Customer Reviews

Shaman

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a wonderful followup to The Physician. As a physician there is much to learn about the history of my profession, however, this story transcends the history. The characters are vivid and as in Rob J vol.I Gordon displays honestly characters with all their warts and makes us like them anyway. For me, this wasn't Shaman as much as it was Rob J. One of the best reads in quite some time. It is a story that sets its own tempo and one you won't want to rush through. I revisited many parts of the book while reading it. It won't be the last time I read it. I have added the hard cover to my permanent library. I encourage everyone to read both The Physician first than Shaman. Don't be daunted by the size of the books. Every page is a delight.

Ferrol Sams' Whisper of the River is the only sequel I have ever read that surpassed the original. Now I've read Shaman and that makes two

Before I actually read "Shaman" I was a little confused. How could a book have a sequel that was at all successful or keeping in the spirit of the book when the sequel is set eight hundred years after the first book. Reading it however I came to appreciate that I could not expect the book to be anything like "The Physician" really. On top of all the characters being different, the world had changed. New continents had been discovered in the interim and enormous life changing advances had been made in the field of medicine (which the much later generations of Cole's still practiced) and all of this changes the canvas the story was to be written on in many ways.

"Shaman" is really the story of two Rob. J. Cole's, father and son. The senior came to America fleeing political unrest and became a small town doctor in a newly settled Indiana town and formed close relationships with the Indian people who were displaced. The junior was his son, called Shaman by the Indians and who became deaf at the age of five but didn't let it stop him in his quest to be a doctor.

Because of the timeframe of the novel (the time before and just after the civil war) there is a great deal of the politics of the time which is one of the best aspects of the book. I learned more about the civil war and what were the real reasons behind it and the horror of it from this book than any history class I've ever taken.

I was especially surprised to learn that many American Jews sided with the south. I had always thought that as a group that is traditionally persecuted that Jews would find a bond with and side with other disenfranchised groups but it seems that like a kid being picked on by a playground bully, there is more relief then a sense of camaraderie when the bully finds a new target. Also the civil war was so little about slavery and so much about economics and not having a weak union.

The medical advances and theories of that time were also fascinating because they are inching closer to what we now enjoy as standard practice and are miles away from what the original Rob J. went so far and risked so much to learn, but are still primitive compared to today's standards. Cleanliness is just being considered to have an effect on health, vaccines are just cropping up and hospitals are often more dirty and contributing to disease than anything else.

Keeping with one of the themes of "The Physician" "Shaman" does have a faith aspect. Rob J. is a pacifist and swore never to hurt another human being and becomes deeply involved in the religion of the Indians and Shaman, with his love for a Jewish neighbor brings on a controversy of a mixed race marriage.

I loved this book just as much as the first and more in different ways. Noah Gordon is truly a talented author who combines history, science and faith to come out with a novel that is an astounding read. I really wish there were more in the series. (hint to the author-there were eight hundred years between these books Go back and fill some of that in!)

Five stars.

This is the continuation of the 11th-century saga of the Cole family. Apparently, the Cole family formed a dinasty of doctors since then. This time, the story passes in the 19th century and the Cole family has immigrated to the United States and settled in Illinois, the Indian country. The story is not as interesting as in "The Physician", however, the book is better written with a nonlinear and more elaborate plot. Also, the book describes the beginning of the use of ether as anaesthetics, a turning point in the history of medicine and how Dr. Cole plays an important role in it.

When I read The Physician, I felt it was the best book ever written. Now I'm reading Shaman and the same feeling arouses again. All Rob Js are unique in dignity, integrity, kindness, sensibility, intelligence, courage,etc.As for the Cole's medical vocation, I wish all doctors had the same talent. It's a wonderful story: sometimes sad, sometimes funny, but always moving and enchanting.

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Gordon's works. This book continues the line of Doctors in the Cole family who have the power to know if somebody is facing death. The main character is a deaf child nicknamed "Shaman" who overcomes many obstacles to realize his dream of becoming a Doctor Of Medicine. This is a beautifully crafted book with characters from the 19th Century who spring to life. This is one of the few books I have read which are very long in their story and yet managed to keep me enthralled throughout the narration. Bravo Mr. Gordon!!!

After reading a review of Noah Gordon's latest book this fall, I went to the library to "test drive" one of his earlier works and came across "Shaman." I was delighted to find it full of interesting characters possessing emotional depth and substance, nice use of historical information and events, and good story development. I was even more delighted and surprised a few chapters into the book to find the focus shift to my home state, Illinois, and the Quad Cities area. And a few more chapters later, my own home town, Peoria, popped up. I was hooked! Gordon did his homework! Great work!

An enjoyable tale about a Scottish doctor who sets up his practice in the frontier days of northwest Illinois. The story spans several decades and two generations, from the time the native Americans were driven from their lands by the white settlers to the post-Civil War era in the heartland of the midwest.

Historically correct in many of the details, Noah Gordon paints a believable picture of life on the prairie. Indian rituals, frontier politics and the grizzly reality of illness and death in a time before antibiotics and good hygene are woven into a tale of family, friends, betrayal and loyalties. A great read!

The book Shaman by Noah Gordon belongs on every book shelf. The characters are true and the story interesting, engrossing and heart warming. The characters seem so real that you walk away feeling they are friends instead of ink on paper! I urge everyone to read it. I've read it five times! (Once back to back!)

I was blown away by Gordon's "Physician", a good five stars. The sequal "Shaman" proved disppointing to me for two reasons. First, because of the extensive Civil War content---once more we fight the battle of Gettysburg! Admittedly this may be a personal reaction because I've spent 20 years teaching U.S. history to undergraduates and am quite familiar with the period the book encompasses. "Physician" was far more exotic and fascinating because I know much less about the time period (centuries earlier) in which it was set.

The second reason, however, was that Gordon divided his forces in "Shaman", having two heroes---the father and the son. In Physician, his main character was Rob J. Cole, who didn't have to share the limelight with a father, and emerged as a stronger and more unforgettable hero.

My good friend Mario strongly recommended me "The Physician", even if he knew a physician's life wasn't my cup of tea.
I'm grateful he convinced me to read it. I was so trapped by Mr. Noah Gordon story that I went immediately to the bookstore and bought "Shaman" and "Choices".
IMHO "Shaman" is the best of the trilogy.

This is the story of two members of the Cole family: Rob Sr. & Rob Jr.

The story, situated in the period around 1830-1870, starts following Rob Sr.'s life since his forced emigration from Scotland to America and is reconstructed thru his personal diary as discovered and read, after his death, by his son Rob Jr.
Rob Sr. initiates his medical practice at Boston's Irish ghetto and meets Oliver Wendell Holmes, precursor of medical prophylaxis.
Later he continues his migration going into Illinois and stopping at Holden's Crossing where he starts a new life as rural physician.
There he builds his home, start his relationship with the Sauk Native Americans people, fall in love, heal & marry Sarah, have a child who will contract scarlatina and lose his hearing.
At this point Rob's Jr. life is the second main thread of the narration, following his education and fervent desire to be a physician as his father.
Both threads will conflux at the Civil War period.

Historical reconstruction is paramount, showing domestic every day details, political issues, educational issues, medical issues and cultural issues with deepness and commitment. This aspect of the novel is by far better than the period reconstruction done by Mr. Gordon in "The Physician".

A much recommended read for those interested in historical subjects, daily life period reconstruction and medical practice. Enjoy this great novel!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.