Touching Distance
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Review
'Life is dark in this Enlightenment-era novel. As Dr Alec Gordon's patients die from puerperal fever, his marriage dies from neglect.'
--The Times
'Engrossing' --Independent
'This is shaping up to be a good solid series, filled with lively, fully fleshed characters and complex and well-handled plots.It kept me guessing right to the end and it uses its setting well, drawing on the isolation and small town mentality of a hamlet on a small island off the coast of a small country...'
--eurocrime.co.uk
'Engrossing'
--Independent
'Engrossing... Rich in evocations of this tough city of risk and grief, the novel shuns all medical sentimentalism.'
--Belfast Telegraph
'Abram's prose is beautiful - each word is judiciously chosen. The sights and sounds of Aberdeen's harbor, of putrid deathbeds and of the green physic garden are evoked in the kind of detail that makes you re-read purely for the pleasure of it.'
--Psychologies
--The Times
'Engrossing' --Independent
'This is shaping up to be a good solid series, filled with lively, fully fleshed characters and complex and well-handled plots.It kept me guessing right to the end and it uses its setting well, drawing on the isolation and small town mentality of a hamlet on a small island off the coast of a small country...'
--eurocrime.co.uk
'Engrossing'
--Independent
'Engrossing... Rich in evocations of this tough city of risk and grief, the novel shuns all medical sentimentalism.'
--Belfast Telegraph
'Abram's prose is beautiful - each word is judiciously chosen. The sights and sounds of Aberdeen's harbor, of putrid deathbeds and of the green physic garden are evoked in the kind of detail that makes you re-read purely for the pleasure of it.'
--Psychologies
Janice Galloway
'A mystery story, a love story, a historical drama - I can't imagine a reader who would not be moved this book.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The story is set at a very exciting time in the development of medicine, with great discoveries taking place in areas such as vaccination and the spread of infection. However, the new techniques which Dr Alec Gordon is keen to implement don't go down very well with superstitious local folk and the medical establishment alike. Despite this hostility, his quest to discover what is killing these new mothers turns into an obsession, to the detriment of his family and career.
Meanwhile his wife Elizabeth is dealing with her own demons, with frequent flashbacks to a childhood dominated by her brutal father. Despite, or perhaps because of her troubles, Elizabeth comes across as cold and aloof and at times I found it hard to warm to her or sympathise with her plight.
What made the book especially interesting for me was the fact that it's based on a true story. In her Author's Note, Rebecca Abrams tells us that the real Alexander Gordon's 'Treatise on the Epidemic Puerpural Fever' became a recognised and respected text many years after his death and he is credited with being years ahead of his time in understanding how infection spreads.
Quite a slow, thoughtful book in terms of pace, but I liked the character of Alec and found the subject matter very interesting. Oh, a warning to those of you of a squeamish disposition - the book is quite gory and distinctly 'gynaecological' in places, with births, amputations and cataract operations sans anaesthetic portrayed in all their glory!
Meanwhile his wife Elizabeth is dealing with her own demons, with frequent flashbacks to a childhood dominated by her brutal father. Despite, or perhaps because of her troubles, Elizabeth comes across as cold and aloof and at times I found it hard to warm to her or sympathise with her plight.
What made the book especially interesting for me was the fact that it's based on a true story. In her Author's Note, Rebecca Abrams tells us that the real Alexander Gordon's 'Treatise on the Epidemic Puerpural Fever' became a recognised and respected text many years after his death and he is credited with being years ahead of his time in understanding how infection spreads.
Quite a slow, thoughtful book in terms of pace, but I liked the character of Alec and found the subject matter very interesting. Oh, a warning to those of you of a squeamish disposition - the book is quite gory and distinctly 'gynaecological' in places, with births, amputations and cataract operations sans anaesthetic portrayed in all their glory!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a remarkably crafted and finely balanced novel, which has both a vivid setting and an intensely personal tale. The author weaves the details of different threads of the personal lives of the main characters that bring Alec and Elizabeth Gordon to life within the world of 1790 Aberdeen. She captures the feel of life in a different time, without ever losing the details and depth of Alec and Elizabeth's lives. The novel effectively relates how time does not necessarily move in one direction, as childhood memories reappear at different points of the novel, in ways that illuminate the choices made by Alec and Elizabeth.
The world of Aberdeen is alive with the old traditions and the emergence of the Scottish (and wider) Enlightenment. Echoes of wider debates over science and belief quietly emerge through the novel. The cost of childbirth in illness or death of the mother was common (and still is in many countries, as the author notes in her post-script), and Alec's quest for the cause of maternal deaths puts him in conflict with established medical and midwife traditions.
The tension between Alec's dedication to his patients and his increasing distance from his wife echoes the painful life experience that often we end up fighting for something that is 'right' in a way that comes at a great price in other parts of our lives.
The world of Aberdeen is alive with the old traditions and the emergence of the Scottish (and wider) Enlightenment. Echoes of wider debates over science and belief quietly emerge through the novel. The cost of childbirth in illness or death of the mother was common (and still is in many countries, as the author notes in her post-script), and Alec's quest for the cause of maternal deaths puts him in conflict with established medical and midwife traditions.
The tension between Alec's dedication to his patients and his increasing distance from his wife echoes the painful life experience that often we end up fighting for something that is 'right' in a way that comes at a great price in other parts of our lives.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this used on Amazon and expected to thoroughly enjoy it as I'm from Aberdeen (where the book is set)and I do like historical drama/novels from another time. The book is about Dr Alex Gordon from Aberdeen who makes a breakthrough (ahead of his time) to discover what is spreading puerperal fever in new mothers and his struggle to convince others in his profession of his new discovery as opposed to the 'old order' of thought at the time. I found it difficult to visualise the characters as they are watery and unconvincing. The story line is a bit monotenous so I was hoping for a good ending, but the ending is farcical to say the least and I think spoils what enjoyment the book gave. Glad I didn't pay a lot for it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Touching Distance
Women are dying after childbirth. The attending physician thinks he knows why, but can he get anyone to listen to him? Read more
Published 10 months ago by Rich
not bad but not brilaint
i picket up htis book on holiday to a realtives, that lives in the middle of no were, i was drawn in by the cover and a want to read a work of fiction based inhistory and as i have... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Dotty Landsdown
Interesting but not one for squeamish readers!
This is a really interesting book - you learn a lot about life in Scotland centuries ago with little understanding of medicine and disease. Read more
Published 24 months ago by H. Butcher
Touching Distance
I thought this book was first class. I thoroughly enjoyed it. For the first time in ages I didn't want to put a book down. Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2010 by J. Barrett
Touching Distance
This book gives a very accurate view of life in Aberdeen as it would have been in 1790, together with an understanding of medical knowledge at that time. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by Charles Shepherd
brechin bookworm
This is a must read book a true story concerning the man who first discovered why so many women were dying of childbirth fever set in Aberdeen it is wonderfully wrtten and can... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2010 by N. H. Mcleay
Book of the Year
Facinating and true story - anyone who is interested in medicine, birth and history should read this - beautifully written.
Published on 5 Feb 2010 by J. P. Steinberg
Touching distance, by Rebecca Abrams
A gripping medical history drama, well worth reading for its educational value as well as for pure interest and enjoyment. One of the best books I have read so far this year.
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by S. Klein
one to curl up with on a sunday afternoon
I have just finished reading this book and I enjoyed it.
The story tells of a doctor in Aberdeen in 1790, who is perplexed by an outbreak of pluerperal fever within the town... Read more
The story tells of a doctor in Aberdeen in 1790, who is perplexed by an outbreak of pluerperal fever within the town... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2009 by T-bone
Missed chance to make it a great page-turner.
This book was very disappointing. First of all, every chapter was about 3 pages long, then jumped to a new subject, so I never truly got into the mood of the story. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2009 by Kate D, Bromley, Kent
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