bibliophileg's review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

3.25


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rea1997's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0


I like how honest the author was. He doesn't try to paint himself in a perfect light. He's very honest about his struggles, his temper. The author is british, so some medical acronyms don't transfer over nicely to the american acronyms, but other than that, very small hurdle. I found this book very easy to read without having to google a bunch of things. I read the reviews before getting the book and most people had an issue with the author being a jerk. And I wonder if those people wanted honest but not too honest? If you've never thought or said something that makes you look bad you would 100% be the first. He didn't seem like  a jerk to me. Just upfront about his feelings.








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franknovels's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.0


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wordsaremybigobsession's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.0


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jolyne's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

To be honest, I loved it. There are so many valid criticisms about this book — specifically about how he talks about his patients and how frankly he confronts the mistakes of his past — so I understand why plenty of people DNF from finding his personality borderline detestable. I must say though, that when reading a memoir about someone at the end of their intense and complicated career, I would much rather feel as though I am traversing their genuine reflections (however disturbing) than feel like I’m wading through a revisionist novel that reimagines the author in the most self-congratulatory light imaginable. 

Of course, it gets intense. It’s uncomfortable to read about how a medical professional regards his patients and to be faced with a lack of compassion that we typically expect doctors to have, but that’s also a story that has to be told. As people who are not surgeons, many of us just choose to place our confidence in the doctors that we’re told to have faith in. It’s interesting to then be placed on the other side of the looking glass and forced to confront the unspoken truths that we try to avoid thinking about, and Marsh makes for a funny and sardonic guide. Elaborating on how there’s almost a certain necessary level of sociopathy that brain surgeons need in order to be able to stomach operating on such uncertain cases, he also takes time to regard his colleagues who aren’t in neurosurgery with what feels like a sense of envy, love, and respect, saying that they were much too nice to ever succeed in his field.

As somebody who reads a lot of non-fiction, I also always appreciate when the writing style opts for being accesible instead of being ridiculously indulgent (we get it guys, you’re smart and have a lot to say blah blah). This is a book that I would be comfortable recommending to most people, in part because of how conversational Marsh’s writing is but mostly for the gripping content. 

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nere's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

2.0

Thursday, December 22, 2022
"I often have to cut into the brain and it is something I hate doing."

unfortunately this very much reads like someone who loves to hear themselves talk

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fluffy1st's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative medium-paced

3.25


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kfquarium's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0


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