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. Cutting for stone 2009 is a novel written by ethiopianborn indianamerican medical doctor and author abraham verghese. Sparknotes are the most helpful study guides around to literature, math, science, and more. Cutting for stone by abraham vergese book club discussion. I would love to recommended cutting for stone wholeheartedly, such is the strength of vergheses writing, his vivid characters and brilliant settings. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guidebook. Information is provided as is and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice. At first, i wasnt sure id like the book, as i expected it to be quite sad.
At 500 pages it certainly is a long book, but worth every second, earning five stars rating from this reader. In what ways is cutting for stone an old fashioned story and what does it share with the great novels of the. Reading guide for cutting for stone by abraham verghese discussion guide for book clubs. Throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. The babies, conjoined at the head, are successfully separated immediately after birth. About this guide the introduction, discussion questions, and suggested further reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of abraham vergheses acclaimed first novel, cutting for stone. Bookclubinabox presents the discussion guide for abraham. I would love to recommended cutting for stone wholeheartedly, such is the strength of vergheses writing, his. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Moving from addis ababa to new york city and back again, cutting for stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miraclesand two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined. Bookclubinabox discusses cutting for stone, the novel by. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. His writing and work continue to explore the importance of bedside medicine, the ritual of the physical examination in the era of advanced technology, where as he notes frequently in his writing, the patient in the bed is often ignored in favor of the patient data in the computer. For most of the novel, there isnt much good to say about dr.
Book club discussion questions this page gives you a full list of all the books featured on this site, split between fiction and non fiction. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Is there anything unique about this book such as writing style, structure, or subject matter. 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. Orphaned by their mothers death in childbirth and their fathers disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of. In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned story and what does it share with the great novels of the nineteenth century. How does the relationship between sister mary joseph praise and thomas stone affect the lives of shiva and marion, hema and ghosh. Site includes bibliography and brief author biography. A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel an enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home.
Cutting for stone discussion questions west maui book club. Dec 26, 2009 abraham verghese story, cutting for stone, takes us to ethiopia during haile selassies rule when poverty foments revolution and betrayal by subjects who want better living and working conditions for its citizens. I didnt know that much about ethiopia before starting the book but i do now. The book s climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. Every book page contains useful information for your book group including book club questions. The novel opens focusing on sister mary praise, the mother of the novels narrator. Abraham verghese, cutting for stone book addiction. In 1992, irving was inducted into the national wrestling hall of fame in. Cutting for stone book arapahoe libraries bibliocommons. Cutting for stone our allguys bookclub read this in a joint meeting with our spouses allgirls bookclub everyone found this book to be an absolutely fascinating read about an area of the world few of us knew much about and a story line, rich characters, and sweeping prose that is first rate. Those words provide an epigraph partway through abraham vergheses first novel, cutting for stone, and also explain the surname of its narrator, marion stone. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. This discussion companion for cutting for stone has been prepared and written by marilyn herbert, originator of bookclubinabox. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian.
Cutting for stone abraham verghese, 2009 knopf doubleday 541 pp. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union. It is a heavy book, but the writing is beautiful and the story is important. Published in paperback by vintage canada, a division of. Highlights from the interview include vergheses take on the origin of the story it all began with this image of a beautiful south indian nun giving birth in a. An indian nun and an english doctor have conjoined twin babies in ethiopia.
Bookclubinabox discusses cutting for stone, the novel by abraham. 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. Apr 07, 2011 april 7, 2011 in march, the npr book club read abraham vergheses cutting for stone, and today verghese answers questions posted by the audience on the npr books facebook page. It is refreshing on every level from the setting ethiopia to its characters indian medical workers, twin boys borne of a nun to a complex web of storylines that covers every emotional base. In 2009 verghese published cutting for stone, bringing him both critical and popular acclaim. Vergheses skill at intertwining so many stories is awesome and prohibits simple description of the novel as a whole. Abraham verghese has said that his ambition in writing cutting for stone was to tell a great story, an oldfashioned, truthtelling story.
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. Find sample tests, essay help, and translations of shakespeare. The novel opens with sister mary praise leaving india to travel to africa as a. A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novelan enthralling family saga of africa and america, doctors and patients, exile and home. Mount prospect public library book discussion questions. Cutting for stone throughout the month of march, npr books will be running an online discussion about abraham vergheses novel cutting for stone. It is a saga of twin brothers, orphaned by their mothers death at their births and forsaken by their father. A passionate, unique love affair sets cutting for stone in motion, and yet this romance remains a mystery even to the key players until the very conclusion of the novel. Cutting for stone was a fascinating, gripping story that held me from first page to last. Ive been telling everybody to read this superb novel from abraham verghese. Cutting for stone is a sweeping family saga which draws you in and transports you to a small missionary hospital in ethiopia.
In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned story and what does it share with the great novels of the. Bookclubinabox is a unique guide to current fiction and classic literature intended for book club discussions, educational. The international bestseller with over one million copies sold. The book is a roller coaster ride of agonies and ecstasies that too often relies heavily on coincidence to move the plot along. 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. The books climax unfortunately marks a further major misstep on vergheses part. Find out how you can take part in the club, both on the web and in. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon at a. Cutting for stone is very simply one of the best books ever written and read. Get free weekly updates on top club picks, book giveaways, author events and more. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese penguin random house. Feb 08, 2009 those words provide an epigraph partway through abraham vergheses first novel, cutting for stone, and also explain the surname of its narrator, marion stone, along with his twin brother. In what ways is cutting for stone an oldfashioned storyand what does it share with the great novels of the nineteenth century.
Cutting for stone by abraham verghese book club discussion. Orphaned by their mothers death in childbirth and their fathers. In 1992, irving was inducted into the national wrestling hall of fame in stillwater, oklahoma. Cutting for stone book club kit omaha public library. We often talk about the doors into a book that authors use. So, yeah, marion and shiva are two separate peoplebut at the same time, theyre kind of. Despite their ominous beginning, they are raised by two indian doctors and have a. April 7, 2011 as a culmination of our march npr book club reading of cutting for stone, we spoke to author abraham verghese, a doctor and writer, about his bestselling novel. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the once and future king and what it means.
Cutting for stone is abraham vergheses big, bloated panorama of 20th century ethiopia, where medicine and religion meet, and surgeons and carmelite nuns procreate. Thomas stone, who becomes a key player in her destiny. Cutting for stone questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on cutting for stone. It is impossible to fully explore the incredible depth of cutting for stone within a few paragraphs. Unfortunately, i felt let down in the end because, unless i missed a vital part altogether, i never quite understood why dr stone disappeared duringafter the birth of his sons, or if he had been aware of their mothers death and the infants survival. The book includes a deep description of both medical procedures and explores the human side of medical practices. Cutting for stone by abraham verghese book club discussion questions.
Many notes were made in the back of my book to research places, people and food. Reading guide for cutting for stone by abraham verghese. 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. Shoe dog book by phil knight official publisher page. Although this guide did a fair job of pulling together the themes and threads that run.
Cutting for stone by abraham verghese reading guidebook club. Each character is so fully developed from start to finish that the reader becomes deeply involved with each and every one. Cutting for stone book club kit chapel hill public. Cutting for stone kindle edition by verghese, abraham. Quotes are not sourced from all markets and may be delayed up to 20 minutes. One book one lincoln 2011 resources lincoln city libraries. Complete summary of abraham vergheses cutting for stone. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Marion and shiva stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful indian nun and a brash british surgeon at. Twin brothers born from a secret love affair between an indian nun and a british surgeon in addis ababa, marion and shiva stone come of age in ethiopia, where their love for the same woman drives them apart. Cutting for stone, the acclaimed national bestseller by abraham verghese, is now. This reading group guide for shoe dog includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. Wikipedia the hippocratic oath meaning of cutting for stone original, translated into english.