Cutting for Stone
discussion
Is it just me, or was this book thoroughly disappointing?
I have to say I did have a love and hate relationship with this book like many in this discussion, but, I am delighted that I carried on and read it through. The characters are well crafted, strong, interesting, moving, and multi-faceted. Hema, in particular, is bigger than life and her part in the birth of the twins was truly brilliant and was the "hook" in the book for me. Being in the healtcare industry the insight into the mid 40's medical field in the "tropics" is truly captivating. You also get a great insight into Ethiopian and Erithrean politics and conflicts of the 40's thru the 90's, and about Haile Selassie, a fascinating political figure of that time. I thought it was an engaging story with a cathartic ending that was truly moving. But, i guess reading a book is a very personal experience, I really hated "Life of Pi" and could not finish it to save my life and it was acclaimed as a great book.
I thought Hema and Ghosh were cardboard characters; stopped reading after 250 pages. I'll try again after reading the many positive and thoughtful comments here.
I *loved* this story. The richness of the relationships was so interesting. In particular the difference the twins took to woman and intimacy. Marion had such romantic ideals and Shiva so bold. I enjoyed the entire story. The ending was hard. I would have liked poor Marion to catch a break and repair his relationships and enjoy his family.
I loved this book, it was an excellent story with interesting characters. It did start slow but not that it didnt keep me interested. Sometimes it worth "screwing your courage to the sticking place" and reading further....
Best book I've read in a long time. It took me a while to get through it, but I really enjoyed it.
The best part and happiest part of the book was when I finished it and was able to start something way more interesting to read!
Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was goi..."
Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!
Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was goi...
I totally agree with you. Had to make myself finish reading it.
Not just you, not a all what I expected. Found it difficult to read and not all that enjoyable.
We all have different tastes and it took me a while toget into the book. While I loved the prose right away, in the beginning I felt the plot, characters, action etc. was lacking. It definitely didn't grab me right away.
However about 1/4 of the way through, I could hardly put it down. See my review for the reasons and more details.
I think this book has it all - great prose, character development, plot driven, lots of info both about medicine and surgery and Ethiopia and its people.
I loved it. In fact it was one of the favourite books I have read in the past year or so.
It took a while for me to get into the book as well, but later found it to be quite good.
I find it interesting how polarizing this book is. People seem to love or hate it!
I found both "Cutting for Stone" and "A Fine Balance" to be wonderful books, although I thought Verghese's command of language and literary ability to be superior to that of Mistry. It probably helps to know Indians personally to get complete enjoyment from these books. They both capture the mood and mystery of the people of India.
I read this book several months ago and liked it a lot. I've been following this thread and wonder if those who liked it have found that it has stayed with you like it has with me. I read a lot and sometimes a week after reading something, I can't remember even the main character. Not so with this book.
God no,this is one of my most favourite books.The colour,the atmosphere. It was so elegantly written,so many layers to delve & explore.
I liked this but didn't love it.
I listened to it and loved it. I feel the same way, I have read lots of books and quickly forget the characters but not with this book.
It's always so interesting that readers have such varied responses! I loved Cutting for Stone-- was completely caught up in the intersecting stories and characters and setting, and thought it was beautifully written. It stayed with me, too- I found myself thinking about the story weeks later, and will probably re-read it in a year or two.
Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was goi..."
I did love, love, love it! One of the best books I have ever read. Our library is having a book discussion of it this summer and I can't wait! He is such a wonderful writer. Try one of his other works.
I didn't care for this book myself. I don't understand what all the hype is about. I was a bit bored. It did get slightly better towards the end, but I can't think of one person I would recommend this to. The "coincidences" were just too unbelievable.
Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was goi..."
I, too, was disappointed. The first hundred pages or so were great, then it went straight downhill. The ending was ludicrous. I was extremely pissed by the time I finished it.
I loved the book. As others have said, it was a little hard to get into because of the heavy details, but I found this totally worthwhile in building the back story and characters. I was glued to the pages at the end. It was sad and uplifting at the same time (of course, I cried). It is not often that I am truly disappointed when a book ends, and this was one of those times.
I read this book a few summers ago, just after having my son. This book set the stage for my thoughts for many weeks. It was just such a "close" book. Meaning, I understood the characters and I wanted good things for them. It was and still is in my top 10 best reads. And the authors TED talks also impress me. Very nicely crafted and thought-out.
One of my all time favorites. I absolutely loved it.
I loved this book and the story it told about all the characters.
I loved this book!
agree with the majority, after the first 100 or so pages, i couldn't put it down. Very well written.
Viviana D. wrote: "This is one of the greatest books I have read. Beautifully written with rich and vivid imagery and excellent prose. The voice he chose for each of his characters was exceptional. GREAT BOOK!"I TOTALLY agree with your comments and assessment of the book. I thought the characters were so richly developed. One of my very favorites.
I really liked it..it took a long time to ge through.
I was not a big fan of this book. I had to read it for my book club, or I would have given up after a hundred or so pages. There's no doubt this was a popular book but it's amazing how many of you thought it started out too slow, but you stayed with it for many pages. When agents and publishers freely admit they gave a manuscript only two or three minutes to decide if they want it, one wonders how this book got published.
it's you. this is one of the best and most beautifully written books i have recently read.
Jeanette wrote: "I was not a big fan of this book. I had to read it for my book club, or I would have given up after a hundred or so pages. There's no doubt this was a popular book but it's amazing how many of you ..."I read your review on the book - it was concise, well written and I understand where you are coming from, although I loved the book and the medical terms as an example which you didn't like. That's ok - to each his own. We all have different tastes.
What I was surprised about is that you rated it 4 stars since you indicated you were not a big fan of the book. Am curious why you didn't rate it lower.
I enjoyed Cutting for Stone. In fact, I liked it more than I thought I would. I, also, read A Fine Balance. I felt they were comparable in several ways.I did some research on the author of Cutting for Stone and found his life to be somewhat interesting. It almost seems like Cutting for Stone was semi-autobiographical.
I think everyone is entitled to their own taste, and clearly this book is not to everyone's taste. But I really am enjoying it (I'm about halfway through). I've noticed that people who like this book seem to like sort of personal or eccentric things about it. Personally, I've spent time in the highlands of East Africa and I've also read a lot of 18th century British fiction and I find echoes of both in this book which I enjoy. The technique, for example, of creating impatient tension in the reader through digression into minor characters, such as the student nurse's life story while Sister is on the operating table; I found it fascinating and effective, but some people hated it. The description of the confusion and moral dilemmas generated by a dictator who appeals to nationalist sentiments but cares very little about the people who live in that nation and how that confusion affects developing teenagers; to me it's a familiar and fascinating topic, but if it doesn't touch you personally, you may find it "boring history."
Am currently reading
and find some similariteies in the styles of writing. Patience being the operative word as the reader.
Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was goi..."
It was so tragic, a constructed tragedy. If I'm going to read anything so sad, in the future, I'll stick to nonfiction.
There are differing tastes, of course. This IS a big book, and some passages are more powerful than others. But for me, it was worth the work, and the work became joy and the joy became inspiration. I count this is one of the five most significant books that I have read in my lifetime.
This was not the best book I have ever read. I am not sure if I would consider it one of my favorites. I am still glad I read it, since I learned a lot about life in Africa and primitive medicine. For me, the most interesting part of the story was the love-hate relationship between the two brothers. Kiessa wrote: "My hopes for this book soared. I expected an East of Eden style epic. I expected to love, love LOVE it!
Instead, it felt like a meandering piece of literature that didn't know where it was going..."
This was not the best book I have ever read. I am not sure if I would consider it one of my favorites. I am still glad I read it, since I learned a lot about life in Africa and primitive medicine. For me, the most interesting part of the story was the love-hate relationship between the two brothers.
Just finished this book a few weeks ago and was so disappointed in myself for not reading it several years ago. I absolutely loved this book.
Mj wrote: "Jeanette wrote: "I was not a big fan of this book. I had to read it for my book club, or I would have given up after a hundred or so pages. There's no doubt this was a popular book but it's amazing..." MJ, you asked why I gave this book four stars when I didn't really care for it. Good question, and I asked myself that, as well. It had to do with the fact that I recognized the very good writing, the medical knowlege the author imparted (which to me slowed the book down) and the epic nature of the book. It took a lot to put that together, so even though I wasn't so fond of the book, I felt it deserved four stars for the other qualities.
Jeanette wrote: "Mj wrote: "Jeanette wrote: "I was not a big fan of this book. I had to read it for my book club, or I would have given up after a hundred or so pages. There's no doubt this was a popular book but i..."Thanks for taking the time to anwer my query.
I really enjoyed the book. I loved everything. The story did not end the way I wanted it to, but I will have to write a book myself if I want that.
I liked the book, it was a nice story, but for me the emphasis was on nice. Interesting and surprising developments, but really just nice for me. Nothing to mark it one of my best reads, but nevertheless something completely different. I read it for a discussion group in a literature forum I partake in and there were mixed opinions.
Donna wrote: "I really enjoyed the book. I loved everything. The story did not end the way I wanted it to, but I will have to write a book myself if I want that."Donna: Great reply. Hear that from time to time...don't like the way it ended, or something like that. I want to say what you did. Write your own book. Personally, I liked the book.
I loved this book ... one of the best I have read in a long time. I agree that it started slowly, but picked up ... so I am glad I gave it a chance. Our book club read it and it really triggered conversation.
I also loved this book; found I couldn't wait to get to it.
I loved this book, every page, every paragraph, every word. Verghese's observations about rural America (people, vernacular, mindset), about the symptoms - even smells of AIDS, about himself, about the immigrant experience - all of this combined to challenge readers to consider how we treat people who are "outcasts" in society.
I think this is one of those love it or hate it books. The kind that the majority will just never agree about!
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I agreed. I started and stopped reading. I couldn't get into it, but when I restarted it and hung in there for the first 100 pages or so it became a fantastic novel. Sometimes you just have to struggle a bit. It was well worth the struggle.