Cutting for Stone

A Novel

By: Abraham Verghese

Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra

Length: 23 hrs and 54 mins

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

One of the best books I have ever "heard"

I listen to audiobooks during my long commute every day, and so many of them have made me want to rip my hair out with my headphones I am really reluctant to buy them anymore! So I'm not easy to please.

But Cutting for Stone is easily the best audio book I have ever listened to. The writing is excellent. The prose is spare and yet beautiful, conveying both great beauty and enormous depths. The store is interesting and compelling.

The narrator's voice is enchanting, and his inflections for the different characters are slight enough that you don't notice it and yet you never question who is speaking. The only exception was the older Thomas Stone, of whose vocal characterization I was not fond. The narrator has just a touch of an accent. It's beautiful and soothing to listen to.

I recommend this book highly

Do Yourself a Favor, Don't Miss This Book!!!

An avid audible "reader" for over 10 years now, yet I have never written a review. This book is so awesome that I feel I must share my love for not only the author but the reader as well. I am only halfway through the book and am hoping to find more from this duo soon. I hate to think of the story ending...FABULOUS

"The Perfect Novel"

I LOVED this book. Educational, informative, historical, but most importantly never at the expense of great characters and plot. The story covers many decades and the tension builds so perfectly it is impossible to stop listening. The narrator is just perfect and so gentle in his story telling. This is the best book that I've "read" in years.

Fascinating Read

This profound story stays with you. It spans continents and decades. It was a fascinating book that I learned a lot from. I recommend it to my book club and they all were really drawn to it as well.

The Best Book I have read in 2010

This book is a beautiful, well written books, with a melodiousness in it's writing. I always listen to my books by my walks in the morning and evenings. I swear I would walk a more circulatory route home just to listen to one more chapter. There were a few occasions in this book, where I had to bury my head in my large hat, while walking so no one could see me, sobbing hysterically. It was such a pleasure to have it read to me by Sunil Malhotra, and I did not want it too end. The purchased after this , palled into mediocrity after having feasted at Abraham Verghese's table of beautiful words. Honestly do your self a favor and get this book

24 hours long- and it wasn't enough

The narrator was so captivating, but so was the story. If you like exotic cultures and a story line that extends many decades- you'll love this. It's very smart and the medical jargon might be challenging for someone with no medical background, but I think it would still be appreciated. I was so sad when I finished this book and bummed this one was the only fiction book written by the author. If you find the beginning slow, hang in there- once you get hooked, you won't want it to end.

1.5

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book at 1.5 speed. It is much better that way and far less depressing.

The “best” book

I first heard about this book when the author, a physician, was being introduced to give a presentation on putting “care” back into patient care! The introducer said it was the best book she had ever read! I agree!

This novel is for everyone. It is about life and death, happiness and sadness, love and hate, war and peace, and good and evil. It is set in a medical arena - a medical family. For those who are in a medical field (especially physicians) there will come back many memories of your own training. As a physician, I loved every part of this book and believe strongly that it should be required reading. If you are not involved in a medical field professionally, you will still love this book and you will reach an even greater understanding of the “art” of medicine than you’ve ever had.

“Cutting for Stone” will speak to you in so many ways. This author is so good at capturing your attention, and developing the characters. There are many twists and turns and no detail gets unresolved. I guarantee that you will love this book and wonder how this book could possibly have been the author’s first novel.

The narrator was wonderful and his excellent performance of every character added to the enjoyment! I hated for it this book to end.

Enjoy reading and re-reading this book.

brilliant, one of the best books I've ever read.

this book is at the top of my list for some of the best books I've ever read. The audio part of the book was fantastic.

great story and reading

I loved this story and the reader is excellent. It incorporates some African (Ethiopian) history tidbits that it most U.S. citizens do are not exposed to. It really gave one the sense of being in Ethiopia during that time. Sometimes the story gets a bit far fetched, but it has that fable feeling, main character is a bit dreamy about the girl - that was hard to believe at times. Other than that, it's written so well that some of the lines and thoughts stop me in my tracks.