Haunting, moving, richly detailed summary from publisher. This novel follows an ethiopian family through the generations, and it also looks closely at the relationship between two brothers, shiva and marion. Cutting for stone march 8, 2011 throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. He had crossed his legs, and hooked his free foot under the calf of the other, like a twisted vine. Character profile for marion stone from cutting for stone. Bernini, one of the worlds greatest stone cutters, has a part in the book, too. A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novelan enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home. The book contains descriptions of many medical diseases and interventions. Thomas stone performs the operation along with one of marions coleagues. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon. Shiva and marion are raised by hema and ghosh, two of the hospitals other doctors, both of whom come into their own throughout the course of the book. The boys, marion and shiva are identical twins orphaned at birth who are raised by a surrogate family and grow up on the grounds of missing hospital in ethiopia. Incidentally enough, i know a woman who uses that name for an expletive. Free download or read online cutting for stone pdf epub book.
How would you characterize the scenes that are depicted, especially between marion and genet. An epic novel that spans continents and generations, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, compassion and redemption, exile and home that unfolds across five decades in india, ethiopia, and america. They are the breadandbutter novels i cant wait to sell, the books people talk about all year long, the books they buy for their sisters and fathers, the book they press into the hands of friends with insistent, almost violent. Set mostly in and around addis ababa and new york, the story follows the life of marion praise stone. Poignant for its journey with love and loss and demanding for its medical language and historical themes. Orphaned by their mothers death in childbirth and their fathers. The novel opens with sister mary praise leaving india to travel to africa as a. Cutting for stone follows the lives of two boys from birth to adulthood. The plot of this big, dense book is fairly straightforward. In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned storyand what does it share with the great novels of the nineteenth century. May 26, 20 cutting for stone, abraham verghese a gripping piece of fiction that follows the story of the stone family over the years. A personal odyssey makes cutting for stone something of a bildungsroman, as many critics have noted. Dec 06, 2011 while marion, shiva, ghosh, and hema are center stage, sister marie joseph praises story runs below the surface, simmering, reminding the reader of thomas stone constantly, until he reappears as if by magic in the last few pages of the novel.
A sweeping, emotionally riveting novel with over one million copies soldan enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home. Verghese is of indian descent but was born and raised in ethiopia, went to medical school in india, and has lived and worked in. The first edition of the novel was published in 2009, and was written by abraham verghese. Both boys do well in school, though shivas is more an eccentric intelligence, mostly involving prime numbers, while marion is book smart. Cutting for stone the phrase is from the hippocratic oath is about twins born joined at the head, in a mission hospital in addis ababa half a century ago. Marion and shiva stone are born one dramatic afternoon in. Almost all of the characters in cutting for stone are living in some sort of exile, selfimposed or forced, from their home countryhema and ghosh from india, marion from ethiopia, thomas from india and then ethiopia. This is one of those books you dont want to see end and that will leave you hungry for more. To begin with, the author assigns several meanings to the title. Jan 26, 2010 this is a book to be read for the same joy one garners from listening to puccinis madame butterflyagain and again. In addition to telling a good story, abraham verghese uses the english language to give depth and significance to themes and motifs used throughout cutting for stone. In what important ways does marion come to resemble his father, although he grows up without him.
How does marion grow and change over the course of the novel. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese, paperback barnes. Jan 26, 2010 cutting for stones medical content increases as marion goes on to an internship in new york, and robs the novel of a little of its magic. Authorphysician abraham verghese talks about his dual. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese is a book about 2 twin boys marion and shiva growing up in ethiopia with adoptive parents hema and ghosh. Verghese is of indian descent but was born and raised in ethiopia, went to medical school in india, and has lived and worked. Feb 25, 2010 cutting for stone tells the story of marion stone, an orphaned twin conceived of an illicit affair between an indian nun and a dashing but volatile british surgeon. It is a saga of twin brothers, orphaned by their mothers death at their births and forsaken by their father. Pdf cutting for stone book by abraham verghese free. Cutting for stone is the complex story of the praise family, focusing on twin brothers marion and shiva as they negotiate the hidden histories of their past while working hard to make medical advances for the future. Marions encounter with his biological father redirects his life leading to a painful reconciliation and reunion with his estranged brother. Cutting for stone has the power to evoke cathartic reactions, much like greek tragedies.
Half a century removed from his birth, marion is back at home and still conected to his twin brother. Stone, who wants to remove the baby that is killing sister mary joseph praise. A series of catastrophic events occur during their births, leading to their fathers abandonment and lifealtering changes to the staff of missing hospital. Cutting for stone follows twin brothers marion and shiva stone, born of a secret union between an indian nun and a brash british surgeon. Throughout the book, the political unrest and upheaval of ethiopia is a constant backdrop. A passionate, unique love affair sets cutting for stone in motion, and yet this romance remains a mysteryeven to the key playersuntil the very conclusion of the novel. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of cutting for stone by abraham verghese.
Cutting for stone by abraham verghese is the tale of several lives, but in particular the narrators, marion stone, and the story of his identical twin brother, shiva stone the story spans five decades and three continents. It is thomas stone, by now a wellrenowned liver surgeon from boston. Marion stone, the ethiopianborn, halfindian protagonist and narrator of cutting for stone, at one point refers to his adopted mothers voice as both lilting and singsong. Contrast the attitudes of hema, ghosh, marion, shiva, and thomas stone toward their work. I realized what it was about cutting for stone that resonated with me so much. After an attempted coup in ethiopia, the boys tell a fake soldier who wants to steal their friends motorcycle to drive down a dangerous. How does the relationship between sister mary joseph praise and thomas stone affect the lives of shiva and marion, hema and ghosh, matron and everyone else at missing. A verghese a sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel an enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home. Marion stone and shiva stones timeline in cutting for stone.
The main character of cutting for stone, marion stone, is a doctor. Cutting for stone kindle edition by verghese, abraham. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret. Almost all of the characters in cutting for stone are living in some sort of exile, selfimposed or forced, from their home country hema and ghosh from india, marion from ethiopia, thomas from india and then ethiopia. What is the role of sexuality in cutting for stone. In the womb, they were joined by a small stalk at the head, but during a rather traumatic birth this physical tie is severed, leaving behind an intimate relationship unique to such siblings.
This effort is both the making and the unmaking of cutting for stone. Marion stone and shiva stone timeline in cutting for stone. Cutting for stone by abraham vergese book club discussion. It is a beautiful novel because it succeeds in creating endearing personalities. What treatment in an emergency is administered by ear. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are thomas stone, sister mary joseph praise.
Beyond that there is a spiritual journey of a mystical nature that will not disappoint. While marion, shiva, ghosh, and hema are center stage, sister marie joseph praises story runs below the surface, simmering, reminding the reader of thomas stone constantly, until he reappears as if by magic in the last few pages of the novel. The book includes a deep description of both medical procedures and explores the human side of medical practices. Marion stone and shiva stone in cutting for stone shmoop. Abraham vergheses first novel, cutting for stone, with its huge cast of characters and exotic localesincluding the bronxhas a richness that recalls conrad or forster. May 08, 2009 cutting for stone the phrase is from the hippocratic oath is about twins born joined at the head, in a mission hospital in addis ababa half a century ago. Authorphysician abraham verghese talks about his dual career.
Cutting for stone by abraham verghese is the tale of several lives, but in particular the narrators, marion stone, and the story of his identical twin brother, shiva stone. The boys are born, and it is discovered that they are conjoined twins, tethered together at the head. His mother, a nun, died giving birth to marion and his twin shiva, and their angloindian father fled the country after. In cutting for stone, renowned physician abraham verghese has given us a remarkable reading experience that explores the lives of a memorable cast of characters, many of them doctors. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 541 pages and is available in hardcover format. Cutting for stone there are so many layers and themes to plumb in this intensely poignant and demanding book. Cutting for stone is a gorgeous epic tale, suffused with unforgettable grace, humanity and compassion. In one of their first actual meetings, marion describes every action of his father. Cutting for stone 2009 is a novel written by ethiopianborn indianamerican medical doctor and author abraham verghese. What does cutting for stone reveal about the emotional lives of doctors. Doctors ply their trade cognizant that they dont have all the answers. The story begins with a brief love story between hema and ghosh and then turns to the birth of the twins by their mother, sister mary joseph praise a nun.
The rest of the hospitals community the matron, various nurses and household workers also play a role in their upbringing, helping to fill the void left by both their departed and. Feb 08, 2009 this effort is both the making and the unmaking of cutting for stone. Those words provide an epigraph partway through abraham verghese s first novel, cutting for stone, and also explain the surname of its narrator, marion stone, along with his twin brother. The books climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. With a cultural backdrop of addis ababa, ethiopia, and a f ocus on the art of surgery, the reader is immersed into a different realm of medicine. East of eden by john steinbeck and the kite runner by khaled hosseini.
Readers will be hardpressed to recall any other medicallythemed novel that is the equal of this gem. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon at a mission hospital in addis ababa. This is a book to be read for the same joy one garners from listening to puccinis madame butterflyagain and again. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon at. In cutting for stone, abraham vergheses ambitious first novel, a surgeon experiences what he calls ecstasy. So, yeah, marion and shiva are two separate peoplebut at the same time, theyre kind of not. Drawn to a life in medicine, marion narrates a childhood full of incident and atmosphere, culminating in his estrangement from shiva and his eventual escape from addis. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese book club discussion.
From his earliest memory, medicine has been both his vocation and the grounding force to his life. The same can be said of sunil malhotras expert reading of this audiobook, a moving story about twin brothers born of an indian catholic nun and an expatriate english. Reading guide for cutting for stone by abraham verghese. Marion stones most important characteristic is that hes really half of a whole. Cutting for stone book the kansas city public library. The interest in the novel does not hinge upon the suspense created by dr. Set primarily in addis ababa, ethiopia, during the midtwentieth century, cutting for stone opens at the missing hospital with the unexpected and miraculous birth of marion and shiva to sister. Cutting for stone is a novel written from the firstperson perspective of marion stone, one of the identical twins born of a secret affair between a beautiful indian nun and a british surgeon. He was born conjoined with his twin brother, shiva, and even though the boys have been physically separated, surgeons cant seem to sever the spiritual connection they share. Cutting for stone tells the story of marion stone, an orphaned twin conceived of an illicit affair between an indian nun and a dashing but volatile british surgeon.
Ethiopian physician abraham vergheses 2009 novel cutting for stone, a publishers weekly best book of 2009 selection, tells the story of twin brothers marion and shiva stone who are born conjoined but are separated at the time of their birth. Cutting for stones medical content increases as marion goes on to an internship in new york, and robs the novel of a little of its magic. To read the first page of cutting for stone is to fall hopelessly under the spell of a masterful storyteller. Narrated by marion stone, the story begins even before marion and his twin brother, shiva, are born in addis ababas missing hospital a mispronunciation of mission. As a bookseller, i live for novels like cutting for stone big, fat, beautiful novels as beguiling and enchanting as babies, as wise and as generous as old sages. The boys are born joined at the head and end their lives joined at the liver. Marion pulls shiva to safety from higher up in the birth canal.
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