Customer Reviews

Endings

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Endings

Endings reminds us that a physician is capable of writing more than just prescriptions. This is a first - and one hopes, not last - effort by a Texas-based orthopedist, Barbara Bergin, who draws extensively upon her experience as a surgeon and as a championship horse rider. But while the practice of orthopedic medicine and the love of horses figure prominently in Endings this novel fundamentally has to do with the reality that lies beneath the superficies of our lives - a reality that encompasses the complexity of our human relationships, of love and loss, of matters present and past - of experiences which we may easily own and want to relive or which we may seek to escape. In short, Endings is a complex and challenging book..

The novel is also a love story - not a "romance" - but a story of love lost and love found, as ephemeral as that may ultimately prove to be. The protagonist, Leslie Cohen, an orthopedist who, through personal tragedy, has become a nomadic practitioner - a locum tenens - filling in here and there throughout the country when others go on vacation or medical leave (as is the case in the novel), literally accidentally meets (a collision on a wet Texas highway) an engaging rancher-cum-builder with whom she develops a relationship, in spite of herself. There is "love making" that is intimate in detail and convincing in passion - but without the kind of perfervid expression that often mars the depiction of sexual engagement in "romance" novels.

Leslie Cohen, as nomad, has entered into a journey - but it is a wandering both into the present and into the past. In some sense, she is at a stasis, stuck at a point in time, at which the past and present seem to fuse, beyond which she cannot pass. But is she stuck? Is there a present, and has there been a past? This is the ingenious point of the novel. It would be egregiously wrong for a reviewer to say more. It falls to the reader to get to the ending of Endings to understand and to plumb the depths of this narrative.

From a purely stylistic point of view, the author has a clear talent for creating in her central character a subject locus, a strong point of view, for the telling of a story that embraces in rich detail a broad canvas of the natural world (like Leslie Cohen's wondering about the destiny of vagrant scrapes of paper, wind-stuck on an Abilene fence) and of a shared humanity (as in Dr. Cohen's compassionate treatment of two "illegals" horribly injured while attempting to hop a freight train). While we are brought into the inner world of the protagonist, the narrative does not lapse into tedious introspection, and while we join with the protagonist in viewing her world and the people in it, the author does not fall into any kind of omniscient narration.

This is a novel that deserves many re-readings!

AS a person who is not an avid reader,I was "hooked" on ENDINGS.AS I am acquainted with Dr. Bergin,I was able to travel through the process of publication with her in an exciting way. Her eyes lit up whenever she was discussing her book, and NOW I know why. ENDINGS is full of down-home charm. Abilene is described perfectly...dusty and windy.Since I don't read much,I'd read an hour or two,put the book down,start to do dishes or some other boring chore,look at the bookcover and became drawn into Leslie's soul again.I loved the characters,especially Doc and his wife.They just don't make them like that any more. The "hero" Regan was too good to be true...a gentleman in every way.He wore down Leslie's defences,but at the same time,Leslie brought out a side of Regan that he hadn't seen in years. This is not a syrupy relationship,but a beautiful one. Just as I was sure that I knew how this story would be one of those "happily ever-after ones" and it might still be...there came along the last part of the book,and I wonder about all the happenings that came racing back into my brain. Barbara was brilliant when she named her first novel,"ENDINGS". I need to start reading it again.:)

Endings was an exceptional read for those of us who want to discover alternatives for what life had dealt us. The main character is all of us at one point of our lives because it offers escape from reality as we know it. The ending of the book is unexpected and leaves the reader not only surprised but with wishful and hopeful thoughts. Excellent story!

If you want a novel so engaging that you can't do anything but read, this is it. Following a tragic accident that kills her husband and both children, Dr. Leslie Cohen chooses the life of a "locum tenens." This is a doctor who takes temporary jobs to relieve other doctors so they can take vacations or have their own medical procedures done. The story begins with Leslie driving a dark rainy road on her way to Abilene, Texas. But she gets involved in another accident with a rancher. This time only a fender bender, the collision brings the two characters together. And you know what's going to happen. But do you? The twist ending leaves you feeling a little betrayed, a little cheated. Then again, you can't help but wonder for several days what the story was really about.

This is a very interesting book to read. It presents an interesting unfolding life (marked by tragic loss) of a traveling orthopedic surgeon and includes a romance story. The book is written by an orthopedic surgeon who understands her main character's field and presents well-founded experiences for this traveling doctor. It is set in Texas (a place well known to the author). The ending is not easy to understand. It is very thought provoking. Others who have read it tell me that their book clubs have discussed what it must mean.

Can't wait for Dr. Bergin's next book. This was a great story with a very appropriate title. I will share my book with family and friends and buy this book as a gift for others. Kathy Goertz