem during witch trials and also can be foundation for new billion dollar miracle Prozac like drug to cure p...more
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It would have been nice to have more character development and less medical lingo. Cook is a doctor and so can write about the medical side of his novels with no problem. He is far less successful at the character development sinde of the story. All the relationships felt extremely fake. A shy girl breaks up with her controlling boyfriend, falls in love and bed with another shy scientist, and then shy scientist boyfriend goes off the deep-end and mix in some zombie-almost elements. Not very beli...more
Edward Armstrong discovers a new drug that seems perfect for treating panic, anxiety and depression, when investigating mould from an old family house of Kim, from the time her ancestor was convicted for Salem witchcraft.
The drug seems perfect and non-toxic, so the researchers start to test it and it doesn't seem to have an side effects until much later...
For once, the whole Cook drama doesn't happen in only hospitals. Enjoyable read the same way as the other Cooks. But after finishing this one,...more
The drug seems perfect and non-toxic, so the researchers start to test it and it doesn't seem to have an side effects until much later...
For once, the whole Cook drama doesn't happen in only hospitals. Enjoyable read the same way as the other Cooks. But after finishing this one,...more
Exploring the idea that the Salem witch trials were sparked by a biological, hallucinogenic threat, Cook tells an interesting story. I especially enjoyed the dialog about how drugs can change your personality.
The story itself has moments that are, in my opinion, unrealistic human behavior. I think it's funny that this is my problem with a story connected with the Salem with trials as studying them shows how awful human behavior can be. And yet we know the behavior in Salem back then was real.
Th...more
The story itself has moments that are, in my opinion, unrealistic human behavior. I think it's funny that this is my problem with a story connected with the Salem with trials as studying them shows how awful human behavior can be. And yet we know the behavior in Salem back then was real.
Th...more
Its been a long time since I have read a Robin Cook novel. I had fun with this one. The book has a long prologue that takes place in the late 1600's, in Salem, where a woman named Elizabeth is tried and hung for being a witch. Move up 300 years to Kim, Elizabeth's descendant. She is the co-owner of the original land of home of Elizabeth and family. She meets and starts to fall for a scientist, Edward. Together the look into the families hidden past. Along the way the come across some fungus that...more
I don't know how an author can take such an interesting subject and turn it into an unreadable book, but Mr. Cook certainly does that with his novel "Acceptable Risk."
Kim is just getting out of what is described as a controlling and unhealthy relationship with Kinnard when her cousin introduces her to Edward, an attentive scientist. At the same time Kim cultivates an interest in her ancestor Elizabeth Stewart, who was tried and convicted of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course the...more
Kim is just getting out of what is described as a controlling and unhealthy relationship with Kinnard when her cousin introduces her to Edward, an attentive scientist. At the same time Kim cultivates an interest in her ancestor Elizabeth Stewart, who was tried and convicted of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course the...more
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The dialogue in this book is atrocious, which compounds the bad because the characters have to keep stopping and going into copious amounts of exposition. The story itself was fairly interesting if only because it offered an interesting explanation of the Salem Witch Trials, but I don't think Robin Cook is a very good author. I like Clive Cussler, who also has dialogue issues, but doesn't take himself nearly as seriously, which was Cook's biggest problem. Two stars just because the story didn't...more
There was a level of extraneous detail in this book so great, I never thought I was going to get through it. Had the overly-complicated medical descriptions and pointless detail of interactions between people not been present, I would have liked the story much better. Actually, when the author did finally get to the story, it was very entertaining and lively reading.
If you have an aptitude for medical lingo, then this is the book for you.
If you have an aptitude for medical lingo, then this is the book for you.
It was a quite entertaining book, however I didnt like Kim at all, she was weak and made terrible choices about mens! *Spoiler* I mean WTF was she thinking to go bak with awful Kinard?? Or to move in with a complete stranger like Dr Edward :S.
I did like the wicth trails history on it, and I have to admit that I coudln put down until the very end. But Im not really looking forward to buy any more Robin Cook's books.
I did like the wicth trails history on it, and I have to admit that I coudln put down until the very end. But Im not really looking forward to buy any more Robin Cook's books.
La historia tarda un poco en tomar fuerza, lo que al parecer es el estilo del autor. Sin embargo, es preciso reconocer que Cook escapa de la claustrofobia hospitalaria y se abre a un mundo mas amplio con una lograda ambientación histórica, donde se entrecruza pasado y presente y la ciencia y supersticiónllegan a confundirse consiguiendo un thriller distinto a lo que solia leerle.
Robin Cook has done it again.
Although there was a little too much medical jargon in this 1 it still carried the intrigue that I have gotten used to. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read. The interplay between Kim, Edward, Stanton and the rest was good. The end result was unexpected to a point.
Have to go find more Robin Cook books now
Although there was a little too much medical jargon in this 1 it still carried the intrigue that I have gotten used to. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read. The interplay between Kim, Edward, Stanton and the rest was good. The end result was unexpected to a point.
Have to go find more Robin Cook books now
Another excellent medical thriller by the master! Certainly makes this reader want to read & learn more about the Salem witch trials, which is, I think, the sign of a good writer writing a good story! Also would be interested to learn more about drug discovery & drug testing/trials. Look forward to reading another Cook novel if I find one in my collection!
I think Cook is a somewhat clunky writer, but you can't deny his expertise. The book is thought-provoking and illuminating regarding the time frame and procedures necessary to bring a new drug to market. The central character said she didn't approve of taking drugs to correct perceived personality shortcomings; the book points out what can happen when a researcher disagrees and decides to experiment on himself. All in all, good read.
This book scared me a little.
But the kind that makes you want to read it more.
Do you know what I mean ?
Well, it was quite suspenseful.
I've always loved hearing about the Salem witchcraft trials.
The entire thing fit together perfectly.
Over all, a really great book. :)
But the kind that makes you want to read it more.
Do you know what I mean ?
Well, it was quite suspenseful.
I've always loved hearing about the Salem witchcraft trials.
The entire thing fit together perfectly.
Over all, a really great book. :)
Though it shows down many times, the pace often gets intense too. With two different storylines, one about a historical mystery surrounding a witchcraft trial, and another regarding chilling side effects of an untested miracle drug, things become better by the second half of the book.
I was a little disappointed in this book because I had heard it was a good one. It didn't feel like there was anything 'extraordinay' about the book and it just could not keep my attention. I kept reading a few pages here and there but I eventually skipped some of the later pages and went to the end to find out what happened.
I liked how the beginning is part historical fiction and how the book develops into a plausible explanation for the Salem Witch trials.
A bit too much medical jargon but still a great thriller/horror read that kept me reading when I should have been doing other stuff.
A bit too much medical jargon but still a great thriller/horror read that kept me reading when I should have been doing other stuff.
I think I gave up reading Robin Cook after this book. The translation I read mixed the names of the characters, which is worse than writing mistakes. This might not be Cook's fault, but I found the story daft and I'm surprised I finished it at all.
Fantastic story! I couldn't put it down and finished it in less than a week. I got "lost" in the plot & that's always a good sign. The ending was kind of shocking & completely unexpected. If you enjoy medical thrillers, I highly recommend Acceptable Risk.
Engancha desde el principio, es una muy inteligente unión entre una historia real de brujería explicándola desde un principio científico hasta el desarrollo de la trama y un desenlace narrado como sólo Robin Cook sabe hacer.
Nice change from model of previous books. An interesting look at the Salem witch trials era combined with the dangers of bad lab practices. This would make a great horror movie. If Poe wrote a medical thriller, it would be Acceptable Risk!
Spellbound by this book. I have recently started reading Robin Cook's novels again. Haven't read one yet that didn't totally have me in its grasp. Once I read "Coma" when it first came out, I was hooked.
A bizarre connection between the behavior of women suspected of being witches in Salem and a scientific discovery that works on the most basic level of human behavior. Wild, but interesting.
This book started out good, but didn't make it the rest of the way. The premise sounded intriguing, tying in the Salem witch trials and this psychotropic drug, but just didn't follow through.
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Librarian Note: Not to be confused with British novelist Robin Cook a pseudonym of Robert William Arthur Cook.
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who combined medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. Several of his books have been b...more
More about Robin Cook...
Dr. Robin Cook (born May 4, 1940 in New York City, New York) is an American doctor / novelist who writes about medicine and topics affecting public health.
He is best known for being the author who combined medical writing with the thriller genre of writing. Several of his books have been b...more
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