Book #22 - but really #21...

"The world turns on our every action, and our every omission, whether we know it or not."

Ok.

I have been blown away by books before. 

Books have made me angry, made me cry, and made me truly lament the last word on the last page.  I have often wandered around after I read a good book because I wasn't sure how I would ever be able to find the next great read...

But this book puts most of those books to shame.

There were several moments in this book that I had to get up and blow my nose and wipe my eyes before I could continue...but, let me back up a bit before I rush off on an emotional tangent.

In "Cutting For Stone" we have an author, Abraham Verghese, that has learned how to use words to evoke very specific emotion - allowing you to literally feel and see and even smell the places he brings you - and to be honest, many are not pleasant to the average reader. It is in one of these rather unconventional locations - a mission hospital in Ethopia - that the author reminds you of what the word "humanity" actually means, why our Lord  tells each of us not to judge another, and how every life really can be intertwined and affect so many others.

The synopsis of this book is easy to find and read for yourself - but what it has no way of explaining is how rich and moving such a seemingly simple story can be.

There's nothing about this book that makes it an easy read. If you are uncomfortable with "real life" or an unsterile environment - or if you are only comfortable reading stories that give you "warm fuzzies" - this is not your book. If you are looking for a "quick read" - forget it; you will have missed out on so much that Mr. Verghese had to offer you. You must have time to allow the writing to encompass, to engulf you. I let myself literally abide within the pages and took very few breaks - no book A.D.D. on this one and I was surely rewarded!  Don't let the slow start deter you...I promise, before you know it, you will be transported to a different time, a different country, and much different circumstances than the comfy chair you sit in as you read...just like I was!

Book #22 is going to have to be some historical tome or a classic.  Just can't imagine anything else coming right after this...Aunt Nancy, you never cease to amaze me with your suggestions.  Each has been better than the last.  But I must say, I think you outdid yourself on this one! 

Onward and Forward! :)