interesting, not specatular ( )

This was a smart, suspenseful book, but the characters left me a little cold. ( )

Gives a good sense of what it is like to be a physician in a high-stress specialty. Very well-written. Cassella is a master of language as well as science. ( )

This book was a well written tale about a female anesthesiologist and her worst nightmare, the death of an 8 year old patient during surgery. Marie was horrified, not only because of the death, but that the death may have been caused by an error on her part. Her dear friend and once-upon-a-time lover Joe, tries to comfort Marie and make her understand that she was not to blame for the death and should try not to carry the burden of blame.

I liked the first part, but then out of nowhere, the story moved off into another "scene"...where Marie visits her estranged father for the first time in years. She spends a few uncomfortable days with him, trying to help him, as he is going blind and is getting to the point where he may need to hire some help or move into assisted living.

Then the story goes back to the hospital where the death occurred and all the preparation for the pending lawsuit brought about by the decedent's mother. Marie learns that the hospital believes that indeed she was at fault for the death, at least that is what she is told. In reality, the hospital is trying to save it's good name by transferring the blame on Marie. Even criminal charges may be filed against her.

In general, I found the book to be very good. I still wasn't crazy about the switch in the middle of the book with her and her father, but it wasn't bothersome enough for me to stop reading the book. Overall, the book was enjoyable and the ending made up for any problems elsewhere. I recommend! ( )

Oxygen is the story of Marie Heaton, a respected anesthesiologist. An eight-year old girl dies during non-critical surgery. It is not clear whether Dr Heaton is actually at fault, but she is nevertheless left facing a lawsuit and criminal charges.

This is not a “medical thriller”. It is more of a “medical drama”, with some who-dun-it. The characters and situations ring true. The story explores Dr. Heaton’s emotions and coping mechanisms, as well as the reactions of all the players in Dr Heaton’s professional and personal life. The story is very plausible, but there are some interesting angles to the story.

Amazon’s description of this book compares Carol Cassella to Jodi Picoult. I agree that Picoult fans are likely to enjoy this work, but it doesn’t have the same emotional impact as a Picoult novel. I think this may be because the novel is written in first person, but the text is often verbose and narrative rather than conversational. It feels like Dr Heaton is keeping herself at arm’s length, and I don’t know her as well as I’d like to. ( )