Cutting for Stone

I thought that I review books that I read while I we are travelling ... I am not a fast reader, but I love a good novel. I am not trying to be pretentious ... it is all part of our experience of being away for a year. It has been so long since I have read a book for pleasure ... most of my reading of late has been around professional development ... so the idea of picking up a book and not having to take in as much information as I can feels fantastic! Reading a book ... not an eBook, but a book, holding the pages, feeling the weight in my hand ... remembering a quote or a part I want to remember by the position on the page ... last paragraph on the right hand page, feels so satisfying and enriching. Coming to the end of what has been such a moving, educational and enjoyable experience. So I thought I would share my books with who ever is interested.

Today I finished 'Cutting for Stone' ... while sunning on the Black Sea. Chris recommended it to me while we were staying with them in VT. I love this book. My disclaimer is, I am not as educated when it comes to reading as some of our family ... Rosie and Viv come to mind, but I know the difference between a good read and good literature and this book is good literature. I felt a real loss as I came to the end of the book and I tried to drag it out as long as I could. I am missing the characters that I grew to know and love, like Hema ... a strong woman with a passionate heart.

The author is Abraham Verghese ... he writes beautifully! There is a real intensity in his writing and the relationships in the story are intense! There is a strong spiritual theme ... love and  forgiveness, vocation vs duty, coincidence vs destiny. The story is set in Africa and there is such a richness and passion in the description of the countryside, the people and the relationships ... Hema and Ghosh, Marion and Shiva, Matron, Thomas Stone and Sister Mary Joseph Praise.

There are some beautiful moments e.g. ...
'"No, Marion," she said, her gaze soft, reaching for me, her gnarled hands rough on my cheeks. "No, not Bach's 'Gloria.' Yours! Your 'Gloria' lives within you. The greatest sin is not finding it, ignoring what God made possible in you."

Another ... 'If "ecstasy" meant the sudden intrusion of the sacred into the ordinary, then it had just happened to me.'

I found a wonderful definition of faith, but now I cannot find it ... a good idea to mark when reading I think. It goes something like ... faith is the willingness to suspend disbelief.

I really recommend 'Cutting for Stone' ... it is not a quick read and is quite dense, but a very satisfying and moving read. I am not good at censoring the books I read, so I cannot guarantee that you will not come across some bad language or even sex ... you will definitely come across female circumcision. My next read is a book that Leilani recommended ... unfortunately I left it in Sofia so will have to start when we get back there ... alas.