Review by splint -- Days of the Giants by RJ Petrella
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- Latest Review: Days of the Giants by RJ Petrella
Review by splint -- Days of the Giants by RJ Petrella
[Following is a volunteer review of "Days of the Giants" by RJ Petrella.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Days of the Giants hooks the reader in with a captivating Prologue. Unravelling the mystery then takes a strange meandering path. I felt as though I was reading several different books at once.
The main story is about the potential merger of two hospitals, one public, and one private. This hardly sounds like the basis for a riveting story, yet the author has created a tangled web of intrigue and corruption that pulls the reader in.
The main character, Slater Barnes, is an intern at the public hospital, Boston City Hospital. I often felt frustrated by his mediocrity, and yet found myself wanting him to win. Slater narrates his way through his own self-doubt to his miraculous James Bond moment and leadership of his peers. His desire to be a good and caring doctor is endearing and at times inspiring.
The underlying theme gives the book its name, referring to the historical “giants” that fought against the odds to bring Boston City Hospital into existence in the mid-1800s. Their mission was to provide quality health care to all, and when Slater is invited to read a historical document called The Rules, he experiences a “redemption for the field of medicine, an affirmation of hope.”
Two fascinating characters emerge. The first is Henry Weesterman, known as The Wheeze. He is an older man, the Chief of Medicine, and the keeper of the knowledge of the “days of the giants”. His charismatic personality, wisdom and commitment to the staff, interns and patients place him in a position of reverence in the Hospital. I wanted to know so much more about him, perhaps as the alternate narrator instead of Slater’s father, who is a warm, insightful character, but ultimately a distraction from the key storyline. Using The Wheeze as an alternate narrator would have added a richness and relevance to the story, and rounded out the theme of the “days of the giants”.
The second character of note is Slater’s flatmate and close friend, Don Lindy. He is the rock that Slater leans on, and a “giant” of the current generation, one of several young leaders working to preserve the integrity of the Boston City Hospital values. The scene where Don arrives in the trauma room eating an apple is truly memorable. The story would have been improved with more time spent on the development of Don’s character.
There is too much detail and too many peripheral characters. The bad guys are corrupted by a desperate need for money, and lust for power and status. Their characters are simply tools to drive the story along, and could have been given less focus in favour of more interesting characters. Similarly, the love interest storyline reads like a cheap romance novel and ends with a whimper rather than a bang. This distracts the reader away from the main story and seems unnecessary.
Despite its shortcomings, the style of writing, the characters and the underlying philosophy had me enthusiastically barracking for the good guys.
I rate Days of the Giants 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this for a broad range of adult readers who enjoy a combination of mystery and action with a philosophical twist. It may also appeal to readers who enjoy stories set in a medical arena.
******
Days of the Giants
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Days of the Giants hooks the reader in with a captivating Prologue. Unravelling the mystery then takes a strange meandering path. I felt as though I was reading several different books at once.
The main story is about the potential merger of two hospitals, one public, and one private. This hardly sounds like the basis for a riveting story, yet the author has created a tangled web of intrigue and corruption that pulls the reader in.
The main character, Slater Barnes, is an intern at the public hospital, Boston City Hospital. I often felt frustrated by his mediocrity, and yet found myself wanting him to win. Slater narrates his way through his own self-doubt to his miraculous James Bond moment and leadership of his peers. His desire to be a good and caring doctor is endearing and at times inspiring.
The underlying theme gives the book its name, referring to the historical “giants” that fought against the odds to bring Boston City Hospital into existence in the mid-1800s. Their mission was to provide quality health care to all, and when Slater is invited to read a historical document called The Rules, he experiences a “redemption for the field of medicine, an affirmation of hope.”
Two fascinating characters emerge. The first is Henry Weesterman, known as The Wheeze. He is an older man, the Chief of Medicine, and the keeper of the knowledge of the “days of the giants”. His charismatic personality, wisdom and commitment to the staff, interns and patients place him in a position of reverence in the Hospital. I wanted to know so much more about him, perhaps as the alternate narrator instead of Slater’s father, who is a warm, insightful character, but ultimately a distraction from the key storyline. Using The Wheeze as an alternate narrator would have added a richness and relevance to the story, and rounded out the theme of the “days of the giants”.
The second character of note is Slater’s flatmate and close friend, Don Lindy. He is the rock that Slater leans on, and a “giant” of the current generation, one of several young leaders working to preserve the integrity of the Boston City Hospital values. The scene where Don arrives in the trauma room eating an apple is truly memorable. The story would have been improved with more time spent on the development of Don’s character.
There is too much detail and too many peripheral characters. The bad guys are corrupted by a desperate need for money, and lust for power and status. Their characters are simply tools to drive the story along, and could have been given less focus in favour of more interesting characters. Similarly, the love interest storyline reads like a cheap romance novel and ends with a whimper rather than a bang. This distracts the reader away from the main story and seems unnecessary.
Despite its shortcomings, the style of writing, the characters and the underlying philosophy had me enthusiastically barracking for the good guys.
I rate Days of the Giants 3 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this for a broad range of adult readers who enjoy a combination of mystery and action with a philosophical twist. It may also appeal to readers who enjoy stories set in a medical arena.
******
Days of the Giants
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: Days of the Giants by RJ Petrella
