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The Good Doctor (Paperback)

by Damon Galgut (Author) "The first time I saw him I thought, he won't last ..." (more)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Atlantic Books (10 Sep 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1843542013
  • ISBN-13: 978-1843542018
  • Product Dimensions: 21.2 x 14 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 455,448 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Erica Wagner, The Times

‘A taut exploration of the shifting landscape, cultural and moral, of the new South Africa.’


The Guardian

‘Galgut seems the most likely of the crop of young South African novelists to fill J.M. Coetzee’s shoes.’
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
The first time I saw him I thought, he won't last. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Youthful Optimism vs Middle Aged Cynicism, 8 Oct 2003
By Eric Anderson (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Galgut's novel evokes the stark landscape of rural post-apartheid South Africa. But do not let the daunting subject matter scare you away. This is a highly accessible novel written in simple, but eloquent prose. It's told from the point of view of middle-aged Frank Eloff who is an under-achieving doctor that has spent many years of his life at a remote hospital waiting to be promoted. He begins the tale when an enthusiastic young doctor named Laurence joins the hospital as part of a required year of training. The two are required to share a room. A uncomfortable friendship blossoms. Laurence is determined to use his time at the hospital to make some radical changes as part of the new South Africa he welcomes. Frank however isn't so certain that the old South Africa has entirely left. Through the novel they are confronted by unavoidable people and problems from the past which slow the progress Laurence so ardently desires.

It's a literary work that contemplates the dilemma of the new South Africa with the same brevity as Gordimer's None to Accompany Me and Coetzee's Disgrace. Apart from the political connotations, this novel is a powerful and haunting tale about friendship and a man coming to terms with his middle age. It echoes the disturbing quality of Ibsen's Ghosts through its repetition of sexual betrayal. Toward the end of Frank's narrative, his accounts become more hallucinatory and his honesty becomes uncertain. A tremendous guilt overshadows his narrative. There is a desire to shake the complacency of the environment, yet any attempt at progress instantly proves futile. This is a very melancholy novel, but one of captivating beauty and intriguing mystery.

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and sparse writing, 29 Nov 2003
By A Customer
This is an excellent book. The writing is very good and its simplicity hides a great depth of feeling. It reminded me of the writing of the Japanese author, Murakami, where we are given hints of what is happening but are left in the dark as to its exact workings out. The main character holds his secrets well but is very complex, thus making you want to read on to see what his eventual fate will be. Somehow, like the best plays, it takes you to a level of carthasis and leaves you wondering about it for a long time after you've closed the last page.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A Hungarian in Glendale, Milwaukee., 21 May 2004
"The Good Doctor" is a novel set in Africa, were a young optimistic doctor, Laurence Walters, comes to work at a rural hospital. He is determined to revive the staff and people of the town. Frank, a doctor that has been working in the rural hospital for years watches with both bemusement and irritation as Laurence goes about executing his big ideas in a town were no one really cares. Were people have learned not to care and the past cripples the present.

I watch through out the book how the older generation conflicts with the ideals of the new as well as gap between the rich and the poor.

Ex: "The coins and notes that I stuffed into her hand on my way out of the door were a symbol of a separation between us that couldn't be measured: it was a disjuncture between our very lives. Money couldn't close the gap; it was the gap."

"I threw the keys to him. Before we were out of the parking lot I could feel what a careful driver he was, slow and controlled, quite the contrary to the feverish way he talked and behaved."

The novel was a good read and I enjoyed it very much, though at times I felt as though there was no real point to the novel other than to show life for what it can be at times. Not beautiful nor ugly it just is and can be seen as beautiful in some of its imperfections. Damon Galgut I salute you for a fine piece of work!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read
An interesting tale of post-apartheid South Africa, Frank, our lonesome doctor has thrust upon him young Lawrence whose serving his year out in the community. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ibrahim Ali

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the effort
I found this an easy book to read, it is only 245 pages in length and though I am not a quick reader I finished it in a short time. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2007 by D. N. Carter

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Beautiful - Don't be Put Off by Other Reviews!
I just had to review this book when I read the other (negative) reviews of Galgut's wonderful novel. Were we reading the same book? I absolutely loved it. Read more
Published on 20 Jul 2005

3.0 out of 5 stars How did this get nominated for the Booker Prize??
Tense and involving ? No.
An absorbing story? No.
A brilliant literary thriller ? No.
Life-altering? Absolutely not! Read more
Published on 17 Jun 2005 by OEJ

5.0 out of 5 stars Where empathy is easier than understanding
The characters of this book are set in South Africa, at a time of change, after aparthied rule, where politics play a large force in the people's everyday life. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2005 by Duncan

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb piece of work
I've been a fan of Galgut's since I was a student in Johannesburg in the mid-1980s and his debut, A Sinless Season, was one of THE South African books that one just had to be seen... Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2004 by paellataffy

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive novel
Laurence Waters is working in a rundown hospital in the capital of what used to be one of the homelands of South Africa. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2004 by Philippe Horak

5.0 out of 5 stars An impressive novel
Laurence Waters is working in a rundown hospital in the capital of what used to be one of the homelands of South Africa. Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2004 by Philippe Horak

4.0 out of 5 stars the good doctor - a great read
A fine, very subtle novel written in a soft, limpid style. Should have won the Booker prize in my humble opinion and would have done so, had it been written by Ian McEwan, for... Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2004 by Andrew Lysley

4.0 out of 5 stars an antidote to post-apartheid euphoria
The author portrays the distances that still exist between white and black South Africans, even if they have found a way of working together and getting along without conflict... Read more
Published on 29 May 2004 by C. Barclay

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