The Law of Similars

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Summary: Alternative medicine meets Vermont
Review: Chris Bohjalian is a truly amazing storyteller. Once again, he has created a book of wonderfully quirky characters, lovingly (and with humor) portraying life in his adopted home of Vermont. In this book, the story puts in reader in the position of judging a situation in which alternative medicine goes head-to-head with modern medicine, leading to legal repurcussion. Add in a conflicted love interest, and you have this thought-provoking novel.

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Summary: Passions and Moral Imperatives
Review: The heart of the book is the essential conflict of interest between Leland Fowler and Carissa Lake. Leland is a state prosecutor and Carissa is being accused of a crime. What tangles it all up is Leland's feelings for Carissa. While I agreed with some of the other reviewers that it did seem odd that Leland, a successful legal mind and a father, would sacrifice everything for Carissa, it was more believable in light of the fact that he is a widow who terribly misses his dead wife. Carissa reawakens something in him that two years of greiving have depleted, and he doesn't want to lose it. I didn't find Leland Fowler terribly likable, nor did I find myself rooting for Carissa. But, the book somehow worked nonetheless. It was well-written, and as usual Bojhalion tackled an interesting subject, in this case whether homeopathy is a viable alternative medicine. I read it raptly, and although it wasn't as good as Midwives, I recommend it.

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Summary: Slow and Not realistic
Review: I was disappointed in this book. I expected it to be as good as Midwives. I found Midwives believable. However, in The Law of Similars, I could not imagine a man of Leland's caliber putting himself at risk by helping Carissa, a woman,who at the early stage of knowing her, would put himself in jeopardy of losing his license and his job. What I found most disturbing was the way Bohjalian focused so much on Leland's sexual appetite. It really turned me off. I found it hard to get into the serious part of the story when Leland's sexual fantasies came into focus. It was done in very poor taste. I'm not sure I'd want to read another book by Bohjalian...

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Summary: The Good Physician
Review: "The good physician will be pleased when he can enliven and keep from ennui the mind of a patient" Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, The Chronic Diseases, 1839.
The same could be said for a good writer and his reader. Grabbed by the first paragraph, this book enlivened me until the final word. Another book about alternative medicine, set in rural Vermont, with realistic and sympathetic characters. Bohjalian has accomplished the impossible by taking a setting so similar to a previous book and creating a story equally compelling. The similarities end with the setting. The protagonist in this novel is Leland, a 35 year old widower, struggling for normalcy with a busy job as a prosecuting attorney, and a much loved toddler to be raised. He only ignores himself and his own well being, and the result is a chronic sore throat. A sore throat that epitomizes his life---a sore tired reminder of what his life once was. Desperate to eliminate throat lozenges from his life, he visits the local homeopath. He is immediately smitten as he senses a lost part of his life reawaken.
Leland is a very straight laced conservative intellectual, who is almost laughing at himself for trying homeopathy. But when it works, and the sore throat goes away, he begins to see the possibilities for the rest of his life as well. There is potential for once-forgotten happiness with Carissa. But when she is accused by the family of a comatose asthma patient of giving him harmful advice, Leland puts himself into the middle of a gynormous ethical conundrum. In trying to do the right thing, will he lose the one thing he was trying to save?
The characters in this story are honest, realistic, and sympathetic. I would have liked to have gotten to know Carissa a little better, but part of the mystery is to wonder how she thinks.
There is no protracted legal battle here, but even so, the answers do not come easily. Leland's self examination brings him self awareness no jury could ever provide.
This is a wonderful novel, difficult to put down and thought provoking throughout. Highly recommended.

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Summary: engaging
Review: This was truly a book that I could not put down. It is no literary masterpice, but the author does raise some interesting ideas about homeopathis versus allopathic medicine. He has clearly done a lot of research on the topic and really does make the reader think and question his/her own views on medicine. The plot is fast moving and riveteing; stay up all night kind of book. My one major complaint is that one of the major characters, Carissa, is not fully developed, limiting the reader's sympathy for her plight. Overall, I think that Bohjalian has a flair for the legal thriller and also always adds in some points for the reader to ponder. I recommend this book.

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Summary: A very different story....
Review: The thing I like about Chris Bohjalian is that his stories are so unique. I've never read about homeopathy before, and I found this book very interesting because of that. The way the story unfolds makes it a book that is hard to put down. It was a pretty quick read as well- read it in 2 days. I don't know if I really like the ending or not, but it's not all that bad, just can't decide. If you haven't read anything by Chris yet, this book is a good one to start with. Hangman is also very good, but it is quite different from his other works. But that's what makes him so fun, always different topics, you never know what you'll get. Great book from a great writer