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Cutting for Stone  By  cover art

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An Epic Medical Novel

I picked this novel after hearing Dr. Verghese on the Diane Rheim Show on NPR and was impressed by his enthusiasm and idealism for the practice of medicine and the training of young physicians.

The plot has some refrains of the Kite Runner, also written by a physician. It follows the intertwined lives of two brothers from politically unstable Ethiopa to the United States. The language and imagery are lyrical in many places even in the description of surgical procedures and cadaver dissections.

It is not overstated to say that the novel does for Surgery and Medicine what Moby Dick did for whaling. The plot is interspersed with technical descriptions of nearly every aspect of medicine from the fine points of surgical anatomy to the process of medical residency certification. The finale of the book is far-fetched and is telegraphed, but in the context of the grand story, I suppose it is no more far-fetched than Ahab waving goodbye from the back of the White Whale.

The characters are compelling and complex -- particularly the namesake of the novel and the father of the narrator. One of the recurring themes of the book is the tension between the good life (i.e. love of family) and the good career (i.e. good works). This theme is carried from the Carmelite Nuns in Madras to the trauma and transplant surgeons in New York. No one seems to get it quite right except for Ghosh, the Indian/Ethiopian Internist who is the most attractive person in the book. I wonder if Dr. Verghese modeled him as a self-portrait.

I suspect that this book will not get the readership that it deserves because of the hefty length and hefty price. But it ought to reside on the bookshelf of everyone who aspires to go into medicine as a career -- right next to Arrowsmith and Aequinimitas.

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152 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant story, pitch perfect narration

This is an epic surely destined to become a "cut in stone" classic, a gem so perfectly cut that it sparkles from every facet. Best of all, the story is filled with characters so human and alive, even in death, that I for one wish to keep them close by me forever. And Sunil Mulhotra's mastery of narration for both sexes, over a large spectrum of age and accent, is so good I am grateful my first exposure to Cutting For Stone is through his voice.

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112 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • G.
  • 06-02-09

**********

I would give CUTTING FOR STONE twenty stars if I could. Every so often a book comes along that you just know will stay with you and this is one. The story unfolds in hospital in a burgeoning town somewhere in Ethiopia. The cultural aspect of the story is absolutely a masterpiece, Indians, Africans, Italians, Americans come together in a confluence where each is distinct, yet move freely in and out of each other's lives. The story of Ethiopia in itself is a heartbreaking one, but described lovingly. The medical aspect of the story is almost a character in itself, extremely engaging and easy to follow. There was a great deal of medical technicality, but some of the most interesting descriptions I've ever come across. Very impressive. I'm trying to get my MD sister in law to read it so she can tell me how accurate it is! As for narration, excellent, excellent, excellent, except for Dr. Stone, his accent is just a riot. Overall, this is a book you could practically eat, smell, hear, it comes alive.

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104 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written and read

This book had great reviews on Amazon but none on audible when I bought it. I was reluctant to make the purchase out of concern the narrator might botch it. The story is so beautifully written and the narrator did a nice job with it as well. I was a bit put off by the American accents (do we all sound like Texan gang-stahs to others outside the U.S.?) but that was a minor hang-up compared to the great tale beautifully read.

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75 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful.....wanted more!

Other than "The Help", this is my favorite read. I couldn't put my ipod down. Listened for hours and sad when it ended. Definitely one of the best. The narration is perfect.

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54 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Well written

This is a solid novel, very well written. It is long, and I see that some say it is too long, to which I disagree. This is a story that is rich in detail, but not too verbose to keep the reader/listener engaged throughout the story. Admittedly it did take a while for me to become emotionally involved with the characters, but that might simply be my own perspective.
There are a good deal of medical terms and it is apparent that the author is either a physician or solid researcher. However, this does not detract from the story but only adds to the credibility.
Perhaps the ending is a bit predictable, although I found it fitting and satisfying.
The reader, Sunil Malhotra is PERFECT. All in all a very good book.

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47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I have been an audible member for several years and have "read" many, many great books. I cannot get into the car and drive, even a short distance, without a book. This book is right up there on my list of favorites. Great story, great narration. Many hours of enjoyable driving!

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Stunning

This novel makes me want to keep driving or sit in the garage listening. The story is mesmerizing- a fascinating look at the third world's health care and politics, as well as the disparity of health care between the "haves" and "have nots" here- along with a beautiful story about the protagonist's life.

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36 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling, deeply moving, erudite

This deeply moving, fascinating story took my breath away. Taking place in Ethopia and the US, it moves seamlessly between characters and across time. It touches on all the important topics: love, the meaning of family, what important work can mean. The complex plot twists make sense. It is beautifully, perfectly read. I've listened to many many books on Audible and I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

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34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story worth Recommending

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was compelling and kept me wondering where it would next turn. The characters were well developed leaving a hint of mystery for the twin brother which was perfect for the story. I also liked that I learned a great deal about Ethiopia and its history. It made me feel that I was a richer person from my time listening to this book. The narrator was excellent with his soft Indian accent - perfect for this story. I highly recommend this book. I was sad when it came to an end.

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34 people found this helpful