 |
 |
Sign in/joinLanguage: English [ others ]
Over forty million books on members' bookshelves.
|
Loading... Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures: Storiesby Vincent Lam
LibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. I loved this book! Not quite a novel, these interconnected short stories are, IMO, just about perfect. Lam has a minimalism of style that makes every word count; there is nothing extraneous in his prose. His clear, precise language paints vivid pictures of four medical students, Fitzgerald, Ming, Chen, and Sri as they become doctors. Although the medical situations are exciting and thought-provoking, it is the humanity of the doctors, and their patients, that is the true star. Ming and Fitz, in particular, will stick with me forever. I didn't want this book to end, and am eagerly anticipating what Lam will write next. Highly recommended! (  )allthesedarnbooks | Feb 14, 2009 |   This is not a novel as such, but a collection of short stories about four medical students (Ming, Chen, Fitzgerald and Sri) as they go through their study and then as doctors. As a health professional, I really enjoyed this book, as it didn't 'dumb down' the medicine. But it can still be enjoyed by others, thanks to a concise but good glossary at the back of the book. The only complaint I have is that we didn't really get closure of the characters, only speculation, and that we see more of some characters than others. All in all, this presents a realistic view of medicine in the real world. The story about SARS really freaked me out. (  )birdsam0307 | Dec 19, 2008 | What a great collection. I read once that short story collections can be hard to get through because the reader has to re-commit to something new with each successive story (unlike a novel, where as a reader, you commit only once). With this collection, I felt like there were enough interconnections that either no new commitment was required with each new story, or else, the commitment was just so easy to make because each story was as readeable as the last. The stories are told from the perspectives of a variety of narrators, primarily doctors but sometimes patients as well. Many of the characters recur from story to story but rarely (if at all) does the same character get to tell more than one story. In a sense, calling this a collection of short stories, I think, does it a disservice. It's almost a novel, told from various perspectives. But it isn't that either. It's hard to peg but it works really well. ( )Deesirings | Nov 2, 2008 | I loved this book! It is a collection of short stories that follow Fitz, Ming, Chen and Sri from pre-med, through med school, and throughout their medical careers. Each story focuses on a very specific event: a med school interview, a night shift, a patient's decline into psychosis. I was amazed at how attached I became to each character even though some of them don't appear for a few stories in a row. The magic of this book comes in the contrast between the mathematical, cold, by-the-book qualities that come with studying and practicing medicine, and the raw, emotional, very human decision and effects, too. I startled myself by laughing out loud, loving characters, and even crying a few times - and usually they were the tears that just come with feeling strong emotion, not necessarily from something sad happening. Read this book! ( )jtho | Jun 21, 2008 | What an outstanding book! I absolutely loved this multi-faceted story about four medical students, following them from their first years in medical school, then as they moved on to their internships, and finally as full-fledged doctors. Each character's personality and growth as doctors, and as people, were smoothly crafted by the author. Also woven into the book were small snippets of experiences of each of these characters throughout their journey as doctors; each one riveting and fascinating. This author finely intertwined the lives of each character with the other, and in doing so, told a story about individuality, the pursuit of excellence, the desire to make a difference in the world, and the fragility and ultimate mortality of human life. (  )porchsitter55 | May 8, 2008 | 0.057 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0385661444, Paperback)Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures welcomes readers into a world where the most mundane events can quickly become life or death. By following four young medical students and physicians – Ming, Fitz, Sri and Chen – this debut collection from 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Vincent Lam is a riveting, eye-opening account of what it means to be a doctor. Deftly navigating his way through 12 interwoven short stories, the author explores the characters’ relationships with each other, their patients, and their careers. Lam draws on his own experience as an emergency room physician and shares an insider’s perspective on the fears, frustrations, and responsibilities linked with one of society’s most highly regarded occupations.“I wanted to write about the way in which a person changes as they become a physician — how their world view shifts, and how they become a slightly different version of themselves in the process of becoming a doctor,” Lam explains. “I wanted to write about the reality that doing good and trying to help others is not simple. It is ethically complicated and sometimes involves a reality that can only be expressed by telling a story.” In the book’s first story, “How to Get into Medical School, Part 1,” students Ming and Fitz wrestle with their opposing personalities and study techniques, while coming to terms with a growing emotional connection that elicits disapproval from Ming’s traditional Chinese-Canadian parents. Lam’s exceptional talent for describing scenarios with great precision is showcased in “Take All of Murphy,” when Ming, Chen, and Sri find themselves at a moral crossroads while dissecting a cadaver. Throughout the book, readers are treated to the physicians’ internal thoughts and the mental drama involved with treating patients, including Fitz’s struggle with self-doubt in “Code Clock” and Chen’s boredom and exhaustion in “Before Light.” From delivering babies to evacuating patients and dealing with deadly viruses, the four primary characters in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures are made thoroughly human by Lam’s insightful detail, realistic dialogue, and expert storytelling. The medical world is naturally filled with drama, but it’s the author’s ability to give equal weight to the smaller moments that really brings this book to life. From the Hardcover edition. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:55 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
Abebooks |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
