Author Carol Cassella discusses her novel Healer (now in paperback) and how her own life as a physician has both inspired and informed her writing career. Check back tomorrow for Part II.
Joseph Monninger has published 17 books, among them ETERNAL ON THE WATER --- a timeless story of true love's power --- and THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, slated for release in October of this year.
—Janet Maslin, The New York Times
—Elinor Lipman, author of MY LATEST GRIEVANCE and THE FAMILY MAN
—Chris Bohjalian, author of MIDWIVES and THE DOUBLE BIND
Editorial Content for State of Wonder
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Norah Piehl
It's probably impossible to avoid making comparisons between Ann Patchett's new novel STATE OF WONDER and Joseph Conrad's classic novella "Heart of Darkness," so I'm not even going to try. The bones of the stories are the same: a young protégé heads into the heart of the jungle, charged with finding a powerful, elusive figure whose activities seem vaguely menacing and whose ties to civilization appear to have been severed on purpose. Read More
Teaser
Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be a valuable new drug. She also hopes to find answers to questions about another friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
Promo
Dr. Marina Singh is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be a valuable new drug. She also hopes to find answers to questions about another friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
About the Book
Ann Patchett has dazzled readers with her award-winning books, including The Magician's Assistant and the New York Times bestselling Bel Canto. Now she raises the bar with State of Wonder, a provocative and ambitious novel set deep in the Amazon jungle.
Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past.
Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations.
In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side.
Pull Quote
Readers will likely share Marina's impatience as she languishes in hot, bug-infested Manaus, waiting for Dr. Swenson's gatekeepers (a young bohemian couple who seem better suited to surfing and sunbathing than to security) to allow her access to Dr. Swenson's whereabouts.
Bobbie Ann Mason is the author of several acclaimed books and short stories --- her next novel, THE GIRL IN THE BLUE BERET, will be published on June 28th. Bobbie Ann turned to her father-in-law, who served in WWII, as inspiration for this unforgettable story of love and courage.
Jerry Seinfeld
According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.
Attribution
Jerry Seinfeld
