Reviews for Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures

The average rating for Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-03-15 00:00:00 Barbara Donkel 3.5 - I'm really. really surprised this won the Giller Prize. Another case of a Doctor writes a book based on his work history and the critics swoon, because it's not a world typical writers come from or an arena that they cover. A novelty act, almost. Some stories are interesting, but again, I would add it's not because of the writing per se (which is readable but plain, not spare plain, just plain plain), as much as the backstage peek at a Dr.'s life. Also, it just makes me mad when other professions think they can be a writer - anyone can be a writer, stupid - and then includes a faintly insulting Glossary of medical terms at the back. Defining stethoscope, for instance. I think readers - even not genius doctor/writers like yourself sir, have heard of a stethoscope. And if they haven't, they probably have a dictionary or Google handy, thanks anyway.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-10-23 00:00:00 Anthony Cantarella This is an extremely interesting book, especially if you are acquainted with anyone who has endured the appallingly stressful rigors of medical school and lived to tell about it. Written by an author who has done just that, this book is a work of fiction that interweaves the stories of several aspiring young doctors and follows them through their professional lives. Along the way, he reveals them to be intelligent, ambitious, complicated, and very, very human. In other words, he tells his story like it often is, and not like we would wish it to be. (CAUTION: If you were once a fan of Marcus Welby, M.D. -- that was a TV show, for those of you too young to remember -- you will HATE this book. No character in it is all-wise, all-sacrificing, or constantly a paragon of medical virtue. They are, instead, human, and therefore behave both wisely and stupidly, kindly and selfishly -- just as we all do, if we are honest enough to admit it.) If you choose to read this book, be sure to give it time to really "grow on you." Usually when I read a book, I know within the first 50-100 pages what rating I am likely to give it by the time I'm finished. (Though, for any authors out there reading this, note that I DO continue to keep an open mind!) This book surprised me by continuing to draw me in more and more as its story (really, it's plural -- stories) progressed. I thought the author was particularly skillful in the way he introduced each vignette -- at first, I was never sure how this piece of the individual's tale was going to fit into the story as a whole. By the end of the book, however, I was fully satisfied that I had seen enough of each character's struggles and gifts to give me a sense of their unique personality and how they had changed -- for good and for bad -- during their lives. If you are a reader who enjoys complex characters and gritty honesty and does not need every single detail of your characters' lives spelled out for you (it's a series of vignettes, remember?) then I would definitely recommend this book to you. And I will be sure to read more of Vincent Lam's work.