This months book was abraham vergheses epic story cutting for stone. In 2009 verghese published cutting for stone, bringing him both critical and popular acclaim. The plot of this big, dense book is fairly straightforward. Jan 14, 2020 the reason for god is a nonfiction book that addresses the most common objections to christianity and presents a case for the rationality of christianity. Vergheses skill at intertwining so many stories is awesome and prohibits simple description of the novel as a whole. An epic novel which starts out in addis ababa and ends in new york, cutting for stone is one of those books that stays with you long after youre done. Cutting for stone abraham verghese, 2009 knopf doubleday 541 pp. Cutting for stone is definitely a book i would like to read over and over again because it is highly captivating and has so many layers and details that i could notice something new. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guidebook club. It is a heavy book, but the writing is beautiful and the story is important. Orphaned by their mothers death and their fathers disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with. At its heart, this is a ghost story in which every boundary is blurred, from the moral to the physical. An epic novel that spans continents and generations, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, compassion and redemption, exile an epic novel that spans continents and generations, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, compassion and redemption, exile and home that unfolds across five decades. It is a saga of twin brothers, orphaned by their mothers death at their births and forsaken by their father.
May 08, 2009 cutting for stone the phrase is from the hippocratic oath is about twins born joined at the head, in a mission hospital in addis ababa half a century ago. The surgeons who populate cutting for stone might not be competing for title of worlds strongest man, and they may not be looking to topple usain boltbut all the same, theyre dedicated, trained, and super skilled. What treatment in an emergency is administered by ear. Find out how you can take part in the club, both on the web and in. It was interesting how spirituality was woven into the physical and medical aspects of the book as well, making a beautiful fusion of the often separated ideas.
Its in these dreamy sections that mandels ideas about guilt and responsibility, wealth and comfort, the real and the imagined, begin to cohere. The long narrative, setting, characters, conflicts, and quotations that read as invocations all set out to prove this. This is a good book for those wanting to examine their doubts or learn to engage. Vergheses carefully drawn characters are compelling and unforgettable this is a book you will have to share with others, if you can bear parting with your copy. Nobody big except me is the dream world of holden caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab english of the precollegiate. I would love to recommended cutting for stone wholeheartedly, such is the strength of vergheses writing, his vivid characters and brilliant settings. The buttery books book club party page for cutting for stone has an wealth of ideas for your book club meetingsome of their suggestions include playing traditional ethiopian music i found one cd from the library with an ethiopian lullaby it may be hard to come up with ethiopian food for your group to sampleclick here for a list of ethiopian restaurants in the kansas city area.
Jul 05, 2017 the book s climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. Book club extraordinaire home page book club extraordinaire. Even in an underfunded hospital like missing, they manage to conduct cuttingedge research, develop new theories, and save lots and lots of lives. His writing and work continue to explore the importance of bedside medicine, the ritual of the physical examination in the era of advanced technology, where as he notes frequently in his writing, the patient in the bed is often ignored in favor of the. The buttery books book club party page for cutting for stone has an wealth of ideas for your book club meetingsome of their suggestions include playing traditional ethiopian music i found one cd from the library with an ethiopian lullaby. At first, i wasnt sure id like the book, as i expected it to be quite sad. Its about a man returning to the exact room where he was born and sitting down a desk there to write the story of his life, even beginning it long before he was actually born. National bestseller a san francisco chronicle best book of the year an npr best book club book of the year lynn neary marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon.
Cutting for stone is the complex story of the praise family, focusing on twin brothers marion and shiva as they negotiate the hidden histories of their past while working hard to make medical advances for the future. The novel opens with sister mary praise leaving india to travel to africa as a. The boys are conjoined at the head then separated at birth. It is impossible to fully explore the incredible depth of cutting for stone within a few paragraphs. Christian book club recommendations learn religions. The title, cutting for stone, refers to a line in the hippocratic oath, and to the last name of the three main characters, all of them surgeons. Cutting for stone s medical content increases as marion goes on to an internship in new york, and robs the novel of a little of its magic. The book is the tale of two twins boy, marion and shiva, born to a young nun, sister mary joseph praise and a british surgeon, thomas stone. Cutting for stone resists easy categorization it is just as much the chronicle of a bond between twin brothers and family as it is a book about medicine, or a story of grace. Almost all of the characters in cutting for stone are living in some sort of exile, selfimposed or forced, from their home country hema and ghosh from india, marion from ethiopia, thomas from india and then ethiopia. At 500 pages it certainly is a long book, but worth every second, earning five stars rating from this reader. Jul 19, 2011 read the cutting for stone book club menu ideas discussion from the chowhound home cooking food community. Read the cutting for stone book club menu ideas discussion from the chowhound home cooking food community. As abraham verghese quotes it, the line from the oath reads i will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest.
It was liked by mostly everyone and for some our second time reading it. Cutting for stone march 8, 2011 throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese is a book about 2 twin boys marion and shiva growing up in ethiopia with adoptive parents hema and ghosh. Cutting for stone by abraham vergese book club discussion. I would love to recommended cutting for stone wholeheartedly, such is the strength of vergheses writing, his. Throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. Marion and shiva stone are born one dramatic afternoon in 1954 in addis ababa, the same day their mother a nun, sister mary joseph. This study guide consists of approximately 42 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of cutting for stone.
Wikipedia the hippocratic oath meaning of cutting for stone original, translated into english. Cutting for stone throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. Cutting for stone ocean state libraries ezone overdrive. Cutting for stone is one of those comefullcircle novels. Bookclubinabox presents the discussion guide for abraham. Incidentally enough, i know a woman who uses that name for an expletive. Cutting for stone questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on cutting for stone. Feb 06, 2009 a violent surfacing of adolescence which has little in common with tarkingtons earlier, broadly comic, seventeen has a compulsive impact.
Feb 08, 2009 the plot of this big, dense book is fairly straightforward. What happened at book club our summary is scarce as our record keeper was away and missed out on the picture nevertheless our book club meeting was fabulous. This discussion companion for cutting for stone has been prepared and written by marilyn herbert, originator of bookclubinabox. The book s climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. Verghese is so attuned to the movements of the heart and of the mind, so adept at dramatizing the great themes of human existence, and he has filled this world with such richly drawn, fascinating characters, that cutting for stone becomes one of those rare books one wishes would never end, an alternate reality that both rivals and illuminates. A passionate, unique love affair sets cutting for stone in motion, and yet this romance remains a mysteryeven to the key playersuntil the very conclusion of the novel. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guidebook. How does the relationship between sister mary joseph praise and thomas stone affect the lives of shiva and marion, hema and ghosh, matron and everyone else at missing. The books climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. The book includes a deep description of both medical procedures and explores the human side of medical practices. Blacksmithing forging tools for stone splitting duration. The story begins with a brief love story between hema and ghosh and then turns to the birth of the twins by their mother, sister mary joseph praise a nun.
Cutting for stone is a sweeping family saga which draws you in and transports you to a small missionary hospital in ethiopia. The reason for god would be good for a christian book club that wants to talk directly about issues in faith rather than getting at issues through stories. Abraham verghese is professor and vice chair for the theory and practice of medicine at the stanford university school of medicine. Moving from addis ababa to new york city and back again, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miraclesand two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined. Cathy with a c led our discussion of cutting for stone by abraham verghese. Cutting for stone 2009 is a novel written by ethiopianborn indianamerican medical doctor and author abraham verghese.
The general consensus was that most members of our group really liked this book. Cutting for stones medical content increases as marion goes on to an internship in new york, and robs the novel of a little of its magic. Dec 06, 2011 cutting for stone confronts the harrowing procedure of female genital cutting, which is practiced in several countries in africa, including ethiopia. Cutting for stone march 8, 2011 throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. Each character is so fully developed from start to finish that the reader becomes deeply involved with each and every one. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Audio book sample courtesy of penguin random house audio. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese, paperback barnes. An indian nun and an english doctor have conjoined twin babies in ethiopia. Bookclubinabox is a unique guide to current fiction and classic literature intended for book club discussions, educational.
The story begins with an intense, anatomical description of the birth of marion and shiva, twin boys born to sister mary joseph praise and her lover, a brash english surgeon, dr. It begins with the lines from gitanjali, the celebrated poetry collection of the nobel laureate, rabindranath tagore and because i love this life. Cutting for stone discussion questions west maui book club. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon. Verghese is of indian descent but was born and raised in ethiopia, went to medical school in india, and has lived and worked. The friday morning book club met today at our usual spot to discuss this book and have a fun book related gift exchange. Cutting for stone is a slow but gripping story of twin boys raised in a mission hospital in ethiopia. Cutting for stone the phrase is from the hippocratic oath is about twins born joined at the head, in a mission hospital in addis ababa half a century ago. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese book club discussion.
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