Cutting for Stone

ByAbraham Verghese

Release Date: 2009-02-03
Genre: Literary Fiction

Score: 4.5

4.5

From 4,191 Ratings

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of The Covenant of Water: A beautifully written, page-turning family saga of Ethiopia and America, doctors and patients, exile and home. • “Filled with mystical scenes and deeply felt characters.... Verghese is something of a magician as a novelist.” —USA Today

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.

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 miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

This sweeping, emotionally riveting novel that "shows how history and landscape and accidents of birth conspire to create the story of a single life" (Los Angeles Times).

Reviews

The Cutting Stone
5
By Lucky Tiddy owner
Excellent story. As a retired Surgeon, I found the medical and surgical facts accurate and extremely well described, that I, as a Surgeon, related to every technical thought and action, but a non-medical person could easily follow and enjoy. Phillipa G. Woodriffe, MD
Phenomenal
5
By Lane Christian
Absurdly good
A
3
By riskdb
Long and winding human history .
Escaping to Addis Ababa
5
By Susan of the Wildhack
Sick from what my doctor would describe as “residual crud” from some generic, nasty upper respiratory infection, I had been escaping into fiction after a heartbreaking election. When I mentioned to my doctor that I had been reading nonstop and was enamored of medically accurate fiction, she sat back a bit on her stool in front of the EHR and said, “I just read a book I think you’d like called “Cutting for Stone.” She described the Indian gynecologist who I now know as Hema, and I could see that she loved that character, and now I do too. I still have the residual crud, but it’s only been 2 days! The language used in this book is both lyrical and straight from Dorland’s, and it and this book are a delight.
Poignant
5
By lthoma2
Engaging with great characters and a unique plot beautifully written.
Very fitting title. Perfect!
5
By Mitzi Parry
I loved this book. I loved the way the author so intricately wove the story between continents, and people from so many different cultures. There was so much I learned from this book. I highly recommend it.
Beautiful Story
5
By MariaCorina
I was completely immersed in this world, the way he writes is breathtaking
Terrific read!
5
By Jenhill585
Stunning portrayal of complicated family relationships amidst the backdrop of Ethiopian history. Fantastically written.
Good travel read
5
By Feelinfair
Read this book! It takes a few chapters to find your mojo. If you have any investment in medical or surgical interests, it will soon have you turning the pages. Great story and excellent writing!
Mesmerizing
5
By Matton Morgans
I loved this book, I found the story and the writing heartbreaking and entrancing. Beautiful