Rating: Summary: emotional, honest. Review: I have read plenty of memoirs and usually find them overrated and dissapointing. Not this one. Having never been to El Paso, I felt myself driving on roads with mountains and brown all around. The author's relationship with a drug-addicted intern was honest and heartwrenching. Great job and a great read.
Rating: Summary: Truly A Great Find Review: I highly recommend this real-life account of a physician hisvery moving story of a medical student caught in the black hole ofdrug addiction. I had erroneously picked up this book thinking it wasa fiction novel with some connection to tennis(which I am a big fanof). But when I began reading it I turned over the cover and did seethat is was a memoir. But much to my amazement, Verghese's book readslike a good novel .. and a well-paced, gripping page turner. Despitebeing a doctor, this is not a dry or unemotional work either. Readerswill be drawn into Verghese's life and find themselves experiencingthe same feelings (hope, denial, despair) when it comes to hisrelationship with former tennis pro and now med student"David."A true testimonial for "The TennisPartner" is that I have passed it along to several other peopleand they have had the same strong (and positive) reaction to it. Theyhave since even recommended the book to others. While this memoirdoes have a good deal of content related to tennis (this is whatinitially brings Verghese and David together) that will enhance thereading experience for fans of the sport, my non-tennis orientedfriends were not turned off by it. Being a fairly avid reader, thishas been one of the best books I have read in the past severalyears. An unforgettable read.
Rating: Summary: Poignant, memorable and incredibly honest. Review: I just finished a cathartic 15 minute shed of tears. The Tennis Partner took over my life for nearly two full days. I was unable to put it down and afraid to read on at the same time. I was moved by the friendship that blossomed from one main commonality, a love for the game. Dr. Verghese's observations about life, his analogies between tennis and medicine spoke volumes to me. I am neither a tennis player nor a physician, but as a compassionate and feeling person I related to the story and I have been changed. It took tremendous courage for Dr. Verghese to write David's story and to express how it made him feel as a physician, a man, a tennis player, a father and most of all as a friend. As an Arizonan I have a love and a deep respect for the desert. This book may help others to appreciate and fear the desert for its natural beauty and its well-kept secrets. If for no other reason, read the book to grow and challenge yourself. Dr. Verghese's writing style is thoughtful and his sentences are astutely and carefully crafted to say more than you can imagine. You must read every word to hear the whole story. You will be grateful.
Rating: Summary: Abraham Verghese does it again! Review: I was moved by this book as much if not more than his first. While I was reading it felt as if I was there with Dr. Verghese. His writing is so expressive that you can actually visualize being in the hospital as well as the streets of his town. And he showed that men care for other men as deeply as women care for other women. Much respect for Dr. Verghese it saddened me to near the end of his book due to the fact that I knew it would soon be over. I look forward to the next book from Dr. Abraham Verghese.
Rating: Summary: An honest and compassionate book Review: I was very impressed with Dr. Verghese's book about friendship and addiction. While he appears to be a wonderful doctor and a master diagnostician, he has the courage to write about a disease that escaped him ( the disease of addiction) It is not an easy thing for most physicians to do. In addition, book is beautifully written and difficult to put down.
Rating: Summary: Depressing Review: If life's been a bowl of cherries, but you're curious about the pits, read this. I've played tennis for 40 years, seen plenty of addiction and mental illness, but found this book -- though well-written -- in the end, simply depressing.
Rating: Summary: A Guy Book Review: If there were an Oprah's Book Club for Men, this book would be the first selection. Why? Because Dr. Verghese explores the murky world of male-male platonic friendships much in the way "Oprah Books" look at the female-female relationship. It's a beautifully written, and extremely honest, treatment of how men relate to one another and how their friendships are born and nurtured. Unlike many of Oprah's selections, however, this one is not beach reading. Rather, it is a book to be savored, and a book which will make you think.
Rating: Summary: An interesting combination of infectious disease and tennis. Review: Like Abraham Verghese, I am an infectious disease physician and an avid tennis player. I found his skills and knowledge as a clinician equal to his skills on the court. He is a great student--knows how to take in a lesson from a master tennis player and guru, Pancho Segura--and is an inspired and enthusiastic instructor of students and residents. I found the book thoroughly entertaining and enlightening, from "Occam's Razor" to "approaching on the short ball". How does Peter D. Kramer fit in this picture?
Rating: Summary: Recommended by my doctor Review: My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end.
Rating: Summary: Recommended by my doctor Review: My doctor is an amazing person - not just a great doctor. We spend quite a bit of time talking about life, not just doing the clinical stuff. He recommended "The Tennis Partner" to me and I put it off for about a year before I dove into it. It's absolutely amazing. The depth of the writing is superb and the story captivates you from beginning to end.
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