-
Welcome
to BookAndReader! We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!
Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.
Robin Cook: Coma
- Thread starter Darren
- Start date
Mike Jackson
New Member
I like the synopsis. Looks like I'll be visiting the bookstaore again.
Mike
Mike
Ell
Well-Known Member
Am I the only one who finished this book? 
Oh well, my thoughts:
Spoiler Alert
I originally read Coma back in the late '70s, shortly after it came out. At the time, I thought it was a gripping and plausible, medical thriller. On the whole, I think it's stood the test of time rather well (other than a few technical things like IV bottles vs. IV bags, etc.). The story is almost scarier now since organ transplants have become more common and the black market for organs is very real.
What really bothered me was the main character of Susan Wheeler. I ddn't like her. Yes, she was attractive, smart, and determined, but she had NO common sense. And how on earth did she think she could just ignore her pages? Because she thought she had better things to do than start an IV cut-down? In reality, she could have been bounced out of her medical clerkship for that alone! AND, she sure wasn't very smart about handling her superiors. She almost went out of her way to piss them off. Rant, rant, ..... The only positive thing I can say about Susan Wheeler is that as a doctor, she makes a good private investigator.
Apart from the Wheeler character, I think Coma is still a good whodunit thriller.
Oh well, my thoughts:
Spoiler Alert
I originally read Coma back in the late '70s, shortly after it came out. At the time, I thought it was a gripping and plausible, medical thriller. On the whole, I think it's stood the test of time rather well (other than a few technical things like IV bottles vs. IV bags, etc.). The story is almost scarier now since organ transplants have become more common and the black market for organs is very real.
What really bothered me was the main character of Susan Wheeler. I ddn't like her. Yes, she was attractive, smart, and determined, but she had NO common sense. And how on earth did she think she could just ignore her pages? Because she thought she had better things to do than start an IV cut-down? In reality, she could have been bounced out of her medical clerkship for that alone! AND, she sure wasn't very smart about handling her superiors. She almost went out of her way to piss them off. Rant, rant, ..... The only positive thing I can say about Susan Wheeler is that as a doctor, she makes a good private investigator.
Apart from the Wheeler character, I think Coma is still a good whodunit thriller.
Darren
Active Member
Finished too
Overall, a gripping thriller. As Ell says, it was written in the late 1970s so some of the medical aspects are dated, but the overall plot is still very real.
.
I agree that the Susan Wheeler character is very annoying. Totally self-obsessed, I found her a little dangerous!
.
Well worth reading. The pace is fast and never loses its ability to keep you interested. Although their are some technical medical details, these are minimal and are akin to some of the jargon which authors such as Tom Clancy use. Keeps you guessing until the very last few pages!
Overall, a gripping thriller. As Ell says, it was written in the late 1970s so some of the medical aspects are dated, but the overall plot is still very real.
An organ transplant black market could easily exist today
I agree that the Susan Wheeler character is very annoying. Totally self-obsessed, I found her a little dangerous!
Althought only a student, she still neglects her duty to her patients to pursue her own personal interest. I also can't imagine many students having the "bottle" to start a shouting match with their professors!
Well worth reading. The pace is fast and never loses its ability to keep you interested. Although their are some technical medical details, these are minimal and are akin to some of the jargon which authors such as Tom Clancy use. Keeps you guessing until the very last few pages!
Ell
Well-Known Member
Darren,
Glad I'm not the only one who found Susan Wheeler annoying - though I don't remember thinking she was so obnoxious the first time I read the book. Maybe I just forgot.
Having been in healthcare, I liked all the medical jargon - but then again, I like the science jargon in sci-fi stories, too
Glad I'm not the only one who found Susan Wheeler annoying - though I don't remember thinking she was so obnoxious the first time I read the book. Maybe I just forgot.
Having been in healthcare, I liked all the medical jargon - but then again, I like the science jargon in sci-fi stories, too
