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Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures: Stories Audiobook
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(3.00) - 3,218 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Winner of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize
An astonishing literary debut centred around four students as they apply to medical school, qualify as doctors and face the realities of working in medicine, from a powerful voice in fiction.
Following the interlinked stories of a group of medical students and the unique challenges they face, from the med school to the intense world of emergency rooms, evac missions, and terrifying new viruses. Riveting, convincing and precise, Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures looks with rigorous honesty at the lives of doctors and their patients, bringing us to a deeper understanding of the challenges and temptations that surge around us all.
In this masterful collection, Vincent Lam weaves together black humour, investigations of both common and extraordinary moral dilemmas, and a sometimes shockingly realistic portrait of today’s medical profession.
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"Very good and an interesting mix of medicine and storytelling. However, I wish there had been more interaction and overlap of the characters. I really like the Fitzgerald/Ming story at the beginning, but there just wasn't anything else as good as that as the book went on. Still great and highly recommended."
— Lisa (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Winner of the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize Amazon.ca Editor's Pick, Best Books of 2006 A Toronto Star Best Book of 2006
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[A] masterly debut.
— The Guardian -
[A] compelling first book of fiction. . . . It adds up to a running start at a high-voltage literary career.
— Toronto Star -
Lam excels at this kind of steady accumulation of truths, a tangling of action and incident that renders judgement of the characters difficult, and futile besides. The writing is often lovely . . . [and] some of the best stories in Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures read like journalistic dispatches from the medical front lines, with careful psychological characterizations added. As such, Lam's book represents a promising demonstration of fiction's unique power to bring the news that stays news, in Ezra Pound's formulation, and to allow the reader to see through the eyes of those who experience events firsthand.
— New York Times Book Review -
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures radiates the confidence you expect from a man whose other job is to make stalled hearts start. The advantage of fiction? Here, even the medical failures come to life, vividly.
— The Globe and Mail -
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures is a satisfying, engrossing read, partly because of the intrinsically fascinating subject matter, but also because of Lam's patient characterizations and understanding of the human heart.
— National Post -
"Bloodletting is a swift, dynamic read. From story to story, Lam unveils his characters' lives in careful ellipses, leaving clues like puzzle pieces to twist this way and that, each detail eventually dovetailing to form a picture. . . . What makes Bloodletting so remarkable is its depth. The stories are entertaining on their own, but if you delve more deeply, you'll find human lessons sketched out with subtlety. . . . Lam entertains and educates with fluidity and style, and that just might be a miraculous cure of the literary kind.
— San Francisco Chronicle -
"Lam takes us through the moral dilemmas of today's medical profession with dark humour but also with tenderness for the weak spots of each of the doctors. . . . [Characters'] vulnerable layers are methodically revealed through Lam's unique ability to make the reader meet his scientific pace. . . . The balancing act never stops.
— Newsweek -
"There's no information like inside information, and Lam puts his to good use. . . . [His] fiction strikes a balance between clinical and emotional detail. . . . [An] impressive first book, by all appearances.
— The Ottawa Citizen -
If you want to know what a person must go through to become a practicing physician in a Canadian hospital, reading this riveting collection will give you a better picture than if you pored over a truckload of treatises on public health.
— Calgary Herald -
A searing, perfectly paced set of linked stories. . . . Tender insight into the fascinating emotional and social implications of a career that is, inherently, so much more than a job.
— Kirkus Reviews, starred review -
Vincent Lam crafts sentences that veteran writers will covet. His fresh and stunning talent will satisfy all readers who hunger for powerful stories.
— Wayson Choy, author of All That Matters
Awards
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Winner of Scotiabank Giller Prize, 2006
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures Listener Reviews
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" This was a fascinating novel written by a physician about physicians. It reads more like short stories versus a novel. I am not sure that the public would be reassured that their lives are in competent hands on completely this book. "
— Arlene, 2/4/2014 -
" Funny story about this one. I didn't notice it was 'stories' and was wondering what kept happening to all the characters after each 'chapter.' Ooops! The stories had a solid, ell-developed feel to them and focused on some of the same characters. Good stories. I just really wanted to find out what happened to them! (Some others in my book club also really wanted to find out what happened to all the characters.) "
— Jean, 2/2/2014 -
" I could not put this book down. One story is a bit weak, but the rest were fascinating. "
— Trixiecat, 2/1/2014 -
" loved the beginning -- it lost power in the end "
— Ledayne, 1/22/2014 -
" For his patients' sake, I hope Mr. Lam is a better doctor than he is a writer. "
— Phiona, 1/18/2014 -
" I would give it 3.5 stars if I could "
— Margaret, 1/1/2014 -
" This book was all right. It ended strangely. "
— Lori, 7/7/2013 -
" Looking forward to reading this. Love stories about medicine etc. "
— Magdalena, 6/27/2013 -
" It was a good read overall. It brings up the challenges of being a medical doctor, moral and ethical dilemmas, and demands of this profession. Simple and easy read. "
— Kiran, 4/30/2013 -
" Believable story... written from perspective of different characters... snatches of & as their lives progress and change; written by physician author Vincent Lam; won an award "
— Paula, 3/3/2013 -
" Not terrible, but definitely didn't live up to the hype. Maybe being in the profession makes these characters seem hollow and far too stereotyped. The author panders to the beliefs (and misbeliefs) of the general public regarding doctors and medical students. Like ER in print. "
— Jason, 12/1/2012 -
" I loved this book! Especially interesting for anyone with a medical background. "
— Laura-lynn, 5/19/2012 -
" Well deserving of its Giller win - a class act of realism and imagination blending to keep you following each story through to the end. Now a TV show. "
— Karen, 4/30/2012 -
" I'm not normally a fan of short stories, but these were very linked and I like stuff about the medical profession "
— Hilary, 4/25/2012 -
" Worth reading, it's multiple stories set against the world of medicine in Toronto. You can see why it won the Giller, all the stories grab you and turn into a cohesive whole before you realise that it's happened. "
— Gordon, 2/2/2012 -
" Overly descriptive, and totally not what I had expected. I didn't even finish it. "
— Danielle, 1/24/2012 -
" I almost forgot about SARS. "
— Yfct, 1/22/2012 -
" It was an excellent read. The characters were well done, if not a bit dry at times, but that made them feel more real. Just as in real life, we are all a bit stuck, a bit tedious, and a bit confused. I think that's why I enjoyed it so much. "
— Sharon, 9/5/2011 -
" Couldn't put it down: sympathized easily with the characters and enjoyed the "short story" format. "
— Abigail, 8/8/2011 -
" Really don't understand what all the fuss was about... "
— Rp, 5/15/2011 -
" Kind of a disconnected story with some interesting parts. I think being in the medical field and having been in Toronto during the SARS outbreak in 2003 made me more interested in the story. "
— Kelly, 3/30/2011 -
" This book was a book club pick for my book club. To be honest, it was kind of weird and didn't really flow together well. "
— Tracy, 3/14/2011 -
" Well deserving of its Giller win - a class act of realism and imagination blending to keep you following each story through to the end. Now a TV show. "
— Karen, 3/12/2011 -
" I loved Lam's prose style and the way the stories are separate but connected. I'll definitely keep an eye out for his other writing. "
— Elizabeth, 3/7/2011 -
" Having just started med school, I was really into this book. I also did my undergrad at Ottawa U, so the exam description at the beginning was scarily accurate and familiar. Admittedly, the characters were not super developed, but I think this book more than compensates for this by the plot. "
— Nadine, 2/28/2011 -
" Very well written and unique story. I really enjoyed the characters and storyline. This is one of the few times so far when I've read a Giller prize winner and felt that it was deserving of the award. "
— Sarah, 1/24/2011 -
" I didnt expect this to be as good as it was because so many ppl gave it a poor rating. I really enjoyed it though. I especially loved the style in which it was written; i love how all the stories were connected. "
— Lesley, 1/18/2011 -
" Really liked this - he has a deceptively simple narrative voice that's very engaging. And I'm glad to know the TV series was a good adaptation as well as good in itself. "
— The_antichris, 1/16/2011 -
" A remarkable new Canadian writer ... this book was a delight to read. "
— Lori, 12/26/2010
About Vincent Lam
Vincent Lam is from the expatriate Chinese community of Vietnam, and was born in Canada. He did his medical training and is an emergency physician in Toronto. His first book, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures, was awarded the 2006 Scotiabank Giller Prize.