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Touching Distance (Hardcover)

by Rebecca Abrams (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 310 pages
  • Publisher: Macmillan; First Edition edition (4 Jul 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0230015557
  • ISBN-13: 978-0230015555
  • Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.6 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 295,862 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'An accomplished novel... With pace and drama, Abrams tells a tale which is at once informative and emotionally rewarding.'

`There are several dilemmas at the heart of Rebecca Abrams's...beautifully constructed novel...Her writing is poetically fluent' --Lancashire Evening Post


Janice Galloway

'A mystery story, a love story, a historical drama - I can't imagine a reader who would not be moved this book.'
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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Touching Story, 21 Jun 2009
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!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars poignant tale, 15 Aug 2008
By S. Commins (los angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping story, beautifully written., 8 Aug 2008
A gripping story, beautifully written. It spans both the historical and the deeply intimate.

I wasn't able to put it down and was pulled into the compelling world of the Doctor and his wife and the frustrations of a society in the embryonic stages of medical progress. The portrayal of Aberdeen life, the dialogue and the fantastic characterisation make this the best historical novel that I have read for years.

I'll never trust an obstetrician again unless this book is on their shelf...


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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 1 month ago by S. Klein

4.0 out of 5 stars 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
Published 2 months ago by T-bone

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 3 months ago by Kate D, Bromley, Kent

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Distance
An excellent well written and enjoyable book that teaches us much as well as being a good read.
Published 13 months ago by Dr. Ian Oliver

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