"Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures" by Vincent Lam is a series of short stories told in perspective of four medical students and the lives as doctors.

This book was recommended to me by a sales associate at my local chapters after I asked him to refer me to a novel that was different. "Different: was the only thing I expected out of this book that came through, everything else fell short. There were loads of potential in the novel but one major thing the prevented me from loving it or even liking this book was character development. I did not "care" for the characters. I was not emotionally connected or moved by there sadness, happiness or there life. I read for the enjoyment of learning a few facts here and there. Everything else was a disappointment.

This is a very unique book. It tells of different medical situtations and the doctors involved. As I started the book I wasn't too sure if I was going to enjoy it , but it gets better as you continue. If you enjoy medical books or television shows this book is for you. It kept me intrigued right to the end.

I began reading this book thinking it was going to be a story about some med students and their time in medical school -- something similar to TLC's "Life in the E.R. - Interns". Vincent Lam surprised me in his consistency and depth into each of his characters. Not only did I get to follow four students through their struggles in school, but the reader is allowed a glimpse into their lives as professionals and adults, and the choices they have made to get there. It made them much more human and realistic. I was somewhat disappointed in the ending, and felt it was a little abrupt -- Lam could have tied up a couple of his main characters a little better, but overall, a fantastic read. I was thoroughly entertained in its entirety.

This is an amazing book. The writing is wonderful, the characters seem so real you feel you know them and you get a real feel for the place and time. I highly recommend this book.

I expected an excellent book -- after all, this won the Giller. Unfortunately, it's a series of stories about a group of unlikable people that I was entirely unable to connect with. Big disappointment.

I agree with the other reviews - the book is not the kind of read where you find yourself submerged in empathy with the characters. What makes this book unique is that it is a clinical study of the characters and events. The author is precise and detached in his language and the characters leave you with a slight metallic taste in your mouth or a squint as if they are being seen from a great distance. It is a little like reading a textbook on the subject rather than a work of fiction but I think that is part of what gives it such a strong connection to the subject matter. You wouldn't expect a book about medical students and the practice of medicine to read the same as say, One L. Different professions different styles. If you are looking to read an episode of ER though I would suggest you look again.

I liked the book, and found that it was generally good literature. However, I did find it hard to identify with any of the main characters. The book was somewhat cold, and lacked a certain chemistry between the medical students. Adding more warmth and humanity could've improved the overall entertainment value of the book immensely- but wouldn't haven't gotten Lam the Giller prize. I liked how the book was written honestly though, and appreciate that sometimes a zebra is just a horse.

A great read! The common threads that are woven through each story bring this collection together. I found it a fast read, and while some stories are a little more interesting than others, it was still a great book overall.

I'm a nurse by background so was interested in seeing how Dr. Lam put together his stories of medical education - having been part of medical education for several years, it's nice to get a view from the other side. Plus, I had to admit I was a bit jealous that he should win the Giller prize after one novel...
So in I plunged, into the stories of Ming and Fitzgerald and Chen and Sri, and I was overwhelmed. Each of the interconnected stories opens a window into some aspect of working in health care and being a patient - and each of the windows are flooded with light. Lam has captured the true essence of the pathos and joy and beauty and ugliness in each encounter with sensitivity and wisdom.
Tales of working in the anatomy lab were exactly right on, in capturing the mixed feelings students have about working with cadavers and the additional pressures of trying to learn every miniscule little vein and nerve.
Of all of the stories, the ones about SARS affected me the least, perhaps because the feeling around SARS was still too strong to write about coherently when this book was written. The tale of the nurses' lottery was done extremely well, and captured some of the fear and sacrifice during that time.
I was surprised and charmed by this book. Read it. It will give you an understanding of what that new doc examining you the next time you go to a doctor's office has just passed through. Bear in mind, though, that not all doctors show Dr. Lam's depth of understanding of human motivations.

The best part of this book is the fact that it is not "dumbed down" for the ordinary schmo. The stories in it are well written, and deserving of recognition. I'm glad I took the time to pick it up.

The first couple of chapters were emotionally riveting and full of potential. Particularly since I am Chinese myself I was looking forward to a modern take of the 21st century Chinese Canadian experience (ie "no kitchen Gods", "myths and legends my grandma told", no "Third Aunt and Fourth Uncle"....) By about the fifith chapter I was wondering why this book won the Giller prize.

Too many plotlines with unfulfilled emotiional development; too many matter of fact descriptions of medical emergencies. To the latter point - it would have been much more interesting to watch an episode of Trauma on TLC. The drama of some things just get lost in print.

Very disappointed

I too have only read the first 4 short stories but have so far been very impressed with Lam's writing style, the depth of understanding in his stories, and the cross over of characters and events from one short story to the next. Being the same age group as the characters and having friends in med school may add personal relevance to the stories; however, Lam is also touching on more universal experiences of loss, morality, etc. His collection is a refreshing read that I highly recommend. It is an excellent mix of short story and overarching narrative and provides fascinating and personal insight into the moral and emotional world of medicine.

This review is based on the first hundred pages or so (the first four stories), since I felt that was an appropriate amount of time spent waiting to be captivated, impressed, compelled to continue reading. Sadly I was not.

Reading this book has helped me to define the saying "Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story". To explain: it is obvious that Lam has taken stories or anecdotes directly from what he has seen or heard in the medical field. With this I have no problem. But I can see where his desire to inform impedes on the story. To speak musically, the leitmotif of his Take All of Murphy is the scene where the characters suffer the moral dilemma of either satisfying medical procedure and cutting through the symbol (tattoo) of a man's life, or harmlessly slicing around it. An excellent idea (in fact it was someone's summary of that idea which moved me to pick up the book in the first place). Every little inflection and melody of the story should revolve around this moment. But Lam creates great discord by straying from the truth and trailing off into exposition. All of the italicised parts of this story (where we are shown snippets of past interviews and such) should have been cut. There is an overall sense of weakness in the prose. A lightness. There is no, shall I say, muscle to it.

This critique serves well for the first four stories I read. Some had good ideas (for this Lam earns a star), but they were drawn out, lost somewhere in mediocre craft, poor pacing, and a missing sense for mood.