I wish I still had this book in my future. I wish it were tucked away in a stack of books on my nightstand, waiting patiently for its turn to be read. I wish I were going home tonight to curl up in a chair with nothing to do but pick up this book and slowly -- savoringly, if that's a word* -- take it in, one page at a time.

There's a lot to say about this book, but I'll simplify what could otherwise become a lengthy review (Me? Verbose? Nevah!) and say this: Cutting for Stone is a beautifully written story about fate, love and forgiveness. But see, even that doesn't quite do it justice, because it makes it sound like the next Oprah's Book Club selection. Sorry, Ops, but this book is so much more than that.

It was the first story I've read in a long time that genuinely swept me away. It left me in tears at times, but always through the essence of the story -- never through manipulative sap. Its words were painterly -- careful but expressive.

This is one for the esteemed shelf of my living room bookcase.


*Autocorrect tells me it is not.