Rating: 
Summary: SIMILAR IS THE OPERATIVE WORD...
Review: This is a very well written book, though a little disconcerting in its thematic similarity to the author's previous novel, "Midwives", which is the superior of the two. Yet again, the medical and legal professions are in some conflict, and it makes for some interesting, though questionable, moral choices. Here, a widowed prosecuting attorney, Leland Fowler, the single parent of a young child, is living in a rural town in Vermont. Not having felt well for months, he visits the town's resident homeopath and finds himself feeling better, both physically and emotionally, because the homeopath, Clarissa Lake, is just what the doctor ordered. Shortly after Clarissa and Leland connect, a patient of hers goes into anaphylactic shock, digresses into a coma and dies, ostensibly after eating cashews to which he was allergic, after a casual conversation with Clarissa and a belief in the homeopathic law of similars that like cures like. Leland, emotionally involved with Clarissa, becomes embroiled in a covert attempt to shield her from the legal repercussions that he knows could follow such a tragedy, even though it might not have been entirely of her making. It is here that the book unravels a bit. This ethical digression on the part of Leland is somewhat difficult to believe, as he had had a very brief relationship with Clarissa. It is almost inconceivable that he would chance losing his entire professional future and the security which his profession provides his small daughter to engage in a major ethical breach. A breach so serious, that were it to come to light, would almost certainly result in his probable disbarrment from the practice of law. Needless to say, this decision by him ultimately affects their relationship in a way not foreseen by Leland. Nonetheless, the book is somewhat absorbing and well worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't Compare to "Midwives"
Review: I so much enjoyed "Midwives" that I expected to be similarly caught up in "The Law of Similars." I was disappointed to find that although the basic premise (modern medicine vs. alternative) was the same, this story lacked a certain something. Perhaps it was the voice of the narrator -- In "The Law of Similars," the story is told from the point of view of a local prosecutor (recently widowed) who falls in love with his homeopath. Predictably, the beautiful homeopath soon finds herself in the midst of trouble. I would rather have heard less about how our narrator uses his own legal knowledge to try and "help" his homeopath, and heard more about the homeopath herself. But aside from this short-coming, the story did manage to finish with some unexpected reactions from the main characters, more enough to make it a good read.
Rating:
Summary: Next time, consult a homeopath!
Review: I'd never heard of the author, but bought the book on impulse because of an interest in homeopathy. I've been treated by homeopaths for many years, and treated my family on an amateur level for acute illnesses using some of the same books Mr. Bohjalian lists as references. It was refreshing to read a novel about a subject that is part of my everyday life but seldom encountered in literature. Mr. Bohjalian seems to be a good writer, though I wish every character didn't always respond "I will" or "I do" instead of sometimes "Yes" or "Yep" or even "Yes, I do." Do people in Vermont all talk like this? The real disappointment, besides a somewhat lackluster, slow plot with an amazingly self-absorbed and idiotic main character, was that I believe Mr. Bohjalian got some things wrong about homeopathy. (For example, he implies that the main character's symptoms are a result of an "overdose," whereas if such a thing occurred--unlikely, because homeopaths routinely explain this to their patients--it would result from a proving, nothing to do with the actual number of pills taken but with a repetition of doses at intervals over a long period of time. It doesn't matter much, if at all, whether you take one pill or twenty at a time. And as another reader has pointed out, he could have bought the pills at any health food store, he didn't need to steal them from his homeopath. And I don't think the homeopath would have covered up the remedy's potency on the label--that's critical information she would need to refer to when using it, as she would certainly have various potencies of each remedy on hand. Also, I've never heard of or experienced such a dramatic "high" from taking a homeopathic remedy, which led both patients in the novel to pester the homeopath for more--and the homeopath never bothered to explain why she wouldn't give them another dose!) I noticed that the list of acknowledgments includes a State's Attorney, an allergy and asthma specialist, an EMS director--but not one single homeopath! Why not, I wonder? Also, I agree with other readers that I learned way more than I want to know about men's sexual fantasies. Do all men think like this? Or maybe just all men in Vermont...
Rating:
Summary: My first time with Bohjalian
Review: This book was an impulse buy for me. I purchased it at an airport newstand before jetting off for a long weekend on the beach. I began reading it on the airplane and simply could not put it down! I have some history in the Vermont area and loved all of the references! It was almost like reading a true story. My primary intention of my vacation was to socialize and sleep but I just had to spend the first 2 days finishing the book. The characters are very like-able and Bohjalian keeps you engaged and constantly wanting to know more about what is going to happen! I am going to go out and purchase Midwives right away.
Rating: 
Summary: A 'remedy' to cure all ills!
Review: This book couldn't have come at a better time for me. I have a hard time staying still, but a bout with the flu kept me down for the weekend. Laws of Similiar kept my mind off my aches and pains and literally took me away for the weekend. What a story! I am already on the 'net' today, looking for books by this same author. The only bad part about the book is that it ended!
Rating: 
Summary: Ho-Hum
Review: If Vermont or any other state is hiring prosecutors as mentally disabled as Leland, then we are indeed in trouble. He is a dim wit who destroys evidence for another dim-wit he's just met and fallen for. The story slides down an icy slope from there. The only suspense is in how soon he will be caught and whether he ever has any insight into his own stupidity.,A very disappointing read--especially after Midwives which did show some signs of a talent.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I had hoped...
Review: After having read "Midwives," I was looking forward to Chris Bohjalian's next book, "The Law of Similars." Unfortunately, it was dull in comparison to "Midwives," a book that kept me so enthralled I practically read it in a single sitting. "The Law of Similars" seemed to be too trendy and too slow such that I was almost completely disinterested by the time I reached the middle part of the novel when it became more interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Law of Similars: a disappointment
Review: Unlike Bohjalian's first two novels (Midwives and Water Witches) The Law of Similars is a disappointment. The Law of Similars is an apt title, however, as it is similar to the storyline of Midwives. Both are about women practicing alternatives to traditional medicine who find themselves implicated in the death of a patient. And, both are good in explaining two popular types of alternative medicine. But that is where the similarities end. The Law of Similars falls very short of the well-developed and gripping tale of Midwives. There is no law that says a similar story will yeild similar proclaim. The characters in Similars are undeveloped. Leland Fowler is transformed from a somewhat sympathetic widowed lawyer and father of a young daughter, who is doing his best to carry on with his personal and professional life after the untimely death of his wife, to the less sympathetic, inept and bumbling rescuer of Carissa Lake, his new love interest, and the homeopath accused of prescribing an ultimately fatal remedy. The plot was weak, too predictable, and falls short of being convincing. Was Bohjalian making an attempt at formula writing? Or, was he thinking more of a movie script? Either way, this was a disappointing read.
Rating:
Summary: Good prose; plot disappointment
Review: An element to good writing I learned early in high school is "show, don't tell". Often times, Bohjalian tends to "tell us" how his characters feel, rather than showing us how they feel by their actions. To his credit though, when feelings are conveyed through action, Bohjalian's descriptions are overwhelmingly beautiful. I'm hardpressed to find those "plot twists" to which are so frequently referred. The lawyer acting contrary to "ethical" is cliched. Perhaps the struggle this lawyer has with acting "unethically" is novel. Perhaps the author's point is, even when you win, you lose; damned if you do, damned if you don't. It's "the same turn of the screw", as Henry James would put it. Fowler's character (main character) is developed enough for the reader to develop a feeling for him, positive or negative, which helps the reader to become an integral part of the story. But the rest of the charcters are completely underdeveloped or not developed at all, which makes it hard to care about them at all. You never really felt like these characters had any "life" to them. They were always obviously a figment of someone's imagination; they never, even for a second, seemed real. This is neither a legal thriller nor an "alternative medicine" homeopathic thriller. Despite the author's research, it seems he doesn't know very much about either, interjecting some 'legalese' and 'antidotes' here and there, but both are also so underdeveloped that the signifance of both professions is lacking (except for the fact that a lawyer (big surprise) knows how to lie and destroy incriminating evidence; to manipulate the facts to escape civil liability and a guilty verdict). That Fowler didn't disclose to the decedent's wife that he was acquainted with the accused is in fact very unethical, but Bohjalian doesn't seem to successfuly impart on the reader why that is so unethical. To the layman, it will be difficult to see why that was ever such a big deal. Upon reflection, in the end you realize b/c of such underdevelopment, how shallow the story really was. Either fortunately or unfortunately, this disappointment doesn't happen until the end. Fowler still lost what he desperately and agonizingly tried to save; he was still trapped by the freedom plan of his own design. This premise had the potential for an excellent story. But instead, the climax is diluted, disappointing and ultimately unsatisfying, and the resolution hackneyed. Bohjalian's prose keeps the reader's interest piqued...for a while you read through anticipating "what's going to happen next?". What you leave with instead is a feeling of "eh, that's it?".
Rating:
Summary: seems like a sequel to midwives
Review: Second book I've read by Chris Bohjalian. The first was "midwives" & when I bought the "law of similars" I at least expected something as good, or a little bit better than his previous book. Instead, what I found was an almost exact replica of "midwives": the same subject--alternative medicine. And almost the same way of looking at alternative medicine: One woman who works in this field (here, the specific field is homeopathy)gets in trouble when a death occurs and doubts begin to arise as to whether this woman and the "medicine" she practised had anything to do with the death. In both books, the author gives a lot of information on alternative medicine, but not in a preachy way. This is good, because we get to know a lot of stuff about midwives (in one book) and homeopathy (in this one), and specifically, we are given both the arguments for and against both types of alternative medicine. But where "midwives" was a page-turner, "the law of similars" is much slower, and all in all, predictable and boring. It's as if Chris Bohjalian decided to write a kind of "sequel" to his previous book, but couldn't get it quite right. Since he's a competent writer, and can definitely produce best-selling books, it would be best, in my opinion, if he looked elsewhere for his subject matter.
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