A review by kim_hoag
The Cunning Man by Robertson Davies

4.0

I have been curious about Davies for a long while and I thought it was time. No heroes slashing at giants here; no poundng themes; just a life being lived as intelligently as can be done. This is a story of nearly the entire life of a man, Dr. Jonathan Hullah, from when he was saved from death by a shaman to the becoming of an elder doctor working on what and who he is through his memoirs. There are friends and acquaintances and we see the emotions that bind or repel them. Jonathan, has a great breadth of knowledge that Davies breathed into him and which is used to both view the world and to assess the imbroglios he found himself in. He evolved, both personally and professionally, into a wary listner, a cunning man. I greatly enjoyed the intellectual roam of the book as well as the wit. It truly was refreshing. Davies' use of language and clear descriptions of so many characters was fun! As there is in anyone's life, there are themes: of religion, its place and its pressures, of the many aspects and requirements of healing, of literature (which was tied to healing), ethics, and humility to just name a few. Jonathan's intelligence was greater than mine but I felt a warm affinity for him because of his age, his use of literature, and some of his experiences. For instance, he began a quest to explain characters in literature via medical cause and effect. That, is a book I would read.