It is impossible to fully explore the incredible depth of cutting for stone within a few paragraphs. Cutting for stone doesnt really belong to any familiar genre. Cutting for stone as one of the five books on his summer vacation reading list. Largesized holes found in ancient stone demanded engineering skills and proper cutting equipment. Basically, everyone can act like theyre all tough and like they dont believe in god when theyre just walking down the street playing with a yoyo, but when theyre looking mortality in the face, its a different story. It neither suggests the books action as, say, digging to america. The first edition of the novel was published in 2009, and was written by abraham verghese. Those words provide an epigraph partway through abraham verghese s first novel, cutting for stone, and also explain the surname of its narrator, marion stone, along with his twin brother, shiva. Free download or read online cutting for stone pdf epub book. This is basically the cutting for stone version of there are no atheists in foxholes. Marion and shiva come of age as ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution, and their.
Cutting for stone by abraham verghese book club discussion. 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. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are thomas stone, sister mary joseph praise. Best books to read when getting started in faceting. Libraries closed through at least may 31 all library locations and book drops are closed until at least may 31. The washington post book world absorbing, exhilarating. Cutting for stone is a work of literature as noble and dramatic as that ancient practice medicine that lies at the heart of this magnificent novel. Tells the story of twin brothers in ethiopia who become orphans when their mother, an indian nun, passes away and their father, a british surgeon, disappears. If you like cutting for stone you might like similar books hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, state of wonder, the invention of wings, the poisonwood. Verghese, marion praise stone, the novels protagonist, is also a doctor with south indian roots, born and brought up in ethiopia, who eventually immigrates to the united states in the wake of political unrest. Cutting for stone has the power to evoke cathartic reactions, much like greek tragedies. Find books like cutting for stone from the worlds largest community of readers. 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. Complete with very clear instructions, easy to read diagrams, and this book covers all of your basic shapes.
His mother, a nun, died giving birth to marion and his twin shiva, and their angloindian father fled the country. Pdf cutting for stone book by abraham verghese free. The book includes a deep description of both medical procedures and. Ethiopian physician abraham vergheses 2009 novel cutting for stone, a publishers weekly best book of 2009 selection, tells the story of twin brothers marion and shiva stone who are born conjoined but are separated at the time of their birth. If you like abraham vergheses cutting for stone by seattle librarians a staffcreated list. 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. An indian nun and an english doctor have conjoined twin babies in ethiopia. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of cutting for stone by abraham verghese.
Contrast the attitudes of hema, ghosh, marion, shiva, and thomas stone toward their work. Cutting for stone 2009 is a novel written by ethiopianborn indianamerican medical doctor and author abraham verghese. 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. 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 novel opens with sister mary praise leaving india to travel to africa as a. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Goodreads members who liked cutting for stone also liked. 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. Click on a title, author name or category to see similar books. What other important differences does cutting for stone reveal about the way illness is viewed and treated in ethiopia and in the united states. A sweeping, emotionally riveting novel with over one million copies soldan enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home. 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. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese the guardian. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon at a mission hospital in addis ababa.
The book s climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. The interest in the novel does not hinge upon the suspense created by dr. I feel i changed forever after reading this book, as if an entire universe had been illuminated for me. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese, paperback barnes. Verghese is of indian descent but was born and raised in ethiopia, went to medical school in india, and has lived and worked. Feb 06, 2009 a violent surfacing of adolescence which has little in common with tarkingtons earlier, broadly comic, seventeen has a compulsive impact. What does cutting for stone reveal about the emotional lives of doctors. As a novelist, verghese looks to models like salman rushdie and john irving. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guidebook. 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. Set mostly in and around addis ababa and new york, the story follows the life of marion praise stone. Sign me up to get more news about literary fiction books. Haunting, moving, richly detailed summary from publisher.
Abraham verghese, author of cutting for stone, describes his writing life. I will not cut for stone, runs the text of the hippocratic oath, even for. Readalikes for abraham vergheses cutting for stone. Cutting for stone even with its many stories and layers, cutting for stone remains clear and concise. Chapter two of cutting for stone, by abraham verghese, is titled the missing finger, and we learn how dr. It is a beautiful novel because it succeeds in creating endearing personalities. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a. The book includes a deep description of both medical procedures and explores the human side of medical practices. The books climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. Vergheses skill at intertwining so many stories is awesome and prohibits simple description of the novel as a whole. Abraham verghese has said that his ambition in writing cutting for stone was to tell a great story, an oldfashioned, truthtelling story. Cutting for stone is a beautifully written comingofage novel weaving family, hospital and house staff, patients, community, disease, and country into a complex tapestry. Abraham vergheses first novel, cutting for stone, with its huge cast of characters and exotic localesincluding the bronxhas a richness that recalls conrad or forster. To what extent are these differences reflected in the split between poor hospitals, like the one in the bronx where marion works, and rich hospitals like the one in boston where his father works.
It is a saga of twin brothers, orphaned by their mothers death at their births and forsaken by their father. If you liked cutting for stone by abraham verghese, here are some books like this. In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned storyand what does it share with the great novels of the nineteenth century. It is statistically improbable that i will read a book as good as this one anytime soon.
Basically, everyone can act like theyre all tough and like they dont believe in god when theyre just walking down the street playing with a yoyo, but when theyre. Cutting for stone is the first straightforward novel set in and largely about africa that ive read in a good long timethe kind richard russo or cormac mccarthy might write, the kind that shows how history and landscape and accidents of birth and death conspire to create the story of a single life. Dec 06, 2011 cutting for stone has the power to evoke cathartic reactions, much like greek tragedies. Due dates are extended until we reopen, so please keep your. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese about the book 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 in india, ethiopia, and america. However, the books title cutting for stone may indicate the danger and risk inherent in familiar love. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading cutting for stone.
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. The surgeon in the book is a doctor stone and his two estranged sons become doctors. Cutting for stone kindle edition by verghese, abraham. Cutting for stone is a novel written from the firstperson perspective of marion stone, one of the identical twins born of a secret affair between a beautiful indian nun and a british surgeon. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon. Feb 08, 2009 those words provide an epigraph partway through abraham vergheses first novel, cutting for stone, and also explain the surname of its narrator, marion stone, along with his twin brother.
Cutting for stone will remind readers of the fiction of salman rushdie, john irving the cider house rules, and ha jin a free life. John burnham schwartz, author of the commoner and reservation road cutting for stone is a tremendous accomplishment. Verghese paints a vivid picture of these settings, the practice of medicine he is also a physician and the characters inner conflicts. It incorporates love, lust, trust, betrayal, commitment, emigration, faith, poverty, life, death, hope, dreams, fears, and just about every other big theme you can imagine. If you live outside of the united states, you can call me over skype.
The writing is vivid and thrilling, and the story completely. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 541 pages and is available in hardcover format. About threequarters of the way through, the book moves to the us as many ethiopians did, after the revolution that replaced the emperor with a. Its an astonishing accomplishment to make such a foreign. Ralph eubanks, the washington post book world stupendous. Cutting for stone book the kansas city public library. In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned story and what does it share with the great novels of the nineteenth century. Advanced ancient stone cutting that shouldnt be possible. A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novelan enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home.
Reading guide for cutting for stone by abraham verghese. A series of catastrophic events occur during their births, leading to their fathers abandonment and lifealtering changes to the staff of missing hospital. 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. A violent surfacing of adolescence which has little in common with tarkingtons earlier, broadly comic, seventeen has a compulsive impact. The story in cutting for stone seems to be modeled after at least a few of dr. If you like cutting for stone you might like similar books hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet, state of wonder, the invention of wings, the poisonwood bible, snow flower and the secret fan. Nobody big except me is the dream world of holden caulfield and his first person story is. Moving from addis ababa to new york city and back again, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of. Abraham verghese, author of cutting for stone, describes. Each character is so fully developed from start to finish that the reader becomes deeply involved with each and every one.
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. From the bestselling author of the circle and what is the what, a heartpounding true story that weaves together the history of coffee, the struggles of everyday yemenis living through civil war and the courageous journey of a young man a muslim and a u. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. An epic novel that spans continents and generations, cutting for stone is an unforgettable. Although ill admit it starts off slowly, i found that the depths of this novel are. Like the british romantics, verghese emphasizes the importance of place as well as plot and character, acknowledging their inherent union. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guide. This book isnt really written for the person that just ready to cut their first stone but after youve been cutting awhile get this book, its very well written.