Monday Mornings

A Novel

By: Sanjay Gupta

Narrated by: Christian Rummel

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Every time surgeons operate, they're betting their skills are better than the brain tumor, the faulty heart valve, the fractured femur. Sometimes, they're wrong. At Chelsea General, surgeons answer for bad outcomes at the Morbidity and Mortality conference, known as M & M. This extraordinary peek behind the curtain into what is considered the most secretive meeting in all of medicine is the back drop for the entire book.

Monday Mornings, by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, follows the lives of five surgeons at Chelsea General as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings, often in front of their peers at M & M. It is on Monday mornings that reflection and introspection occurs, usually in private. It is Monday Mornings that provides a unique look at the real method in which surgeons learn - through their mistakes. It is Monday Mornings when, if you're lucky, you have a chance at redemption.

©2012 Sanjay Gupta (P)2012 Hachette

Distracting erroneous pronunciation

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes. As a nurse, I found it to be an accurate depiction of life in a hospital, although dramatically one-sided. There were other people involved in all the controversies who would have spoken up and also taken histories.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No, but it was entertaining.

Did Christian Rummel do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He was a good narrator, but should have gotten some help with medical terms. The errors in pronunciation were distracting and ruined the flow. Glee-o-blastoma was mispronounced so many times it was agonizing.

Could you see Monday Mornings being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Would make a great soap opera.

Sanjay Gupta is a rare find.

Would you listen to Monday Mornings again? Why?

definitely

What other book might you compare Monday Mornings to and why?

Quite by Susan Cain

Which character – as performed by Christian Rummel – was your favorite?

He read as if he was each physician.

Any additional comments?

I am glad Gupta allowed Monday Mornings to be read through Audible.com

Neurosurgery, & More: the Insider's Viewpoint

I enjoyed this book a great deal, as understanding medical problems & outcomes is an interest of mine. But those who aren't interested in what happens when a patient is on the table. or when a tricky diagnosis is required could find this heavy slogging.

I like that fictional doctors grappled with real problems, as it made the experience more realistic than reading a non-fiction book on this same topic.

The characters remained somewhat two dimensional for me, as there were a number of them. No one character was the centre point of this story. The one that stood out for me was "El Gato Grande" who did seem to come to life.

The "Monday Morning" ritual, where the doctors were held accountable for their mistakes, was very interesting. This procedure, if it exists, & I'm guessing that it must, definitely is well hidden from the public. It is reassuring to know that such a process exists, even if that doesn't hold true for every hospital.

Excellent listen

Engaging story of medical issues

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, it was engrossing and well told.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are so well developed that the reader feels they must be real people.

Which character ??? as performed by Christian Rummel ??? was your favorite?

Who wouldn't pick El Gato??? But he did a great job of reading everyone in this work--no small feat.

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

Laugh, for certain, but was also very serious at times.

Any additional comments?

A really good medical story (stories, really), filled with interesting characters.

Not worth your time

This was a shockingly disappointing book in its scope, its depth, its characters, its structure and its genre. I was hoping for an informative, in depth examination of modern medicine, like "Better" by Atul Gawande, but this slow, uninteresting novel rarely discusses disease, surgery or medicine, its far more concerned with the mundane lives of its characters. That's not why I purchased this novel. If I'm honest with you, I thought by reading the description and knowing who the author is, that it was a work of non-fiction. It's not, this is a fictional character study about the lives of surgeons. Not at ALL what the description promised.

Monday Mornings follows the lives of several surgeons at a Michigan hospital and examines their personal lives, the way their careers affect them and how they handle mistakes. These plot lines rarely become exciting and rarely rise above the kind of TV drama conflict that I try to avoid in a good novel. The time spent here wastes time that could describe the business and practice of surgery, the techniques involved, the mysteries we have yet to uncover and the breakthroughs that we have made recently. I was very sad for the book this COULD have been. Move on to the next book in your Wishlist instead.

Made For TV Book

What disappointed you about Monday Mornings?

Nothing ever really got up and going in the story. I didn't get to a point where I asked, "What will happen next," but got to, "Will anything happen?" Built for an ensemble cast on a cable television network trying for credibility as a content supplier. I might be stupid, but it seemed like vignettes coupled by setting, not plot.

Has Monday Mornings turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. I'm sort of a sucker for medical drama, thriller or comedy.

Would you be willing to try another one of Christian Rummel’s performances?

I'll give a long listen to the sample before I plunk down my credit for a book he narrates. His female voices sounded contrived and strained, but strangely the interior dialogue of the same character seemed genuine and was where the director should have taken him.

Any additional comments?

This served well as the treatment for TNT's "Monday Mornings". It's kind of... I don't know what... couldn't they have distributed it for free given they (Gupta and Kelly) had a deal with Turner.

Get me a writer, stat!!

Sorry, but although I enjoy Dr. Gupta on the news, an author he is not. This is yet another thin "novel" from a doctor wanna be author. While Dr. Gupta is very impressed with the medical profession, (and neurosurgery in particular), there really is no clear plot line. Instead, the book serves as a vehicle for Gupta to relive cases and other tales from medical school. Along the way he expounds on the problems with healthcare, the trouble with medical sales people, lifestyle choices, and on and on. The only problem is - they do nothing to advance or develop A PLOT. So yes, I am calling it - Dead on Arrival.

Ho-hum medical novel

Would you try another book from Sanjay Gupta and/or Christian Rummel?

Although I like the author on CNN, his charisma does not translate onto the pages. The story was ho-hum, not much of a plot line and he wrapped it all up too quickly - like he was tired of writing this book and wanted to get it over with. Characters were not compelling and nothing much to keep you motivated to listen longer or wish for another novel.

Has Monday Mornings turned you off from other books in this genre?

NO - but would not get another book from this author. Robin Cook or Michael Crichton were far better medical writers.

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

No

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

NO

Nothing like CUTTING FOR STONE

Any additional comments?

I wanted this book to be good. I gave it a good try, listening to more than 4 hours of it. I really enjoyed Cutting For Stone and had read that the two authors had some similarities. The authors may (I believe that they are both physicians), but the stories are in no way comparable. I found Monday Mornings nothing short of stupid. I wouldn't be surprised to see it made into a movie for the Lifetime Network.

UGH.

So far this book is just ok.

Too much technical information, too much "painting the character's background", not enough GETTING TO THE POINT.

Everytime a new chapter starts and we run down a new road I keep wondering if this is the point where the story starts.

It's not that engaging... but I will keep going. I am stubborn about giving up!

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Over half way done and it has not gotten any better. Have to downgrade to 1 star.

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Ugh, thank God it's over.