I will most certainly listen to this book again. I enjoy books which help me understand cultures other than my own. This book took me inside of an Ethiopian world which I would otherwise never experience. I found the medical descriptions authentic & fascinating in particular because I have physicians in my family and understand that brilliant minds do not always fit in well with the world.Also, having friends who are refugees and immigrants and what people sacrifice for a life in the US always humbles me.

Primarily because of the twin theme I would compare this book to I know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. The honesty and tone of the book are also comparable.

This is one of the best books ever. I couldn't wait to listen to the book. The characters become part of your family they are so real. I am disappointed that there are not more books to listen to.

I loved everything about this book. It was a long journey that was riveting from the start to the finish. I loved the characters and their stories. I laughed, I cried, I could not put this down. For some reason, it took me a long time to pull the trigger on this one, but I am glad I did.

Wow... what a great book. It took me a few chapters to get hooked but once you are familiar with the characters you'll be taking the long way to work and home, or working out longer. It has all the intelligent ingredience of a good movie... love, hate, war, death, history without over dramatization. It is not a sappy love story but it's all about love and sacrifice. I will listen to this one again in the future and recommend it to anyone who is not into vampires.

I loved this story and the reader is excellent. It incorporates some African (Ethiopian) history tidbits that it most U.S. citizens do are not exposed to. It really gave one the sense of being in Ethiopia during that time. Sometimes the story gets a bit far fetched, but it has that fable feeling, main character is a bit dreamy about the girl - that was hard to believe at times. Other than that, it's written so well that some of the lines and thoughts stop me in my tracks.

You don't have to be a surgeon with a history of mentoring relationships in your life to enjoy the depth of this book - but that added extra meaning for me.

A deeply woven tail of how all our actions in life intertwine and ultimately hold meaning and consequences forever. The depth of the characters who you will get to know, hate and love along with the richness of the description of life in Ethiopia makes this nothing short of breathless at times.

"Cutting for Stone" is one of the best books I have read/listened to in a very long time. Abraham Verghese escorts his readers on a lush and vibrant story thru the use of the narrator, Marion Stone. In this book one experinces Ethiopia as an amazing ethinic melting pot, America thru the eyes as a young medical student and humanity via the lens of honesty.

The narrator, Sunil Malhorta's voice and patient pace were perfect for "Cutting for Stone", I would have felt cheated of the importance of this beautiful story if it were read any faster. Sunil's accent gave the story authenticity, his ability to change his tone for the dialog of different characters and the ambiance he brought to "Cutting for Stone" all enhanced the experience for me.

Well told story. Some moments drag and the second half of the book is not as colorful as the first. I felt Marion was treading a little heavily (read: tromping on land mines) into his self-pity and outwards expression of bitterness.

Contrasting painfully with the raw, graphic nature of some of the medical scenes in the book is the reiterated praise and longing for Ethiopian food. One minute I'm trying not to gag, the next I'm thinking "ooo Injera sounds SO good..." I even went so far as to make some.

I feel it's worth a 1 credit purchase, but not 2. I'd wait for it on sale.

I mostly liked this book, I liked that it took place in Ethiopia, a place I knew relatively nothing about. I thought the characters were well developed and the story was worth telling, original elements and a good job at creating the ???place.??? I enjoyed the language and the detailed look the author imbued with flavor, color and texture.

Cutting for Stone is a story of consequences. It comes off a bit on the preachy side, to my mind, an inordinate amount of unhappiness falls on people for singular sexual missteps.

The story takes place in a mission hospital in Addis Ababa, a place that rolls off the tongue of the reader like poetry, lilting and lovely. The hospital is called Missing, because according to the author, Ethiopians have a hard time pronouncing mission. An Ethiopian filled out the paperwork to the government, and Missing it stayed.

Like most mission hospitals, it is understaffed, under funded and overly abused by the local government. They managed to do some good medicine, that being defined by the fact that they would have none otherwise.

Sister Mary Joseph Praise. A Carmelite nursing nun from India, sent by an overzealous mother superior to Ethiopia to give succor to the needy (like there aren???t enough needy people in India) and a companion nun set out. They are sent by cargo boat to save money on the passage. This is taking place just after Ghandi wrested India out of the hands of the English, so an English surgeon was on the boat, going to Ethiopia to ply his trade. They meet there initially and during a bout of some sort of illness he becomes aware of her skill.

They part, and about a year later Sister Mary turns up at Missing. No questions are asked. Matron of Missing can use a well trained nurse, and Sister Mary becomes invaluable as an operating partner to Dr. Stone. Years roll on.

Not to spoil everything. Twin sons are born, their birth is a precarious thing and they are almost crushed to death in the effort to spare the mother???s life. Dr. Stone, the father of the boys disappears.

The boys grow and thrive. Another child is introduced into the mix, a girl. The foster parents are a sub-story that is lovely and well worth reading. A schism occurs and the boys are estranged, as well as the girl. The girl does something so incredibly stupid that it endangers the life of one of the young men, now in medical school. He must flee to the United States.

He acquires his surgical training. I really want to leave it here, because anything else is an absolute spoiler.

Hugely satisfying listen and equally satisfying read. The performance brings out the flavor of the novel and creates an atmosphere that is wholly tangible. As entertaining as it is informative. Cannot recommend it more highly.