Customer Reviews

The Silent Cradle

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

This is a book I really wanted to like. The concept of a minority author with a lucrative career as a professional, trying her hand at writing--well, there's romance in the situation before pen is put to paper. What a disappointment. What ever happened to the role of the editor? I had the feeling, as I was painfully slogging through page after dilletantish page, that this was a modern case of the Emperor's New Clothes. No one at the publishing house had the nerve to call a halt to this fiasco before it hit the presses. Either that, or the publisher was so cynical that he or she believed that the book might be a hit simply because of the author's personal story, and the color of her skin. Never mind about the clicheed plot, one-dimensional characters, and drivel dialogue. When I think of how precious time is nowadays, I found myself getting angry at all involved. Including myself for pushing through to the so-what-who-cares ending. I trust Dr. Cuthbert's patients get better care than did her manuscript.

Cuthbert certainly isn't breaking any new ground with her debut novel, but it is certainly a quick read, with good characterization and able action sequences. The plot is brilliant in theory, less so in its execution. It becomes apparent all too soon who is beyond the nefarious plot of inducing expectant mothers into premature labor.

Admittedly, the novel is difficult to get into, and bears all the signs of a new author, but soon the plot gels and you'll be lost in its unfolding. While the denoument is predictable, you'll hang in there with main character Dr. Rae and with Cuthbert to see the villain get their comeuppance.

I found this book very distressing. First, the medical stuff is very overblown. OBs do *not* spend their time saving babies left and right -- I read several passages to a few of my OB friends and we all agreed, "Give us a break!" Second, the hospital politics was *not* realistic! Third, the author -- and consequently her heroine -- appears to be a drama queen (not something I think I would want in my doctor!). Like many reviewers, I found myself angry that I continued reading the book. But I also found myself angry that the author, as an OB, depicted birth as a big scary event which often goes bad. Pregnant women in our society hear enough scary stories and don't need them perpetuated by an OB writing a "thriller."

It blows my mind that anyone would think this book is anything other than complete garbage. The writing is insipid and laden with clichés: "The first tear had been for Nola's baby. This one was for her mother, almost twenty-five years late." The characters are largely one dimensional (the Bad Guy, the Mean Guy, the Doctor Who Just Wants To Help People, Gosh Darn It!, and so on) and far from appealing, not to mention graced with a ridiculous menagerie of names: Rae, Bo, Mack The Doorman. The medical jargon, such as it is, is intrusively explained with introductory phrases of laughably bad quality: " 'She has a pulmonary embolus.' Rae didn't have to remind herself that a pulmonary embolus was very serious indeed."

Unfortunately, there isn't even a decent plot to resuce such a literary abortion. The perpetrator is identifiable by any vaguely perceptive reader within pages of his/her introduction, thus making completing the novel completely unnecessary.

If you like medical thrillers, for the love of God stick with Robin Cook and Michael Crichton. Neither of them is likely to win a Pulitzer anytime soon, but their writing is phenomenal compared to the embarrassment that is The Silent Cradle.

I just got done reading this book. I actually have had to pick my jaw up from the floor. Having suffering a "rare spontaneous oxytocin" uterine rupture on a previously unscarred uterus has obviously had some personal affects on me. My son died, my uterus exploded like some of the characters and I almost didn't survive the delivery. I feel her research in this book to be truly amazing. Though you hear more and more of uterine ruptures it's still something that is very real and people should be aware of. Even if this book is fiction, it happens. Aside from the emotinal aspect for me, I would reccomend this book. I found it to be very suspense filled.

The main character of this book Dr. Rae Duprey, head of the Berkeley Hills Hospital OB/Gyn department, should be a smart woman. But in this book, she comes across as impulsive, not very crafty, and careless in her investigations. She puts herself in danger needlessly. Her romance seemed contrived and unbelievable. I felt myself resenting the time reading the book and found the ending a disappointment.

When my husband brought this book home from a laundromat read, I felt its heft and was excited. Never, though, have I skipped so much through a book. The hospital politics, the black female doctor stuff, the man/woman nonsense -- BORING. I'm amazed a good editor didn't tell Dr. Cuthbert to skip all that and stick w/her thriller. The other thing that bugged me about this book was feeling it wasn't too smart a thing to tell people how to torture or murder pregnant women.

The mystery in "Silent Cradle" was excellent but the characters were boring. Flippant descriptions of clothing and food were at inappropriate times. If the heroine worked for me and behaved like this one did, she'd be looking for a job someplace else. I kept thinking, "Get real!" or "I'm sure!" at some of the heroine's antics. "Silent Cradle" also was not the best, descriptive title for this book. The author did a good job of making everybody look guilty, making them "good guys" then casting doubt on them again so that you were always wondering - however, after too many times doing this, I got to the point of "who cares?" Dr. Cuthbert might want to pay attention to her practice for awhile.

I read this book with a great deal of curiosity, since I work in a hospital Labor & Delivery unit. The medical tangent is right-on, and I probably agree with her analysis of the health care crisis in America. Also, my experience with many Md's match hers. However,I wish she did not perpetuate the stereotype of loose-moraled doctors and gossipy nurses. Dr. Cuthbert's writing skills are weak and at best sophmoric.I was not drawn to any of her characters except Bernie, the protagonist's close friend. Their dialogue rang true, while unfortunately much of the actions and conversations of the other characters did not.

Having read the other one-star reviews for The Silent Cradle, I must agree with the comments below. This book peaked my interest because the author is a woman of color and a doctor. Too bad the book is so predictable and trite!