Oxygen

A Novel

By: Carol Wiley Cassella

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Carol Cassella, a freelance medical writer and a practicing anesthesiologist, grounds her haunting debut novel Oxygen in the life-or-death scenarios of the modern medical field. Marie Heaton's successful anesthesiology practice is derailed when a child dies under the mask. Faced with a major lawsuit, she must turn to a former lover for moral support.

©2008 Carol Wiley Cassella (P)2008 Recorded Books, LLC

Great medical detail.

What did you love best about Oxygen?

The topic is unique to any other books I've read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Oxygen?

The plot thickens with a surprising twist.

Which character – as performed by Jennifer Ikeda – was your favorite?

All the characters are well developed with backgrounds that emerge as you read.

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

I could never sit and listen to a whole book at once but it always captured my interest.

Any additional comments?

Because I work in a hospital, the medical detail was very interesting for me. But even for those without any medical background you should find the details interesting as they are given in a way that heightens the human emotion.

Excellent

Couldn’t put the book down. Finished listening in a few days. I highly recommend if!

Excellent Read

So well written, the storyline and main character draws you in immediately. This is character you care for.

beautiful language, plodding plot

There are some gorgeous descriptions in her writing, and I started out loving this book. After a while, though, it felt self absorbed. There are chapters and chapters about how bad she feels after an incident. I liked it again at the end, when the plot moved again, but there is a LONG section of the book which is extended melodramatic navel gazing. Even the beautiful language couldn't save it.

Good story

What made the experience of listening to Oxygen the most enjoyable?

The story line touched my heart. Dr. Marie Heaton truly cares about her patients, and when her young patient dies on the operating table, she is faced with a malpractice suit. The mystery behind the cause of that death and Marie's doubts about her care of that patient and possible responsibly for her death, made this book a good listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dr. Heaton. She searches for clues that will explain the cause of the death of her patient and feels empathy for the young mother whose daughter's life has ended after what should have been a simple surgery.

What aspect of Jennifer Ikeda’s performance would you have changed?

I can't say that Jennifer's performance was bad, but her sweet voice sounded a little too young and innocent to portray a doctor who had been out of medical school for 6 years. She also mispronounced several medical terms which was somewhat distracting.

Who was the most memorable character of Oxygen and why?

Of course the main character, Marie. I felt a lot of compassion for her while she fought to understand and piece together the cause of her patient's death, while also dealing with the personal crisis of her father's declining health and the relationship she has with her former lover and colleague, Dr. Joe Hillary.

Any additional comments?

When I first started listening to this book, I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. Dr. Heaton's character was a little too good to make the story believable and the medical descriptions were a little too detailed, but with time, the story evolves and there are twists and turns that kept my interest up. The end of this book was a mixture of happy ending and sad ending. This is definitely not a "feel good" book, but over-all it was a good story that I enjoyed listening to it and would recommend it to my friend's.

We all need Oxygen and Love

Would you consider the audio edition of Oxygen to be better than the print version?

I have not read the book but I really enjoyed the listen.

Any additional comments?

This is a thought provocking story with an unexpected but well organized ending. I like stories that make me think and remind me that when I am young and don't know what I don't know, I make different decisions than I will make later after I learn.

Nice book

I agree that the unfortunate mispronunciations were distracting. The book itself is beautifully authored, although I have to confess hitting the "skip forward" button multiple times whenever it was clear I would be stuck in a long passage focused on environmental descriptions or relationship characterizations.

We anesthesiologists tend to be retreating, modest personalities, so it was amusing to hear a (very accurate) description of what we do every day by someone who isn't afraid to put it plainly.

Reader needs help

Only in to Chapter 4 and I've already had to suffer through 3 or 4 mispronunciations of common medical terms. For example, Midalazam???? -it's Midazolam.
I like the story so far and its accurate portrayal of the job of Anesthesia. However, when the reader( or the author)can't get the words right, it erodes the story.
A minuscule amount of research and a qualified proofreader would have fixed these errors.

Excellent Read

This book was overall a terrific listen, full of medical detail and complex, dissonant situations. The narrative was well-crafted and authentic.
The only downer was the narrator - she seemed way to young to be the voice of a seasoned, experienced anesthesiologist. Plus, she kept mispronouncing words: "metastic" instead of "metastatic" and "endiometritis" instead of "endometriosis". "Yakimaw" instead of "Yakima".
Still a good read. One of the best selections of medical fiction currently on offer.

One of my favorite books!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Reading this book was definitely worth the time! As a physician, this is one of my all-time favorite books. I've given it to several friends as gifts, and recommended it to book clubs.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There is really just one character - the narrator. Everyone else is peripheral to what is happening to her.

What aspect of Jennifer Ikeda’s performance would you have changed?

She mispronounces several medical terms. It's jarring. Also, she changes voices when the character speaks, and makes her sound flighty and unpleasant.