Lisa’s review of Cutting for Stone > Likes and Comments

I had such mixed feelings about this one, I'm looking forward to your review, Lisa!

Jennifer wrote: "I had such mixed feelings about this one, I'm looking forward to your review, Lisa!"

Okay, dear Jennifer; review is up.

This is one of the few books I did not rate. People love it, but I DNFd because despite some nice, if occasionally overwrought, writing it never sucked me in and I found the messaging heavy handed. I have this problem with a lot of historical fiction so I may just be the wrong reader or maybe I was in in the wrong mood to get the most out of it. Glad you had a better experience, even if it wasn't a great read

Great review, Lisa, and a book I will now add. I attended a conference once in which Verghese was a speaker and he seems very much to walk the walk; advocating not only a more human touch for patients, but for doctors as well. The other speakers were talking about their latest shiny gizmos that would 'improve throughput,' i.e. the number of units (patients) processed (cared for) per day per doctor.

Verghese asked, why don't we use the extra time these buy us to allow the doctors to spend more time with patients instead? The patients want it. The doctors want it. It improves outcomes. But not, alas, profits.

P.S., if you haven't read his Tennis Partner, I highly recommend it.

Lovely review Lisa.

I also felt this was a 3.5, Lisa, until the very end which brought it to a 4. But I don’t blame Bonnie for DNFing it, I struggled for at least 100 pages, feeling the same distance you describe from the characters. I did feel the interiority, but it was spotty, so I won’t read him again. We had opposite experiences with the medical stuff, lol. I do agree with the overall message, as modern medicine (mostly) gets further and further from that personal attention. There are exceptions, thank goodness.

I loved it but we don't all love the same ones. At least you enjoyed part of it. A fair review, Lisa

Jennifer wrote: "I also felt this was a 3.5, Lisa, until the very end which brought it to a 4. But I don’t blame Bonnie for DNFing it, I struggled for at least 100 pages, feeling the same distance you describe from..."

Hi Jennifer,
I just saw this after making a brief comment and agree with both you Lisa on your comments. When I began this book, I put it down after 60 pages which broke my rule of when to give up, and for that, I understand Bonnie's thinking. A few months later I picked it up again and finished it. I too felt the second half was better and the subject and then some -was factored in balancing my rating to a 4.0. to be fair.

Excellent detailed review, Lisa! A setting in Ethiopia is intriguing, but I understand the drawbacks you've mentioned.

Wonderful review, Lisa. I fell completely for this book when I read it (seven years ago already!). I don't remember feeling a lack of interiority which is curious since that's something I crave. Perhaps that's something I've looked for more and more over the past few years? (asking myself that question!) The medical parts I found fascinating. I did try his most recent novel, The Covenant of Water, and couldn't get into it so set it aside. I own The Tennis Partner and will read that one this year though :)

Bonnie G. wrote: "This is one of the few books I did not rate. People love it, but I DNFd because despite some nice, if occasionally overwrought, writing it never sucked me in and I found the messaging heavy handed...."

Bonnie, I think there are a lot of adequate writers of historical fiction out there. It's a search to find the really good ones, and when I find one I feel like I've struck gold.

This novel was a slow start for me, about an eighth of the way in it picked up. It held me enough that I never felt like I needed to put it down, and at times I was eager to get back to it. So overall, I liked it a lot.

Left Coast Justin wrote: "Great review, Lisa, and a book I will now add. I attended a conference once in which Verghese was a speaker and he seems very much to walk the walk; advocating not only a more human touch for patie..."

Justin, there are parts of this novel that will definitely appeal to you. I'll be interested in your review if/when you do read it. I think the flaw here was that he tried to do too much. So parts of it are wonderful and parts don't fit as seamlessly as I would like and the interiority of the characters is sacrificed.

Left Coast Justin wrote: "P.S., if you haven't read his Tennis Partner, I highly recommend it."

Justin, it's on the list for some amorphous future time.

Stacey B wrote: "Lovely review Lisa."

Thank you, Stacey. I see you read it many a year ago, and didn't review it.

Oh, I see your response to Jennifer's comment. Any regrets that you spent time with this one?

Jennifer wrote: "I also felt this was a 3.5, Lisa, until the very end which brought it to a 4. But I don’t blame Bonnie for DNFing it, I struggled for at least 100 pages, feeling the same distance you describe from..."

I do want to read his memoir The Tennis Partner, recommended some time ago and now re-recommended by Justin. I think having a concrete story to tell that provides its own limits will omit the problems of this novel. I am not sure about his sophomore novel though it is on my list.

Jen CANADA wrote: "I loved it but we don't all love the same ones. At least you enjoyed part of it. A fair review, Lisa"

Jen, I am always thrilled when someone loves a book. There were definitely pages were I was enthralled and pages where I wasn't. The older I get, the more I demand from a read. Maybe because I have less reading time ahead of me I want them to be as close to perfect as possible. Anyway, I don't regret the time I spent with this one though I am not sure that I want to invest myself in 724 pages of his latest novel.

Debbie wrote: "Excellent detailed review, Lisa! A setting in Ethiopia is intriguing, but I understand the drawbacks you've mentioned."

Debbie, so many friends loved this one. There are aspects of this book that are wonderful. You may want to read some more reviews before making a decision about this one if it sounds interesting to you.

Candi wrote: "Wonderful review, Lisa. I fell completely for this book when I read it (seven years ago already!). I don't remember feeling a lack of interiority which is curious since that's something I crave. Pe..."

I'm getting ready to go look at friend reviews of this one. I sometimes felt like I got in and frequently did not during the course of this read. I think Verghese did a better job for me with this than Zadie Smith did in The Fraud.

Interesting query to self; what we look for in a read does change over time just like it changes with our mood. I know that excellent prose and extremely well drawn characters are more important to me now. I know that I enjoy a good propulsive plot, and that I don't always need one for a novel to be special.

Lisa wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "Lovely review Lisa."

Thank you, Stacey. I see you read it many a year ago, and didn't review it.

Oh, I see your response to Jennifer's comment. Any regrets that you spent time w..."

Hi Lisa,
No, not really. Its not the first time I have done this. It happens.

Very candid review, Lisa! I loved The Covenant of Water so I will read Cutting for Stone.

Sharon wrote: "Very candid review, Lisa! I loved The Covenant of Water so I will read Cutting for Stone."

I will be interested in hearing how these compare for you.

It’s been a while since I read this but I do remember struggling with it and the medical descriptions. It has such a unique concept. You have outlined so well what worked and what didn’t. Excellent review, Lisa.

Lori wrote: "It’s been a while since I read this but I do remember struggling with it and the medical descriptions. It has such a unique concept. You have outlined so well what worked and what didn’t. Excellent..."

Thank you, Lori. I just read your review.
I think he tried to do too much for a first novel. I see that his second novel is another all encompassing tale. It's on my list, and I am not sure if it will stay there.

I read this book ages ago and I do remember loving it ! I actually saw him in person, in a very small intimate venue. I’ll never forget it because of the section he chose to read. He read the section on the circumcision. Why I remember so well is because this couple had brought their 5 year old child. He looked at them before starting and said this book was for adults and they might want you to cover his ears. It was a fantastic evening.

I read this so many years ago… but it is a favorite of mine!
Sorry it didn’t work for you, Lisa!

Interesting review, Lisa. Not sure if this novel is for me given all the technical medical depictions. But is sounds like a worthwhile read overall.

Well done, Lisa. I suspect that you might have secretly wanted to give it 3 stars in the way that I secretly wanted to give it 2, but maybe I'm wrong!
I felt like your response was fair and flattering, and I love this line you included in the excerpt: Family, both blood and chosen, is the core, the heart of life. As a mom of bio and adopted kids, I think that's a great way to put it.

This novel is on my list, Lisa, after reading and loving The Covenant of Water — which I recommend! Thanks for posting a review.

Antoinette wrote: "I read this book ages ago and I do remember loving it ! I actually saw him in person, in a very small intimate venue. I’ll never forget it because of the section he chose to read. He read the secti..."

From his writing in this novel I sense a wise, warm, caring human being. You are fortunate to have heard him speak.

Karen wrote: "I read this so many years ago… but it is a favorite of mine!
Sorry it didn’t work for you, Lisa!"

Karen, it isn't that it didn't work, just that it could have worked better for my personal taste. I liked it; didn't love it.

Nika wrote: "Interesting review, Lisa. Not sure if this novel is for me given all the technical medical depictions. But is sounds like a worthwhile read overall."

No regrets, despite the (IMO) imperfections.
Those medical descriptions are definitely not for everyone.

Julie wrote: "Well done, Lisa. I suspect that you might have secretly wanted to give it 3 stars in the way that I secretly wanted to give it 2, but maybe I'm wrong!
I felt like your response was fair and flatter..."

I did like it a little better than you did. I really waffled with the 3 or 4 stars. I settled on 4 because of those messages. I am so annoyed (and have been since joining) that GR doesn't allow 1/2 stars for our reviews.

Terry wrote: "This novel is on my list, Lisa, after reading and loving The Covenant of Water — which I recommend! Thanks for posting a review."

Terry, I am glad The Covenant of Water was a great read for you. I hope you enjoy this one too.

Lisa, at some point I'd like to read one of his novels, but the depth of characters is important for me as well. I watched part of an interview with Verghese and two other authors in which Amazon was acknowledging three best books of 2023. Verghese is/was a doctor I believe. I didn't expect that, but I can see how he would lean into it when writing this novel. Will you consider reading his latest book?

Ron wrote: "Lisa, at some point I'd like to read one of his novels, but the depth of characters is important for me as well. I watched part of an interview with Verghese and two other authors in which Amazon w..."

Ron, I am more interested in reading his memoir The Tennis Partner; I think he will be more contained here in relating his own story. I am leery of the page count of his new one, suspecting that it might be too wide a story for me. If I do pick it up, it will be far down the road.

Totally agree. Doing this in a group today. I wish we had chosen the covenant of water which is much better written

Jo wrote: "Totally agree. Doing this in a group today. I wish we had chosen the covenant of water which is much better written"

Jo, can you tell me a little more about what you mean by better writing in The Covenant of Water?

Lisa - I think it was edited more thoroughly and obviously had some sensitivity readers too. Much warmer in tone and the women are better represented. Less medical detail but it’s also incorporated more efficiently. There’s a good interview with the author on ‘freakonomics people I admire’. BTW the group was generally very keen on CFS but there were others, like me, with reservations so a good discussion

Jo wrote: "Lisa - I think it was edited more thoroughly and obviously had some sensitivity readers too. Much warmer in tone and the women are better represented. Less medical detail but it’s also incorporated..."

Thank you; I appreciate knowing he had some more editing in his latest tome. I'm still not ready to dip back into Verghese's fiction, maybe sometime in the future.

Lisa, like you, I do appreciate the author's messages you listed. Pity the characters' interior life seemed under-developed and the technical medical stuff a tad too heavy in an otherwise great story. Fab review and good critique.

Laysee wrote: "Lisa, like you, I do appreciate the author's messages you listed. Pity the characters' interior life seemed under-developed and the technical medical stuff a tad too heavy in an otherwise great sto..."

Thank you, Laysee. I put this one in the category of books that could have been outstanding with more editing/guidance, especially as it is a debut novel. (though Verghese had written 2 non-fiction works previously) I am always saddened by this thought and am constantly wondering where all the good editors have gone.

This is a stellar review Lisa - it really is. I love the comment you made regarding 'personal touch' and the importance of that with patient care.

I recall two times in recent years - once when I was being wheeled into theatre, a tad anxious (because the outcome was a bit foggy), and the theatre nurse - squeezed my toes. That comforted me no end - I will always remember that. Another time, after a septicaemia, one of my colleagues, an Infectious Diseases Specialist was examining me in the ward and he squeeeezed my shoulder - I will always remember that too. Touch is so important.

I won't add this - I take on board some of your issues, and your 3.5 stars - doesn't really inspire me. Do you wish you had studied to be an MO?

Great review, Lisa. Someone else just recommended this book to me last week. I like the quote you added. I have never really thought about it before but, personal touch really makes a difference when it comes to medical care.

Mark wrote: Touch is so important. "

Mark, I find that many of my patients are as starved for an engaged listener for their story as they are for touch, neither which they receive from the established medical community. I strive to provide both in my treatment room.

Mark wrote: Do you wish you had studied to be an MO?

What is an MO?

Jeannie wrote: "Great review, Lisa. Someone else just recommended this book to me last week. I like the quote you added. I have never really thought about it before but, personal touch really makes a difference wh..."

Jeannie, I look forward to seeing what you think of this one. If you don't write a public review, feel free to PM me with any thoughts.

Lisa wrote: "Mark wrote: Touch is so important. "

Mark, I find that many of my patients are as starved for an engaged listener for their story as they are for touch, neither which they receive from the establi..."

Yes, that was one of the problems working in labs, we never had a chance to interact with patients, or tough them. Unless working in smaller regional labs when we had to take blood from our patients. That was fun, and I miss that.

MO, is a Medical Officer (over here, anyway) - so a Medical Doctor. Were you saying you wish you had studied to do that?

Mark wrote: "MO, is a Medical Officer (over here, anyway) - so a Medical Doctor. Were you saying you wish you had studied to do that?"

If I was starting over now I would still want my acupuncture training and would add an MD, think functional medicine, to that. At this point, I am able to add to my studies as I choose; there are so many resources available and so many professionals willing to share and have conversations with those who are interested.