Michael

I could add nothing more to the commend this book; it has been done, beautifully and enthusiastically; several times over, and anything I could say would merely be redundant.

But there has been nothing said about the voice of Kirby Heyborne; and that does deserve mention.

There is a Nat King Cole quality to it; a faint, uniquely subtle, resonance that is only noticeable when he is speaking quietly; in Nick's voice. It is so nuanced, and that I found myself listening for, and relishing it, every time it came though.

I am putting him on the top of my list of performers.

I was fascinated by this book and pleased with the reading; over all it was a satisfying read, that inspired me to check out "Paradise".

She lived a very complicated life with a very complicated, and rather self destructive, man. My heart went out to her and I wonder if she would have become so emotionally unbalanced if she had married someone else.

It's not a book I would normally read, but I just finished "Z", so I just had to see what it was all about. I didn't try to follow the story or look too deeply into any of it, I just let it wash over me and I found myself enjoying the experience. I would not have had the patients to actually read it, but having it read; and read so beautifully, was a truly pleasant experience. I think was the pros, it just flowed...

Over all it was a very nice experience. Can't wait to read Gatsby.

The author creates a several fascinating characters; one of which is morbidly obese, thus the title.

I opted for this book because I was curious about how someone could allow themselves to get to such a state; and how to they managed, physically and emotionally.

I found this story is most fascinating, and I found; to my surprise, that I was quite easily able to empathize with him. He is a sad, but quite likable character.

As each character in this story enters, and reveals their roll in his life; always in the first person, they all, ever so slowly, come together in frequently surprising, and unexpected ways.

It’s a touching story which held me in its grip to the very end, and when it came I was sad, because I wanted it to go on.
I would count this book as one of the most fascinating and enjoyable all the I’ve read on Audible.

The reading was flawless, you could almost feel the weight of the protagonist and the callow youth of :"the other Arthur"

As a clinician I found this novel trite, overly Romantic, inadiquetly researched and Harlequinesque.

The medical aspects; of both the condition and the care, were poorly researched and grossly inaccurate, the primary caregiver; who was never identified as the professional he clearly was; no doubt a “Trained Nurse”, failed to warn our protagonist against the pitfalls of romantic involvements which; for all the wrong reasons, sometimes develop between patient and caregiver; and which almost always end in disaster; which is why medical professionals avoid them like the plague.

But more disturbing than the romantic silliness, was the selfish, overzealous, anti “self-deliverance”, position taken by both the caregivers and the parents. That position was so out of line with current position on self-deliverance and the concept of the “Advanced Directive” as to make this story completely implausible.

I found it very difficult to handle the intensely, selfish, attitudes toward the right of a patient to make an end of life decision without being burdened by the judgment of all those around him!

I did stick with this story to the end. The transparent episode with the visitor from London was exactly what I expected it to be, and the end was exactly what I expected it to be.

This story was very formulaic and delivered no surprises.

My only objection to the reading, which was quite good in general, was the introduction of the primary caregiver, who's voice boomed onto the scene as if out of nowhere; abrupt, too loud, and generally out of sync with the gentle flow of the narrative.

My guess is that, if you’re a woman, and a romantic, with no medically training, and you are oblivious to the current trends on end of life issues, you will probably love this book .

Almost stopped listening when, after 15 chapters, the setup had not concluded; but it was at that point when the story began to pick up so I continued. I should have not wasted my time.

The story fits together too perfectly and drones on from one unsurprising resolution to the next, with hardly a blink.

The Civil war is mentioned, in passing, and while it is hard to believe that the world of east coast finance wasn’t turned on its head during this period in our history the author passed over it as though it was nothing more than a minor skirmish; which had little, to no, effect on the protagonists world. There is nothing in this story that doesn’t work itself out and doesn’t end in a “happy ever after” way.

There were beautiful descriptions home architecture and clothing, and of people, but beyond that it was pretty bland,

The reading left much to be desired and starting in the middle of the book sections appeared to have been inserted; as though something was wrong with sections of the original reading and needed to be re-read. It was very obvious, and rather distracting, because the tone and cadence of fhe reader's voice was so different in these inserted segments. I sometimes wondered if they were read by someone else.

Exquisitely crafted and beautifully performed!

I confess to getting lost among the plethora of characters and situations; often struggling to remember who was who and what they were up to. I sometimes felt as though I were sitting too close to a large painting, only able to see details but unable to see the big picture.

In the beginning I occasionally felt like giving up, but decided to simply step back and enjoy the ride; hoping that, eventually, things would come together and the fog would clear.

The ride was fascinating; even when I wasn't always following the intrigues. Just being in this place; witnessing this culture, and its characters, was enough to keep me listening. I left like an observer who, while I didn't always know what it was all about, was fascinated by the personalities, the voices, the conditions and the strangeness of the Japanese culture of the period.

As it turned out I found myself enjoying many Aha moments, as pieces suddenly fell into place and situations became clear.

This book would easily qualify as a required text in a course on the History of Modern Medicine in America, as a primer on Epidemiology, microbiology and the Scientific Method. I think it should be required reading for anyone planing to make a career in health care.

It is truly mind boggling to comprehend how poorly educated, and resistant the American medical establishment was at the end of the 19th century or how much resistance there was to the changes that would make us #1 in the world by the middle of the 20th.

There is no telling how much worse things might have been if it had not been for "The Hopkins", and the creation of Johns Hopkins University, in pre-Civil war America.

This story; which reads like a well written mystery novel, of the struggle to modernize medicine, and of the incredible gains, and the unforgivable failures, that occurred along with way; mostly due to large than life egos, and the self interests of politicians and civilians alike, is so mind blowing that it's difficult to imagine how we got to where we are today; or survived "The Great Epidemic"

This is a fascinating read; especially for those of us in the medical professions, but surely, just as fascinating for those who are not.

I never imagined that this book would be so enlightening or so spellbinding!

I'm not going to waste any more time on this book, except to say I agree with all the single star reviews.

It was simply incongruous and absurd; like walking into an alternate universe where up was down and down was left and right was in…. None of it made sense.

What's perplexing is that so many people gave so many stars. Makes me think I'm in an alternate universe, where down is up and ...

Personally, I felt the best thing about this work was the performance; languid, sweetly pleasing to the ear and thoughtful.

The characters were beautifully developed and interesting but nebulous; coming into being then melting away as another came to take its place.

When "C" appeared I began to connect. Finally, I thought, I had found the protagonist, the character that was going to carry the story, but just a suddenly she too was gone, just like the rest. It was just too frustrating!

I am certain that my inability to connect with this work had more to do with a lack on my part; I didn't take literature in college, then with the work; which is beautifully written and beautifully performed.

I found it too urbane and sophisticated for my tastes, so after 5 chapters and no, apparent, common denominator, I simply gave up. Because even after 5 chapters my interest hadn't peaked enough to want to know where this story was going.

There is nothing to add to the many glowing reviews I've read here,


Very little has been said about the performance, so let me point out that McGovern's performance was perfection; right down to Cora's subtle Kansas accent; and her ability to, seamlessly, switch from one accent to another is remarkable.

I seem to be the only man to have read this book; understandable, it's a "girly" book; but it was very insightful and loved every minute of it.

Of course the fact that I'm gay may have something to do with it. (-:

Turns out it was relevant; but I don't want to spoil it for other, potential, readers who may be considering reading it so I'll say no more.