From the Bookshelf of I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie…

Outbreak (Dr. Marissa Blumenthal, #1)

Robin Cook

Start date: December 1, 2012

Finish date: December 25, 2012

Discussion: Book Club Selections

Discussion leader: Trevor

Why we're reading this: This book is about Dr. Wright. Is any other reason needed?
[close] This book is about Dr. Wright. Is any other reason needed?

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Book Club Selections

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What Members Thought

Nov 16, 2012 Stew rated it it was ok

I read Outbreak once before in my high school years and recall thinking it was incredibly exciting and intense. As I jumped into Outbreak for a second read, my opinion of it has changed dramatically. Perhaps it is the fact that I now have a medical education, or that I am simply older and have read more books, but I found my experience of reading Outbreak dreadfully painful this time around.

My difficulty with the story is two-fold. First, the main character, Marissa Blumenthal, is so painfully I read Outbreak once before in my high school years and recall thinking it was incredibly exciting and intense. As I jumped into Outbreak for a second read, my opinion of it has changed dramatically. Perhaps it is the fact that I now have a medical education, or that I am simply older and have read more books, but I found my experience of reading Outbreak dreadfully painful this time around.

My difficulty with the story is two-fold. First, the main character, Marissa Blumenthal, is so painfully daft that there were times that I hoped she would contract Ebola simply so a better protagonist could lead the adventure. I found it terribly unbelievable that she would be hired by the CDC in the first place, given that she seemed to have a very simplistic knowledge of medicine and that her thought processes lack any creative or analytically ability. Every decision she made caused me to chuck my kindle across the room and scream "Are you f-ing kidding me!?" If everything wouldn't have turned out so peachy for her when problems arose, her mountainous stupidity would have been enough to cause an epidemic outbreak.

My second problem with the story is the simplicity of the medical details. Now I don't want to sell Robin Cook short - he is a very well trained physician himself - but for some reason he dumbed down his medical knowledge to the point that it read like a teen novel. I was also very surprised by the way the doctors in this story were portrayed. They were little more than helpless monkeys who had no apparent knowledge of diagnosis or common medical conditions. Perhaps Robin Cook wanted to have them come across as victims as well but it was overplaying it and stole credibility to the story.

Now to be fair, there were times when the story became exciting and suspenseful but they were always outweighed by my frustrations with the faults in the book. By the end of my second reading I felt betrayed by my teenage self who enjoyed this book so thoroughly. Perhaps those who are not so familiar with medical terminology and processes might find more enjoyment in this book but I found it very frustrating to read and wish I would have just watched the movie. ...more

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Jan 27, 2016 Omar Gonzalez Pena marked it as to-read

Nov 28, 2012 Ernie Sorenson rated it really liked it

Dec 01, 2012 Becky Inwood marked it as to-read

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