A gifted plastic surgeon is gunned down by terrorists in a case of mistaken identity. His sister discovers that she never really knew him and begins a search for his identity. She is finally forced to ask herself who he was, and what kind of a man he really was.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
With lucidity, compassion and suspense, Greenberg (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden) addresses confounding issues: Can "a living saint" internationally known for his altruism actually be an utterly cold human being? Are some personalities so intricate that they defy comprehension? Should the fallibilities of great men, however glaring, be forgiven in light of their uncommon heroism? These dilemmas confront Vivian Sanborn Eitzer in 1980 on the death of her esteemed brother, Dr. Daniel Sanborn, ambushed while traveling with the Archbishop of Malaga. An affluent, sheltered New York widow, Vivian had idolized Daniel, who ventured to the world's most ravaged countries to perform reconstructive facial surgery on children. But as she probes this aloof, revered man's life, Vivian makes shocking discoveries. Several nuns return from their service with Daniel in states of physical and emotional disintegration; one man cannot speak of Daniel without sobbing uncontrollably; scarcely anyone offers a significant personal insight about him. Chilling questions arise: Why did Daniel bequeath money to a repugnantly vulgar comedian, and was Daniel, not the Archbishop, the assassins' real target? Greenberg portrays every character, especially Vivian, with subtlety and grace. Without being judgmental, she illumines the awesome complexity of those in whom admirable qualities co-exist with terrible flaws.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
A failed attempt on the life of the Archbishop of Malaga kills Dr. Daniel Sanborn, internationally renowned plastic surgeon capable of miraculous restorations among the war-torn and disaster-ridden outreaches of the world. Trying to work through her grief, his adoptive sister Vivian sets herself a quest to learn more about this talented, distant man she has always, and yet never, known. Contacts with his former assistants deepen the enigma, but at last the pieces fall into place and Vivian gains a truer knowledge not only of Daniel, but of herself. Strong characterizations and a tightly woven plot highlight another success for the author of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden . Judith A. Gifford, Salve Regina Coll. Lib., Newport, R.I.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
a woman's psychological study of her mysterious brother,
By Daniel Mackler (on the road) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Age of Consent (Paperback)
Joanne Greenberg, a master novelist, has written a suspenseful novel about a sister trying to unravel the mystery of her recently-killed brother's life - and personality. He is a world-famous "saint" of a plastic surgeon, traveling to remote corners of the war-torn world repairing the disfigured faces of burn victims, torture victims, and victims of birth defects - yet he is emotionally cold and distant from her, and seemingly from everyone. This contradiction is the essential tension of the book.
I realized as this book progressed that this tale was all really a metaphor for the study of our own shadow side, our own internal contradictions, our own "good" sides that live right alongside our "bad" sides. I found it riveting - and could not put it down. Such a subject as this, in the hands of Joanne Greenberg, is nothing short of a pleasure. She does not disappoint! The book picks up pace throughout, turning into a galloping frenzy by the end. Aside from being an intricate and nuanced tale, it's a fascinating psychological study... Well worth the read.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but not the best,
This review is from: Age of Consent (Hardcover)
The mystery of this book is the killing of a plastc surgeon.On a trip to spain he is suddenly and violently killed. His sister begins her own investigation on the murder and as she reveals more of her brothers past she close in on the killer. This book is very slow and quite boring in the beginning but as we learn more about the characters it is easier to live yourself in the book. Daniel Sandborns sister findes out many things about her brother wich I will not reveal in this review. Read this book because it might change your point of view on plastc surgeons.......
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