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novella42's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was my favorite book for most of my teenage years. Historical fiction with a hint of fantasy or magical realism, that I think would be a great read for anyone who enjoyed Outlander by Diana Gabaldon or Eternal Life by Dara Horn. I adored Noah Gordon's writing and the main character, leading me to read the book again and again, in spite of the fact that the medical content was always hard for me. It was also familiar, and it came filtered through the perspective of a deeply compassionate person who wanted more than anything to become a doctor to help people. I found that really comforting as a kid with a disability, who wanted to escape and travel the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gore, Islamophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Blood, Alcohol, Violence, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Death, War, Body horror, Miscarriage, Animal death, Child death, Grief, and Sexual content
bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Review of The Physician
By: Noah Gordon
Rob J. Cole as a boy was apprenticed to a barber surgeon and had the gift of knowing when death is coming for someone. As he grows older, he realizes he can help heal people by attending a school for physicians in Persia. Unfortunately, he is a Christian and they don’t allow Christians, so, he decides he must become a Jew to fulfill his dream.
Rob’s journey is amazing as we see him learn how to be physician and grow while discovering this new culture that is very different from his European one. It is an intriguing culture that mixtures their laws and religious belief, but Rob finds it can be limiting to his career as a physician. At the same time, it is enriching for his life path. There are a lot of interesting characters such as Henry Croft, the barber surgeon, Ibn Sina, his mentor, and Mirdin and Karim, the friends that Rob makes in Persia. They are each flawed and complex characters, teaching him the very things that shape Rob. Rob experiences plenty of loss as he is never reunited with his family and loses many people to death making this story heart-wrenching at times. There is also plenty of religious persecution against Jews and Christians. Even Rob before he gets to Persia has a bias against the Jewish religion until he realizes they’re not much different from Christians, just different way of practicing. There were some parts that disturbed me and made me comfortable to read about as I didn’t always understand the mentality, just as Rob didn’t always. It is the story of a good chunk of Rob’s life, so it is slow paced and at times tedious, but it was worth the journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Blood, Death, Classism, Hate crime, and Murder
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