Helpful Score: 3
WOW! What a great story! I was so stuck on the characters that it was hard to move on to another book after this one! I would recommend it to anyone!
GREAT BOOK! Easy Read. Gives you an inside look into the medical field as well as the lives of many "drug users".
Helpful Score: 2
Another fantastic read by Verghese! While it is sad, it is a wonderful tribute to a very specific relationship> Plus, you know from the beginning what the outcome is. He does a great job with this odd topic - knowing just one side of someone can still profoundly affect us. You don't need to know or like tennis to appreciate this book. As always, he uses a medical setting so anyone with an interest in the field will enjoy the dialogue of that environment.
Helpful Score: 1
I liked the way the author detailed his relationship with the med student, what they had in common and what differed between them. I was not crazy about the way the author used the med student; the relationship seemed very one-sided to me. Overall a good book w/ good (sad) ending.
Set against the background of El Paso, Tx, it tells the story of one mans friendship with another. It is a heart rending memoir of the depth of friendship capable between two people, one honest and truthful with himself and others. The other lost, out of control and yet needing acceptance and love from others.
If you enjoy tennis, this is a good book with human interest and an honest look at the lives of doctors, residents, and interns. You see the good, the bad and the ugly. There is no glossing over as in TV shows. The growing friendship between the author who is mentoring the young resident is the central part of the book. The unfolding of the story and knowing the eventual outcome will keep you reading on. With the ongoing epidemic of opioid usage and fatalities, it is a reminder of the realities of addiction and its hold on users. Great story telling.
I enjoyed the book, Verghese is a captivating writer and the story held my interest. I do love reading medical details and am a huge tennis fan, so that made the read a good one for me. A reader without those interests might bet bogged down. A very sad story. Sometimes, the author seemed a bit selfish in his need for attention from people but on the other hand, if that was his honest reaction, better to tell it as it was and not pretty it up.
