Customer Reviews

Fragile X

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A well written and highly suspenseful novel illustrating inadequacies of medicine in an HMO system. A system in which cost constraints conflict with quality. The author combines keen insight into managed care with masterful storytelling ability. The result is a spellbinding work with an important underlying message. I highly recommend the book and hope it appears in movie form.

Dr. Rice presents an intricate plot, rich in mystery, while developing skillfully the many inter-related events. The setting is clearly contemporary and of pressing importance. The characters reveal that they are alive, real and poignant. The lesser characters as well, spring to life through each chapter. One hopes, perhaps, to meet them in future work by the author.

As the story progresses, one encounters the clash of the ethics of greed, avarice and hypocrisy with that of true professionalism and humanitarianism. As he or she reads, a person fears for the future of our care, our doctors and the once-greatest health care system in the world.

Because I enjoy medical thrillers, I decided to see what newcomer Stuart Rice had to offer. I was blown away by the intricate plot and the depth of the characters. Molly could be any person at any time facing the great monolith of managed care. At a time when our nation is considering moving toward more managed care in health care, this book gives the reader an inside look at the mechanisms of managed care.

I love to read and discover new authors. I wasn't disappointed by Stuart Rice's first novel. In fact, his is a career I expect to follow and enjoy for many years to come. I can't wait to read his next one--Covenant with Eternity.

Fragile X: A powerful force bearing a voice of truth, compassion and courage.

Dr. Rice has artfully created a single story to the many which cleverly exposes the harsh and ruthless realities of Managed Health Care: a structured business whereby the decisions of physicians are compromised for the sake of capital gain.

Fragile X is the story of Molly Loomis. She is a young woman who by the wicked hand of Managed Health Care is wrongly surgically stripped of her God-given right to bear children. She is not, however, stripped of the keen, instinctual qualities that are ever-present in a woman's heart, being and spirit.

The characters are real: men and women who speak their truths with passion. And as I read, it was the courage of the characters, whose journeys to prevail, served as my hope for a future free of the pervasive predominance of Managed Health Care.

It is for a very personal reason that I find Fragile X to be so compelling. It is for the sake of my mother's struggle that I pray the masses embrace this captivating literary work for its overall precision.

I watched as my mother, in her last years of life experience the injustice and inhumanity of Managed Health Care. After receiving her last rites, my mother with her seemingly lifeless seventy-two pound frame, defied tremendous opposing odds and survived her battle with pseudomonas (a deadly bacterial disease of the lungs). From this point on in my mother's life she depended on an oxygen concentrator to breathe. After many months of red-tape, it was determined that the level of oxygen which ever-flowed through yards of clear tubing and into my mother's lungs, which was necessary for her quality of life as well as perpetuating it, did not meet administrative criteria. My mother was denied coverage. My mother was denied oxygen.

Thank you Dr. Rice

This author does all of the work for the screenplay writer. Men and women, alike, will not only enjoy reading this book, they will look forward to seeing the words come to life on the large screen. Dr. Rice is a brilliant author, able to combine knowledge and talent like no other I have ever read. I look forward to his next piece of work.

I think Fragile X is an awesome piece of work. The description of the "business" of managed care is very enlightening. The frightening practices of denying claims, accumulating market share, physician incentives and cutbacks to improve profit margins are presented candidly. The plot thickens with an adequate mixture of religion, politics and relationships as the story unravels amid the legal consequence. The characters are realistic and identifiable. Molly is the perfect "Plain Jane" heroine. The computer whiz (Reggie) seems like the next door neighbor's rambunctious teenager. We all wish for a few more humanitarian, rebellious Dr. Colder's in this world. The novelist, Mr. Rice, writes with the medical insightfullness of Robin Cook, the riveting suspense of John Grisham and the Midwestern flair of Tami Hoag. I predict for him a bright future in the literary world.

Stuart Rice, a neurosurgeon from Grand Forks, MN has written a gripping novel about the current situation of managed care and HMO's. In two days I completed reading Fragile X - simply because I could not put the book down. Seldom, if ever, have I read a book of fiction that so honestly spoke to the problems that each and every one of us have or will face in some way or other - whether it be in health care or some other facit of our lives. Fragile X has all the ingredients to make it a great novel - interesting characters, intrigue, fascinating plot and a tender love story. It also sends a message of how one small, rather insignificant person, can change the direction of a large and powerful company that only sees profit as it motivation for success. Five stars plus - all the way.

It seems that the author has taken all of our worst nightmares about Managed Care and shown us the path that we are headed. I found this page-turner full of surprises and twist that lead the reader on a very interesting ride. Maybe in a direction that we all know is true, but one that we all hope to avoid. This book was a true pleasure to read. One that you were sad that it finally had to end.

Stuart Rice does an exceptional job at portraying the real life nightmare individuals face within the world of managed care. The author captivates his reader within the first few pages of Fragile X. He creatively takes you through all facets of life so that one becomes deeply intertwined in the challenges and decisions the characters must make. Dr. Rice inspires the reader by creating a rich blend of life's experiences including medicine, religion, truth, honesty, hate and love. Fragile X is definately a "stay up late" "get nothing done" novel. Fragile X is a must read for all and is guaranteed to make you laugh, cheer and cry.

The business of managed care is upon us daily. This book portrays what we all fear the most, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Stuart touches on all human emotions. I am looking forward to his next novel.