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Cutting for Stone

By: Abraham Verghese
Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra
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Publisher's summary

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).

©2009 Abraham Verghese (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Abraham Verghese is a doctor, an accomplished memoirist and, as he proves in Cutting for Stone, something of a magician as a novelist. This sprawling, 50-year epic begins with a touch of alchemy: the birth of conjoined twins to an Indian nun in an Ethiopian hospital in 1954. The likely father, a British surgeon, flees upon the mother’s death, and the (now separated) baby boys are adopted by a loving Indian couple who run the hospital. Filled with mystical scenes and deeply felt characters–and opening a fascinating window onto the Third World–Cutting for Stone is an underdog and a winner. Shades of Slumdog Millionaire.”–Jocelyn McClurg, USA Today

“A novel set in Africa bears a heavy burden. The author must bring the continent home to help the reader sit in a chair and imagine vast, ancient, sorrowful, beautiful Africa. In the last decade I’ve read books narrated by characters homesick for Africa; books by or about child soldiers; books about politics; books full of splintering history.... Lush and exotic . . . richly written.”–Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times

“Any doubts you might harbor about a 534-page first novel by a physician in his 50s will be allayed in the first few pages of this marvelous book. Abraham Verghese has written two graceful memoirs, but Cutting for Stone, his wildly imaginative fictional debut, is looser, bigger, even better.... The doctor in him sees the luminous beauty of the physician’s calling; the artist recognizes that there remain wounds no surgeon can men. ‘Where silk and steel fail, story must succeed,’ Marion muses. This one does.”–Jennifer Reese, Entertainment Weekly; Grade: A

What listeners say about Cutting for Stone

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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wonderful read

excellent storyline with superb narration. the story weaves into the lives, loves and times of the characters with brilliance. one of the best books I've read in a long time. 5 starts to Sunil Malhotra for his excellent narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written and narrated! Amazing story.

What did you love best about Cutting for Stone?

This story tracks the life of each person in the complex family group, twisting in and out of the history of Ethiopia and of medicine in the mid 20th century. The characters are full of pathos, love, fear and need. The story has the feel of John Irving in ironic twists of fate and individual choice which affect each character in the family.

What about Sunil Malhotra’s performance did you like?

Malhotra did an excellent job of differentiating each character's voice. It was easy to imagine each character as he read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Would you consider the audio edition of Cutting for Stone to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cutting for Stone?

The opening.

What about Sunil Malhotra???s performance did you like?

Yes, the narration was well done.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book kept my interest from start to finish.

Any additional comments?

Would like to read more books like this.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful, epic tale of family and redemption

One of the best books I have experienced in years. The characters are so real in their joys, their love, and their deep, dark flaws. The story is beautiful and engrossing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

technical but worth it

Beautifully narrated. Although this book was hard to get through the first very long trauma of birth and death, I am glad I perserved. What a thoughtful, brilliantly themed book. Medical detail was just that, 'detailed,' but you can rush through that as i didnt find it imperative to the story too much. Made me smile and cry and characters were so well defined, felt like I knew them personally. Buy it! you won't be sorry!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books ever written

Would you listen to Cutting for Stone again? Why?

I rarely listen or re-read books but I may go back to this one.

What did you like best about this story?

The indepth characters. The story as well as the presentation. The descriptions were real and vibrant. The author allowed you to imagine each scene. There was psychologial depth.

What about Sunil Malhotra’s performance did you like?

He had a soothing voice and I felt that he was in the chair telling me his story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Absolutely.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic, I couldn't wait to get to my car.

What made the experience of listening to Cutting for Stone the most enjoyable?

The reader was authentic and the story was beautiful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Cutting for Stone?

The part where the Shiva tries to save the dog, the part where Marion saves the family from the soldier.

Have you listened to any of Sunil Malhotra’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not.

Who was the most memorable character of Cutting for Stone and why?

Shiva, interesting and unique.

Any additional comments?

no

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful story!

Where does Cutting for Stone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Initially it was very difficult to get all the characters straight and it seemed a little difficult to follow- there were many layers to understand- but wow- a touching story- authentic and believable from a medical perspective. I think this is one of the best I have listened to! I couldn't wait to get back into my car and sit in traffic to find out what was going to happen next.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

INCREDIBLE BOOK! INCREDIBLE READER! HAVE TO LISTEN

Where does Cutting for Stone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

THE BEST

What did you like best about this story?

LOVED THE STORY AND ALL THE PERSONALITIES

Which scene was your favorite?

ALL - IT WAS SO AWESOME HOW THE READER MADE ME FEEL LIKE I WAS ACTUALLY THERE.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

ABSOLUTEY

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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A stunning work beautifully told

This incredible book is brought to life by an incredible narrator. The story of twin brothers who become estranged and are then brought back together in an incredible way moved me in ways I never expected. I wasn't familiar with the region or culture the story focuses on and some of the graphic medical descriptions were a bit challenging. But this is a book well worth the time to listen to.

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