The Physician (Cole) [Paperback]

Noah Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001 | Series: Cole (Book 1)

In the 11th century, Rob Cole left poor, disease-ridden London to make his way across the land, hustling, juggling, peddling cures to the sick—and discovering the mystical ways of healing. It was on his travels that he found his own very real gift for healing—a gift that urged him on to become a doctor. So all consuming was his dream, that he made the perilous, unheard-of journey to Persia, to its Arab universities where he would undertake a transformation that would shape his destiny forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When nine-year-old Rob Cole felt the life force slipping from his mother's hand he could not foresee that this terrifying awareness of impending death was a gift that would lead him from the familiar life of 11th-century London to small villages throughout England and finally to the medical school at Ispahan. Though apprenticed to an itinerant barber surgeon, it is the dazzling surgery of a Jewish physician trained by the legendary Persian physician Avicenna that inspires him to accept his gift and to commit his life to healing by studying at Avicenna's school. Despite the ban on Christian students, Rob goes there, disguising himself as a Jew to gain admission. Gordon has written an adventurous and inspiring tale of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice. Recommended. Literary Guild alternate. Cynthia Johnson Whealler, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An adventurous and inspiring tale of a quest for medical knowledge pursued in a violent world full of superstition and prejudice. Recommended."  —Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group; 10th edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751503894
• ISBN-13: 978-0751503890
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (325 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 146 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, exciting book about life in the middle ages January 29, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This engrossing book traces the life of 11th century Englishman, Robert Cole. Cole begins as a normal child, is quickly orphaned, and is then apprenticed to a barber-surgeon. As he travels throughout England with his master, the reader is introduced to all aspects of English peasant life. Family life, morality, religion, sexuality, medicine, xenophobia and history are all presented in an interesting, subtle, and easily read writing style. When Cole grows up and decides to be a physician, he comes in contact with Jewish doctors who explain to him that the best universities are in Moslem-ruled Persia, where no Christian may go. Determined to learn, Cole overcomes this obstacle by pretending to be a Jew. As he travels and studies in Persia, the same questions of lifestyle are addressed, only this time within the Jewish and Moslem communities. This is a great read for anyone who likes adventurous stories about growing up, or who is interested in sociology, religion, medicine, or history.

67 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-Turning Adventure Yarn March 28, 2006

By Miranda Good

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I simply had to add my own "thumbs up" to the many other readers who thoroughly enjoyed this book. I confess to having been a bit daunted at the outset by the sheer size of the volume, but it started off quickly and kept up the pace throughout. Granted, some of the episodes strain credulity, but the writing is so captivating that I had no problem suspending disbelief in order to ride the waves of excitement and action. This is truly a tale of the fantastical Persia of old - who cares if every historical detail is not precise. It is the tone and flavor of the characters, the travels and the early medical lore that kept me reading long past eyestrain. I was particularly interested in the juxtaposition of three major religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam - and the parallels between each one's belief system (each with its own codification of "divine laws"), their mutual intolerance, and their strict adherence to their own doctrines with resultant rejection and vilification of all others. I appreciated Rob's comment that it is not the "word of God" to which he objects, but the human interpretation of that word in the mouths and minds of men which leads to the persecution, suspicion and hatred he witnesses and experiences. That, to my mind, is a very current and topical message - true in the 1000's as well as in the 2000's. A great message without pedantry. I learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried some, but couldn't put this one down.

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!!! November 18, 2001

By Deborah L. Woodstuff VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I read this book 13 years ago and it still ranks with me as one of the best books I have ever read. You will feel as if you are in the locals as this book travels across continents. I found myself reading this book when ever I could find time. This would make a great motion picture.
Enjoy!! You will not be disappointed.