The Law of Similars

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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

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Summary: Not a guy's book
Review: This is not a guy's boook. The opening is a real downer, which is probably they chose to start the sample pages on page 17. Wish I had read that first, but it was recommended to me by a woman friend. Women will probably love this book, but it takes forever for the author to get into his story, and he is probably the wimpiest guy that ever passed for a hero in modern literature.
If you're looking for hard-biting legal stuff, this is not it.

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Summary: Engrossing and fun to read!
Review: As with all of Chris Bohjalian's novels, this one sucked me right in and kept me enthralled the whole way through. I love his use of words. Reading this book made me want wish that I could write like this. Bohjalian's characters are so interesting. This is a great and fun read.

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Summary: Who's the narrator?
Review: Even if I could relate to Leland Fowler, I didn't like the fact that he told other people's stories through his own eyes, for example the wife of the guy who slips in a coma. Bohjalian is a gifted writer but this book just didn't move me.

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Summary: A great read and a deep story.
Review: Leland Fowler is an attorney trying to raise a small daughter after his wife dies in a tragic car accident. He discovers he has this cold of sorts, sore throat, headachy, flu type symptoms, that he has had virtually since the death of his wife. He tries all kinds of remedies and seems to be forever sucking on throat lozenges and cough drops. After his doctor is unable to help, Leland discovers Clarissa Lake, a homeopath. Though he has never tried such a thing and doesn't have any knowledge of how it works, he visits Clarissa in a last ditch effort to just feel better. At this point the story becomes a love story and a legal thriller, as one of Clarissa Lake's patients dies after allegedly taking her advice. Clarissa and Leland are thrust into a world of sudden mistrust and tragedy. It is a true test of love and patience, honor and values, for Clarissa and Leland, and Chris Bohjalian does an excellent job of providing us with an intense and deeply moving story. Don't miss this one.

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Summary: Compelling
Review: This book was fantastic, and one I could not put down. Bohjalian is a talented writer who certainly does his research. While reading a gripping, fast paced, intriguing story, the reader can also pick up a few facts about homeopathy and medicine. The characters in this book gained my empathy, and they were incredibly well developed. I passed this book along to several people, and am eager to read more of Chris Bohjalian's work. The only reason I did not give this a 5 star rating is because I was not completely satisfied with the ending. It left some questions I'd have rather had answered with more pages.

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Summary: Sad and beautiful and worth every tear
Review: There's that old joke: "I laughed, I cried, it became a part of me." Well, the truth is I DID laugh when I was reading this, and I DID cry. I thought Leland was an honest, genuine, and fascinating narrator, and I really cherished the love story. And that ending? Wow. This was an exquisite experience.

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Summary: Good Medicine or Bad?
Review: This fast-moving novel of legal, medical, and ethical dilemas is hard to put down. The characters come alive as the plot thickens and we become enmeshed in the dramas of their lives. Leland Fowler, State Attorney and widower with a four-year-old daughter, meets Carissa Lake, a charming and lovely homeopath who not only cures Leland of his long time ills but who also falls in love with him. Homeopathy, a 200-year-old type of alternative medicine, plays a big part in the story that begins with alternative healing and ends with a unintended death. The question is whether the death is murder. What evoloves from that question is the focus of the book as legal ethics and moral compulsions vie for the top spot in both the office of the State Attorney and in the character's own lives. Definitely a page turner that you can't put down, this novel also sheds light on the field of homeopathy, and its authenticity, as well as on the human heart in all its many manifestations.

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Summary: Disappointing
Review: A disappointing follow-up to "Midwives". The narrator rambled on for far too long and I found the characters unsympathetic. An interesting premise, but poor follow-through.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I was looking forward to reading this book and was greatly disappointed! The characters were flat, uninteresting, and I kept thinking that I had missed a few chapters - there was no time to develop an interest in the characters or plot!