Average customer rating:
- Makes one hungry for more!
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This Was Andersonville
John McElroy
Manufacturer: Astor-Honor Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0839211171 |
Customer Reviews:
Makes one hungry for more!.......2004-02-09
I have read this book 'outloud' so my husband could hear this story also. You feel as though you are part of the prison system and there are times I actually cried. Very good reading with little understanding of the treatment of prisoners. It has also made me hungry for more readings about the Andersonville Prison during the Civil War.
Book Description
In her first work of fiction in more than a decade, award-winning novelist Hilma Wolitzer brilliantly renders the intimate details of ordinary life and exposes a host of hidden truths. The Doctor’s Daughter is a haunting portrait of a woman coming to terms with her family history and the fallibility of memory.
One morning, Alice Brill awakes with a sudden awareness that something is wrong. There’s a hollowness in her chest, and a sensation of dread that she can’t identify or shake. Was it something she’s done, or forgotten to do? As she scours her mind for the source of her unease, she confronts an array of disturbing possibilities.
First, there is her marriage, a once vibrant relationship that now languishes stasis. Then there’s her idle, misdirected younger son, who always needs bailing out of some difficulty. Or perhaps Alice’s trepidation is caused by the loss of her career as an editor at a large publishing house, and the new path she’s paved for herself as a freelance book doctor. Or it might be the real doctor in her life: her father. Formerly one of New York’s top surgeons, he now rests in a nursing home, his mind gripped by dementia. And the Eden that was Alice’s childhood–the material benefits and reflected glory of being a successful doctor’s daughter, the romance of her parents’ famously perfect marriage–makes her own domestic life seem fatally flawed.
While struggling to find the root of her restlessness, Alice is buoyed by her discovery of a talented new writer, a man who works by day as a machinist in Michigan. Soon their interactions and feelings intensify, and Alice realizes that the mystery she’s been trying to solve lies not in the present, as she had assumed, but in the past–and in the secrets of a marriage that was never as perfect as it appeared.
Like the best works of Anne Tyler, Sue Miller, and Gail Godwin, The Doctor’s Daughter is private yet universal, luminous and revelatory–and marks the reemergence of a singular talent in American writing.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
worth the wait.......2007-06-07
Ms. Wolitzer has written a very good book about a woman who is trying to figure out which part of her life to heal first--her father's ailment, her marriage, her neglected spirit, her child's behavior issues. As we get to know her, we get to see ourselves and our own family's dynamics being laid before us.
Good Psychological Fiction.......2007-05-01
"The Doctor's Daughter" by Hilma Wolitzer is an intelligently written mystery of self-discovery. Ultimately, it is about a woman coming to terms with the person she has become.
In the beginning of the story, the protagonist, Alice Brill, has a strange, malignant feeling in her chest. The book takes us on a quest to find out what ails her. Is it breast cancer? Is it a failing in her marriage--a failing in her career? Why did her mother's literary career suddenly stop when she was a child? What seems to be dying inside her: Is it her body or her soul?
Both Alice and her husband are highly educated literary scholars who married with a lovely dream of supporting each other's successful literary career. But after more than two decades of marriage, Alice only sees herself as "a failed Scheherazade who couldn't keep anybody alive with her stories." Instead of creating literature, she earns her living as an editor, a book doctor. She buries her dream of creating her own works of fiction, instead she doctors others' works. Her husband also must bury his literary ambitions after the financial realities of their first child's birth make him take a position in his family's printing business.
The novel takes us on a journey of recollections through Alice's life. Along the way, we get to know her mother, the successful published poet who suddenly stops publishing. Why? We get to know her father, the brilliant, autocratic, narcissistic surgeon. All her life, Alice has a lived in the cocoon fiction of her parent's marital bliss. But is that true? She sees possibilities that all may not have been right with their marriage. Her father is now in a nursing home in the later stage of Alzheimer's, so he is little help in leading her toward the answers to her questions. There seems to be something important that happened back when she was a child that is somehow at the root of the blindingly white, bad feelings that keep reccurring. Along the path toward Alice's destiny with self-discovery, are subplots of therapy, lust, friendship, and marital infidelity.
"The Doctor's Daughter" is good, intelligent, psychological fiction. I look forward to reading more by Hilma Wolitzer. In my estimation, this author can rest assured that she is not, like her protagonist, "a failed Scheherazade."
I just don't get ..........2007-03-24
what happened with the mammogram? Must have had some meaning that went over my head - seemed like it had some importance but is never mentioned again after she misses her appointment. I enjoyed the book otherwise, although I agree with a previous reviewer that the timeline seems off.
Author should check a calendar before writing!.......2006-08-10
This book was just "all right" in my opinion. I had a nagging feeling in my chest, much like the main character, but for other reasons! The timeline did not make sense.
The character mentions finding an envelope postmarked November 18, 1963--her 10th birthday, meaning she was born in November 1953. Speed forward to the present where she is 51 years old and it's June. This would put us in June 2005. She mentions going to her mammography on Friday June 13th. This doesn't make sense to me because in 2005, June 13th was a Sunday!
It might be stupid to let this bother me, but I like novels to feel real. And this just left me unsettled, like the author didn't do her job to check dates.
Otherwise, this was an okay read.
Insulting to the reader.......2006-06-14
I must admit that I finished only 2/3 of this book, I just could not bear anymore, even as entertainment. It was that bad. But, from what I read, I advise that the plot is pointless and unrealistically laid down. The characters, especially the main character and her love interest, are very poorly developed. What is developed of the main character is unlikeable. The book has the tone of someone who is talking (i.e. writing), not because she has something to say (she doesn't), but because she likes the sound of her own voice. Wolitzer does know how to string words together well, but there is nothing upon which to hang those words, which is insulting to the reader.
I knew before I read the book jacket that Wolitzer much teach creative writing. It is obvious from the content of the book that she considers herself a literary giant and thinks that impressive. She should stick with that, her "novel" is beyond disappointing. I'm sorry but the comparison to Wolitzer to Anne Tyler is laughable.
Book Description
Doctor Thorne (1858) is the third novel in the "Barsetshire" series. Doctor Thorne adopts his niece Mary, keeping secret her illegitimate birth as he introduces her to the best local social circles. There she meets and falls in love with Frank Gresham, heir to a vastly mortgaged estate; yet Frank is obliged to find a wealthy wife, jeopardizing Mary's happiness until fate extends an obliging hand. Where fiery passion fails, understated English virtues of patience, persistence and good humor could yet prevail in this most appealing of Trollope's (1815-82) comedies.
Download Description
Before the reader is introduced to the modest country medical practitioner who is to be the chief personage of the following tale, it will be well that he should be made acquainted with some particulars as to the locality in which, and the neighbours among whom, our doctor followed his profession.
Customer Reviews:
Taking an idiom literally.......2007-06-06
When we ask someone if they are engaged, we are asking if they have made with their partner an explicit and reciprocal promise to enter marriage. When Mary Thorne is asked the question, she takes it literally and means something wholly different.
Mary Thorne is the niece and adopted daughter of the eponymous main character of the novel, Doctor Thorne. (If you'll permit an aside before proceeding, Trollope begins the novel by addressing the question of who is in fact the main character of his novel. He doesn't answer this question, rather he leaves the final verdict up to the reader.) Though a member of an ancient Barsetshire family, Doctor Thorne's material fortunes have fallen and he cannot hope to arrange a marriage of wealth for his niece. However, this hardly matters since the doctor wishes his niece happiness, not wealth, and when prospects of wealth do come her way, he is rather perplexed as to what he should do.
Another important character, young Mr. Frank Gresham, is in a similar situation, though in his case his fortunes are falling rather than already fallen. As Doctor Thorne does for his niece, Frank cares for his happiness rather than his wealth. Alas, Frank's family has decided he must marry money. He objects and declares his love for Ms. Mary Thorne. She reciprocates Frank's feelings for her but in the face of his family's opposition, and their accusations of impropriety on her part, she cannot accept his proposal.
And yet Mary declares herself engaged even when she's renounced her beloved. Her heart is engaged to his and she cannot move it. He may do as he pleases, he may follow the wishes of his family and marry another. It doesn't matter, her heart will be nonetheless engaged to his with no prospect of turning to another.
It is this precise use of words and this detailed development of a plot turning on the quite literal nuances of an idiom which make Anthony Trollope's books a joy to read. This chapter of Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire, his "Comédie Humaine", is as satisfying as the previous two, and I warmly recommend it.
Vincent Poirier, Dublin
best novel of a great author.......2007-01-06
OK, I'm a Trollope fan, and I sometimes wonder why these novels about social interactions 150 years ago interest me so much when I know I would have suffocated in such a rigid society.
First of all, Trollope describes human behaviour in a way I can understand better than any other novelist. I suffer from mild asperger syndrome, and am often baffled by peoples' behaviour in real life. I think I get some relief from this frustration by watching Trollope's characters while the author makes their motives clear and enables me to feel real compassion for them.
His novels reflect his belief that English gentlemen had found something close to the ideal system of values, and they explore the effects of someone violating those values, or of difficulties arising as they try to fit special circumstances into them.
In some of his other novels, he has been accused of antisemitism, and by modern standards there is some truth to this. I do not believe it was his intention to attack Jews, but in his efforts to plausibly create characters who did not behave like English gentlemen, he used the examples he saw of people who were raised in different cultures, but were to be found in London society. This issue does not arise in Dr. Thorne, partly because it is set in the country.
Dr. Thorne contains one scene that (to me) perfectly exemplifies his virtues. Dr. Thorne asks the heroine if she would like to be rich. She mentions a trivial luxury she would buy if she were. He offers to buy it for her. I will not spoil your enjoyment of her reply, but it moved me deeply.
I'm sure Trollope had no idea that this novel also illustrates why Britain later lost her world empire. It was written in 1858, twelve years before the Franco-Prussian war demonstrated that Germany was the rising power that must challenge England, thanks to the Prussian education system's emphasis on technical skills, but after Prussia had achieved a higher rate of economic growth than England.
A very successful railway engineer-businessman (a Bill Gates?) is drinking himself to death, and Dr. Thorne asks why.
'Oh my God! Have you not unbounded wealth? Can you not do anything you wish? anything you choose?'
'No' and the sick man shrieked with an energy that made him audible all throughout the house. 'I can do nothing that I would choose to do; be nothing that I would wish to be! What can I do? What can I be? What gratification can I have except the brandy bottle? If I go among gentlemen, can I talk to them? If they have anything to say about a railway, they will ask me a question: if they speak to me beyond that I must be dumb.'
It is not clear to me that Trollope recognized that this describes a limitation in the English gentlemen, let alone that this limitation would ultimately doom the empire. The US is definitely treating Bill Gates better than this.
warm, satisfying porridge.......2006-08-09
I'm reading about Barsetshire in the order intended. Doctor Thorne (third in the series) left me satisfied, and I can recommend it. It contains fewer of the engaging, and for me novel, nuances of 19th century Church of England politics. Instead it is a rustic tale, somewhat contrived, compensated by a set of plausible characters who held my interest. Ever since the author in the earlier "The Warden" effectively punctured my elevated opinion of C. Dickens, I've been contrasting the two contemporaries. Yes, Dickens remains one of my favorites. But, his caricatures are more exagerated than Trollope's; I can easily envision both the characters and dialogue as of the type that actually would occur, having known analogs in the rural area in which I was raised. No, it's not Great Expectations; but Doctor Thorne is good, and probably a better picture of 19th century England.
Addicted to Trollope.......2006-06-23
DOCTOR THORNE is the third installment of Anthony Trollope's Barchester Cycle, preceded by THE WARDEN (ISBN#0140432140) and BARCHESTER TOWERS (ISBN#0192834320). You don't have to read the first two installments in the cycle to enjoy DOCTOR THORNE, though they are highly recommended, and will give a good background as to the goings-on in Barchester at the time that the tale commences.
Dr Thorne is the oldest son of a respected prebendary (some position in the Church of England), and elder brother to Henry Thorne, a notorious drunk and cad. The Thorne family can trace its noble roots to times before the Norman invasion of England, and they are very proud of it. (If you have read BARCHESTER TOWERS, you may recall Dr and Miss Thorne of Ullathorne - cousins of this Dr Thorne.) Though he is not heir to the estate of Ullathorne, Dr Thorne is still highly respected in Barchester as a doctor, and welcomed at his ancestral home.
But then trouble. Henry Thorne has seduced, drugged, and impregnated a young seamstress, Mary Scatcherd. Her brother Roger, also a notorious toper, is furious, and kills his sister's seducer. Though Miss Scatchered has not been disgraced by the affair, she too must leave town, should she have any hope of a normal, happy life. Her fiance begs her to leave the child behind in England and emigrate to America to start over. Dr Thorne arranges for legal representation for his brother's murderer, sees that Roger gets a short prison term, and takes it upon himself to raise his brother's daughter. Dr Thorne leaves Barchester for Greshamsbury to start anew, after disowning his family at Ullathorne, and establishes himself with the Greshams of Greshamsbury, the wealthiest 'commoners' in the county. Or they used to be.
Over the years, Frank Gresham, Sr. has mortgaged the estate to the hilt. He has been horrible at managing his funds, and with ten children and a wife who insists on spending as though they had all they wanted, he is broke. Worse for him htough, is that his only son, Frank, Jr., has come of age and is ready to find a wife.
His mother and countess-aunt have agreed: if the estate is to be spared, Frank must marry a rich woman. They scheme and contrive to marry off the young heir, but to no use. Frank, ignorant as everyone else is of the story of her birth, is in love with Dr Thorne's niece: poor, illegitimate Mary Thorne. And then the novel begins.
Trollope has created another masterpiece here: never have I endured so much suspense reading a what amounts to a romance novel (though, their is plenty of politics and legal scandal for those who enjoy that too.) There are perfectly orchestrated twists, cliffhanging moments that will have you on the edge of your seat, and plenty of dramatic irony. Of course, it all turns out alright in the end - it always does, but you won't believe it until the last page.
They really need to put a warning label on Anthony Trollope's novels that reads 'Careful: Addictive, may cause sleepless nights becuase you can't put it down.' Great novel, extremely entertaining, and highly recommended.
Unfortunate.......2005-08-29
I am so sorry that I bought this book. It is unfortunate that you do not have a Penguin or Everyman's Library edition. First of all the book is too large to read in bed. Secondly, whoever did the proofreading should be fired. There are so many typographical errors that it really upsets and disturbs the reading. If the postage were not so expensive from Israel, I would return the book to Amazon.
Average customer rating:
- Great book for caregivers
- Read it before you need it
- Great book for anyone who is a caregiver to a loved one
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To Survive Caregiving: A Daughter's Experience, A Doctor's Advice on Finding Hope, Help and Health
MD, FACP, AGSF, Cheryl, E Woodson
Manufacturer: Infinity Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Aging
| Personal Health
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Relationships
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
| Codependency
| Conflict Management
| Dating
| Divorce
| Friendship
| General
| Interpersonal Relations
| Love & Loss
| Love & Romance
| Marriage
| Mate Seeking
| Nonmonogamy
General
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Aging
| Aging Parents
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
Family Health
| Parenting & Families
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Parenting & Families
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Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease
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The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change, 2nd Edition
ASIN: 0741437252
Release Date: 2007-02-08 |
Product Description
How does a doctor cope when she specializes in older adults and struggles to care for her own ailing parent? Dr. Woodson shares her experience as daughter and geriatrician in this new resource for family caregivers. The book shoots from the hip and from the heart, using everyday language, real caregiver stories, compassion and humor to bring practical information to overwhelmed caregivers. Although it focuses on eldercare, the book helps with caregiving for any age, or any illness. This guide encourages caregivers to protect their own health, finances and relationships while they make the tough decisions and give great care.
Customer Reviews:
Great book for caregivers.......2007-10-05
Finding Meaning with Charles: Caregiving with Love Through a Degenerative Disease
I can think of a number of friends and family members that I'd like to read "To Survive Caregiving." From a doctor's point of view, it gives some poignant examples of when families and spouses have waited too long to get the help they need. I loved her explanation of the role of geriatric care managers and the plans they can personalize for each different family's situation. I hope those who are struggling with the awesome responsibility of caring for a senior will read this book.
Read it before you need it.......2007-07-01
I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Woodson speak and have just finished reading her book. I feel much more confident and prepared to face caregiving needs of my family. The book provides me with a foundation of resources and good advice for when the time comes to provide proper caregiving for my mother and disabled sister.
Great book for anyone who is a caregiver to a loved one.......2007-03-27
The examples given in the book really helped in understanding what can be expected when caring for a loved one. You do not have to feel guiltily about decisions you make, and your life should not end or be put on hold just because you are the main caregiver. I passed this book on to my mother who questioned the decisions she made in regards to the care she gave to her mother. Wish my mother could have read this book 5 years ago, maybe she would not be questioning some of the decisions she had to make.
Great book for anyone who is a caregiver to any family member, young or old.
Average customer rating:
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The Doctor's Daughters
Anne Weale
Manufacturer: Ulverscroft Large Print
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Romance
| Subjects
| Books
Romance
| Large Print
| Formats
| Books
Look Inside Romance Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0708913709 |
Average customer rating:
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About my daughter, doctor
Lindsay R Curtis
Manufacturer: Educational Information Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Exercise & Fitness
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
Obstetrics & Gynecology
| Specialties
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0006DYLBU |
Average customer rating:
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Doctor's Daughters
Richard Gordon
Manufacturer: House of Stratus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Doctors & Medicine
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
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General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Comic
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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Contemporary
| General
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Doctor on the Brain
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ASIN: 1842325167 |
Book Description
The arrival of the new bishop at Mitrebury and his orders for all clergy to take up jogging and a diet of boiled rice sends the men of the cloth scurrying to the Old Chapterhouse Surgery for their dose of sick notes. This added burden seems rather too much for the vastly overworked doctors to bear; they might even have to cancel their afternoon golf to meet the demand. This is simply not on and each doctor silently vows that he would retire instantly if only there were someone reliable to take over. So when they learn that two of their oldest and dearest friends now have qualified doctors as children, they seize their opportunity to escape. After all, these are genes they can depend upon - of course it never occurred to any of them that these valiant new doctors might be women...
Customer Reviews:
Book Description.......2004-03-25
Virginia Lake left town more than a decade ago - after a memorabe night with a man her parents forbade her to see. Lucas Yellowfly, they said, was a troublemaker. Off-limits. Half-Native American and from the wrong side of town, he wasn't good enough for Dr. and Mrs. Lake. But now...everything's changed. Now Lucas is a successful lawyer in Glory. Practically a pillar of society.
And now Virginia's back, a single mother with a five-year-old son. She's looking for a job - and Lucas finds he needs someone with exactly her qualifications. Because he's always been half in love with the doctor's daughter.
He's finally got the chance to convince her that this man from Glory will make a good husband...and a good father. Her reasons for marrying him might have more to do with need tham love, but things can change. Who knows that better that Lucas Yellowfly?
Average customer rating:
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Country Doctor and City Doctor: Father And Daughter
Theresa Brey, M.D. Haddy
Manufacturer: Beaver's Pond Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Medical
| Professionals & Academics
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
History
| Special Topics
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1592981518 |
Product Description
Country Doctor and City Doctor: Father and Daughter tells the story of Frank W. Brey, M.D., whose family practice covered the small town of Wabasso, Minnesota, and the surrounding area from 1910 to 1940. He was a pioneer in the practice of medicine, and his story begins with the pioneers who settled the Great Plains and the importance of the country doctor to his community. Working without colleagues or a nearby hospital, and without access to diagnostic x-rays, modern drugs, or new medical developments, he had to rely upon his own abilities, ingenuity, and courage. There was no talk of burnout in those days, especially as epidemics of influenza and poliomyelitis shook the nation. The local physician was expected to do his duty and be constantly on call, even when adverse weather conditions meant risking his life to reach his patients, but Dr. Brey always came when he was called.
Interspersed with the country doctor's story is the story of his daughter, Theresa Brey Haddy, M.D. Entering school in 1943, a time when women were not welcomed by their medical colleagues, she strove to succeed and helped to pave the way for a future in which women make up more than half of the students in some medical schools. She worked in city and community hospitals and dealt with discrimination as she practiced while raising a family.
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