book data
247 ratings,
3.56
average rating, 88 reviews
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published
July 1st 2008
by Simon & Schuster
binding
Hardcover, 288 pages
isbn
1416556109
(isbn13: 9781416556107)
description
With the compassion of Jodi Picoult and the medical realism of Atul Gawande, Oxygen is a riveting new novel by a real-life anesthesiologist, an intima...more
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avg 3.56
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in August, 2008
My Review of Oxygen: A Novel by Carol Cassella
Carol Cassella’s mixture of mystery and medical thriller, supported by the authenticity of her many years as an anesthesiologist, results in her page turning debut book, Oxygen: A Novel. Casella’s Dr. Marie Heaton is also an anesthesiologist who is passionate and professional about her life’s work. She works at Seattle’s First Lutheran Hospital where she prides herself in the care and expertise with which she conducts her everyda...more
Carol Cassella’s mixture of mystery and medical thriller, supported by the authenticity of her many years as an anesthesiologist, results in her page turning debut book, Oxygen: A Novel. Casella’s Dr. Marie Heaton is also an anesthesiologist who is passionate and professional about her life’s work. She works at Seattle’s First Lutheran Hospital where she prides herself in the care and expertise with which she conducts her everyda...more
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Read in December, 2008
OXYGEN (Novel/Med. Mys- Dr. Marie Heaton-Seattle-Cont) – Good
Cassella, Carol – 1st book
Simon & Schuster, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 1416556109
First Sentence: People feel so strong, so durable.
Dr. Marie Heaton is a skilled anesthesiologist. Her life is off track and her career at risk when a child dies during surgery and Marie is being sued for malpractice. Although she tries to keep working, she must work to find out exactly what happened during the ...more
Cassella, Carol – 1st book
Simon & Schuster, 2008, US Hardcover – ISBN: 1416556109
First Sentence: People feel so strong, so durable.
Dr. Marie Heaton is a skilled anesthesiologist. Her life is off track and her career at risk when a child dies during surgery and Marie is being sued for malpractice. Although she tries to keep working, she must work to find out exactly what happened during the ...more
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Read in July, 2009
Oxygen by Carol Cassella was an interesting book to me. Written by a practicing anesthesiologist it tackles a subject that obviously the author knows well, but one that the average reader does not really understand that well. She does it flawlessly without making things complicated or dumbing down the medical terminology she uses.
The book is set at the fictitious Lutheran Hospital in the Seattle area. During what at first appears to be a routine surgery, there are fatal complications...more
The book is set at the fictitious Lutheran Hospital in the Seattle area. During what at first appears to be a routine surgery, there are fatal complications...more
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Read in January, 2009
recommended to Fredsky by:
Eileenrecommends it for: Any pre-meds or even pre-ops!
The next time your anesthesiologist looks you in the eyes and shoots a syringe of something into your I.V., don't have read this book already.
Our heroine, Dr. Marie Heaton, an experienced anesthesiologist, is naive in the ways of the normal functioning world. She doesn't read men very well, she doesn't seem suspicious of lawyers until it's too late, and she appears to have no prior knowledge that hospitals are big business and that big business will cheerfully and resolutely bite...more
Our heroine, Dr. Marie Heaton, an experienced anesthesiologist, is naive in the ways of the normal functioning world. She doesn't read men very well, she doesn't seem suspicious of lawyers until it's too late, and she appears to have no prior knowledge that hospitals are big business and that big business will cheerfully and resolutely bite...more
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Read in January, 2009
At first I wondered why I was even reading this book. It seemed to be about another supremely narcissistic doctor moaning about unpaid medical school loans while living in a downtown loft with beautiful skylines. Or caterwauling about the lack of spouse/child fully expecting to be able to order said spouse/child in the mid to late thirties in the way the rest of us would order a turkey for Thanksgiving. Oh god. The stress of being in one of the most elite professions ever, with concurrent hi...more
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01/04/09
Kathleen
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Read in November, 2008
Oxygen, by Carol Cassella, narrated by Jennifer Ikeda, produced by, and borrowed from Recorded Books.
This is a debut novel by a freelance medical writer and a practicing anesthesiologist. It is worthy of standing alongside the best medical thrillers. We are introduced here to Dr. Marie Heaton, a very successful anesthesiologist who loves her work and passionately cares about each patient she helps come through an operation. She works for an undr-staffed overburdened hospital, Firs...more
This is a debut novel by a freelance medical writer and a practicing anesthesiologist. It is worthy of standing alongside the best medical thrillers. We are introduced here to Dr. Marie Heaton, a very successful anesthesiologist who loves her work and passionately cares about each patient she helps come through an operation. She works for an undr-staffed overburdened hospital, Firs...more
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Read in December, 2008
recommends it for:
those that like medical fiction
The blurb on this book stated that this writer wrote like Jodi Piccoult. Well, I think she writes like Jodi Piccoult too, but with a much deeper knowledge of her subject, anaesthesia and medicine (which is good, as the author is a doctor).
Dr Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist in a Seattle hospital (don't even think Grey's Anatomy) when a child unexpectedly dies on the table and she faces a malpractice suit. Meanwhile, she has a few family problems, but these are really more of a sid...more
Dr Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist in a Seattle hospital (don't even think Grey's Anatomy) when a child unexpectedly dies on the table and she faces a malpractice suit. Meanwhile, she has a few family problems, but these are really more of a sid...more
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Read in August, 2008
I was interested in this book as a physician because it explores the physician dealing with a malpractice suit. However, the plot took a twist I didn't forsee and didn't like! Overall, good read.
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Read in December, 2008
An anethesiologist with a good reputation loses a young girl on the operating table.Deeply affected by the girls death, the doctor tries to understand what could have caused the sudden and unforeseen complications that developed during what was a basically routine operation.
There is much political intrigue, but it seems to come all at once towards the end of the book. Along the way,the anesthesiologist revives a relationship with a colleague that she was once involved with.He appears to be...more
There is much political intrigue, but it seems to come all at once towards the end of the book. Along the way,the anesthesiologist revives a relationship with a colleague that she was once involved with.He appears to be...more
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Read in December, 2008
I first heard about this book several months ago when listening to an interview with the author (on a non-NPR station). It technically falls into the category of "chick-lit," but even so, it is high-caliber chick-lit, in my humble opinion. I'm reminded of a Roger Ebert review where he states that just because the movie's leads are all women, doesn't necessarily mean it is a "chick-flick." In traditional chick-lit fashion, Dr. Marie Heaton is a single, overworked profession...more
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Glenda by:
Amazon Vinerecommends it for: fans of medical thrillers - anyone
Oxygen
By Carol Cassella
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4165-5610-7
291 Pages
Oxygen is a breathtaking novel! Not such a catchy phrase when you think what breathtaking means—exciting, astonishing, and inspiring. And, indeed, Carol Cassella’s first novel, Oxygen, is all of those!
Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist, working as a member of a team at First Lutheran Hospital. Long, hard hours is the norm because there is always a shortage of staff to...more
By Carol Cassella
Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 978-1-4165-5610-7
291 Pages
Oxygen is a breathtaking novel! Not such a catchy phrase when you think what breathtaking means—exciting, astonishing, and inspiring. And, indeed, Carol Cassella’s first novel, Oxygen, is all of those!
Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist, working as a member of a team at First Lutheran Hospital. Long, hard hours is the norm because there is always a shortage of staff to...more
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I'll keep my summary of this book to a minimum. "Oxygen" is narrated by Dr. Marie Heaton, a Seattle-based anesthesiologist whose young patient dies on the operating table. Dr. Heaton struggles to forgive herself for the child's death while she navigates the world of malpractice suits, hospital bureaucracy and untrustworthy colleagues. Interwoven into the novel are Dr. Heaton's relationships with her on/off lover, sister and her aging father.
The highlights of the novel: Know...more
The highlights of the novel: Know...more
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Read in August, 2008
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:
I'm not sure why I got Cassella's *Oxygen* because the synopsis in the back made me hesitant. But something just told me to get it. Boy, am I glad. I was hooked from the first page to the end.
Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at a top Seattle hospital. She's living the usual life of a doctor, working shifts here and there. She really enjoys her job as she also comforts patients, knowing that they entrust their lives in her hands...more
I'm not sure why I got Cassella's *Oxygen* because the synopsis in the back made me hesitant. But something just told me to get it. Boy, am I glad. I was hooked from the first page to the end.
Dr. Marie Heaton is an anesthesiologist at a top Seattle hospital. She's living the usual life of a doctor, working shifts here and there. She really enjoys her job as she also comforts patients, knowing that they entrust their lives in her hands...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Jeanne by:
Chicago Public Libraryrecommends it for: anyone who enjoys a medical mystery
Dr. Marie Heaton is a great anesthesiologist. She loves her job in Seattle and is meticulous in her work. But everything changes when young Jolene Jansen dies on her table. What happened? Is Marie to blame for this tragedy?
With attention to detail, Cassella brings her readers into the world of doctors, hospitals, and, of course, anesthesia. Marie will retrace her steps in the OR, reread her notes, hypothesize, and still be mystified by her patient’s death. To add to her confu...more
With attention to detail, Cassella brings her readers into the world of doctors, hospitals, and, of course, anesthesia. Marie will retrace her steps in the OR, reread her notes, hypothesize, and still be mystified by her patient’s death. To add to her confu...more
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Read in December, 2008
Loved the author's writing style-just enough technical stuff to let you learn something about the medical field-but not too much as to be over your head. The book reminded me of a cross between two of my favorite TV shows---"Bones" and "House".
I especially liked the introspection of the first-person narrative. It gave soul to the book; something I always thought was missing from other technical-medical mysteries (i.e. Kay Scarpetta). But I have to admit I picked u...more
I especially liked the introspection of the first-person narrative. It gave soul to the book; something I always thought was missing from other technical-medical mysteries (i.e. Kay Scarpetta). But I have to admit I picked u...more
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Read in July, 2009
Despite a what is at times a slick, 'screenplayish' style, Casella has written a compelling medical drama. The main character's inadvertent diagnoses of strangers rings true as do the family interactions, both warm and dysfunctional. Some of the romantic lines are gag-worthy, ( mouth being a "vermillion boundary," for instance). But ultimately the story's mystery keeps the pages turning, and the main character is sympathetic and her situation fascinating in this age of malpractice laws...more
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Read in May, 2009
Bookclub book 5/09, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I really liked the main character and the way she had to pick things apart and get answers on her own. I disliked the ending where in the last 30 or so pages, everything quickly changed from a normal storyline to a twist just thrown in right at the end.
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Read in June, 2009
An anesthesiologist loses a little girl in the or. Not only a story of her dealing with lawsuits, guilt etc but a look at our flawed health care system. well written with some nice twists. Author is a doctor so her look at the system is believable.
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07/05/09
Amy
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Read in July, 2009
Written by a practicing anesthesiologist who majored in English lit at Duke, this was an interesting, eye-opening view into modern American medicine and anesthesiology. The "twist" is transparent, but still a decent read.
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Read in May, 2009
This book went straight from my "To Be Read" shelf to my "Read" shelf because I read it so quickly. I wish someone had warned me that I wouldn't be able to put the book down, as I might not have started it at 9:00 at night (finished around 3 a.m.)!
I thought the writing was beautiful, the characters interesting and the plot riveting. The background information on anesthesiology was new to me and quite fascinating.
I met the author, a Highland Park gr...more
I thought the writing was beautiful, the characters interesting and the plot riveting. The background information on anesthesiology was new to me and quite fascinating.
I met the author, a Highland Park gr...more
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