Lasot Noa Gordona „Dziednieku” uzreiz jutu, ka pie šī darba gribēšu atgriezties atkal un atkal, tāpēc nevilcinoties to ieliku arī savā goodreads iemīļoto vēsturisko romānu (jeb favorite-history-fiction) plauktā. Tāpēc, protams, ka ļoti gribēju izlasīt arī tā turpinājumu – „Šamanis”.
Ja tā īsi: patika, bet ne tik ļoti kā „Dziednieks”.
Ja plašāk: „Šamani” lasīju tiešām ilgi: no 17. februāra (cik labi, ka goodreads varu paskatīties precīzi ) līdz 11. martam. Iemesli tam ir divi – grāmata ir tiešām bieza (584 lapaspuses sīkā drukā) un tā mani neierāva sevī tik dziļi, lai vakaros pēc darba neatrastu laiku daudz kam citam arī, reizēm fizisko nelasot to pat trīs dienas no vietas.
Lai gan darbības vieta un laiks no „Dziednieka” viduslaikiem Anglijā un Tuvajos Austrumos „Šamanī” pārcelti uz 19. gadsimta ASV, tomēr ļoti bieži piemetās lasot déjà vu. Acīmredzot Gordons uzskata, ka dzimtā cilvēki var mantot ne tikai vārdu, bet arī raksturu, uzskatu kopumu un pat situācijas modeļus, kuros iekulties (un dīvainākais, ka dzimtas vīriešu pasaules uzskatu – ateismu viduslaikos vieglā un 19. gs. smagā formā – gadsimtiem nespēj mainīt dzimtas sieviešu audzināšana – kuras taču gan viduslaikos, gan 19. gs ir ļoti kaislīgas kristietes).
Bet kopumā jau man patiesībā patika. „Šamanī” var atrast pilnīgi visu, ko sirds kāro – vēsturi, politiku, karu, mīlestību, piedzīvojumus, eksistenciālas pārdomas, šķēršļu pārvarēšanu, salabšanu un ļaunā sodīšanu... Var jau būt, ka ja nebūtu izlasīts „Dziednieks”, to īpašo vietu sirdī būtu ieņēmis „Šamanis”.

I read this book savoring every page, I really liked the description of those times, the part with the war bored me somewhat, the rest is ok. Read on!

Shaman (Cole Family Trilogy #2), Noah Gordon

Robert Jeremy Cole, the legendary doctor and hero of The Physician, left an enduring legacy. From the 11th century on, the eldest son in each generation of the Cole family has borne the same first name and middle initial and many of these men have followed the medical profession.

A few have been blessed with their ancestor's diagnostic skill and the "sixth sense" they call The Gift, the ability to know instinctively when death is impending.

The tragedy of Rob J.'s life is the deafness of his son, Robert Jefferson Cole, who is called Shaman by everyone who knows him.

Shaman's life is difficult. First, he must learn to speak so that he can take his place in the hearing world, and then he must fight against the prejudices of a society where physical differences matter.

As Shaman struggles to achieve his identity, the Coles, along with the rest of America, are drawn into the conflict between the North and the South.

Originally published: 1992

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سوم ماه اکتبر سال 2000میلادی

رابرت جرمی کول، پزشک افسانه ای، میراث ماندگاری از خود بر جای بگذاشت؛ از سده ی یازدهم میلادی به بعد، پسر ارشد در هر نسل از خانواده «کول»، همان نام و نام خانوادگی نخستین را به دنیا آورده است، و بسیاری از این مردان، حرفه پزشکی را دنبال کرده اند؛ تعداد اندکی از آنها از مهارت تشخیصی جد خود و «حس ششم» او که آنها هدیه مینامیدند برخوردار است، و توانایی شناخت غریزی هنگام نزدیک شدن مرگ را دارا میباشد؛ فاجعه زندگی «راب جی» ناشنوایی پسرش، «رابرت جفرسون کول» است، که «شمن» نامیده میشود؛ زندگی «شمن» دشوار است؛ نخست باید حرف زدن را یاد بگیرد، تا بتواند جای خود را در دنیای شنوایان بدست آورد، و سپس باید با تعصبات جامعه ای که اختلافات جسمی در آن اهمیت دارد، مبارزه کند؛ همانگونه که «شمن» برای رسیدن به هویت خود تلاش میکند، «کولز» به همراه دیگران، در درگیری بین شمال و جنوب در «آمریکا» است؛ ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 12/04/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

Desde un principio le tomé un especial cariño al libro El Médico, primera entrega de la trilogía de Noah Gordon. Por ello, compré apresurada esta segunda parte que, a pesar un par de siglos después, mantiene una interesante armonía con el estilo del libro anterior.

En un principio no me estaba gustando demasiado el libro. Me resultó largo de leer no sólo por la extensión de la obra, sino también por lo densa. La muerte de Makwa es explicada muy pronto en el libro, por lo que me quedé ante la dificultad de asimilar que tenía dos tercios de libro por delante.
El afán del autor por ser explícito, tanto en sus descripciones médicas como sexuales, cortaban el hilo de la narrativa, y en varias ocasiones forzaban la lectura.

Por otro lado, los personajes conquistan, la descripción es detallada y minuciosa pero ayuda a imaginar por completo el universo de Chamán y su familia.

Éste es un libro que tras terminar la ultima página me dejó con unas terribles ganas de seguir leyendo.

from amazon (and i agree):

gordon offers two fictionalized generations of doctoring on the Illinois frontier from 1839 to 1865, covering such medical history as the advent of hygiene and anesthesia. Rob J. Cole, political agitator in Scotland facing banishment to Australia, decides to migrate to the US. A doctor, he lands in Boston and can find work only in the Irish ghetto, making hovel calls for a charity. Disillusioned with the politics of the charity and intrigued with Indians, he heads west, stopping in Illinois at Holden's Crossing. Rob finds his Indians in the Sauks, who have fled the reservation and are now starving nearby. He treats and feeds them, becoming their ``white shaman,'' and eventually Makwa- Ikwa, their healer, goes to work with him. He travels the countryside, snipping off fingers and enlisting household help to pinch off spurting arteries. He removes kidney stones from a recluse named Sarah, who has holed up because she thinks she's dying from cancer. After he removes the stones, she blooms, and they marry. Sarah gives birth to a boy, and Makwa tags him ``Little Shaman.'' At age five, Shaman develops scarlatina and loses his hearing, a disability that makes his road to a medical practice difficult. Both father and son end up doctoring during the Civil War, the carnage of which is graphically described. The story moves too fast to develop either characters or scenes deeply, but it's a good read and has a refreshing approach to the frontier as part of a larger culture, not an isolated place where people did nothing but murder each other.

This was really, really good! I liked the first one, called The Physician, but this was totally different. Same kind of story, okay, so maybe not 'totally' different, but had a different feel to it, because this takes place here in the states in the 1830s-60s. Lately this is a favorite time period of mine to read about. Only a few years ago, I would have thought a book like this would be boring. There certainly isn't much action or thrills. This is merely a historical drama, a coming of age, a story about how life on the frontier came about, and another lesson on how terrible us white folk can be towards others. In this case, the Native Americans.

But there wasn't so much of the horrors in this book, like when I read John Jakes' Love and War.

I enjoyed this book differently than everything else I read, because it's nice to take a break from the 'bad things happen to good people' trope. Shaman is a story about good people, and how good people interact with other good people and build a society. How a little boy born deaf can integrate into normal schooling and get along with other children and become successful in life. It's a story about overcoming odds, and challenges. About how you reap the rewards of working your ass off.

Bravo, Noah Gordon, you created another feel-good story, which I enjoyed about as much as the first in the series. However, I don't think I'll be reading the next one... Matters of Choice. I'm good leaving off here.

I really enjoyed this book and the story that is woven around this family. I wish there was more of the in between stuff. I want to know more about the first Rob J and his life in Scotland instead of just jumping ahead to the next story and the same for the time jump between book 2 and 3. I wish there was more of those stories before the new books started.

Some people say that if you read book about a month that means that you don't like it very much. If you do, you must 'eat' a book in a few days, reading day and night because you cannot put it away. Well, it's not about me. Maybe I read books longer but I enjoy no less than if I read it in a day. It's no matter how long you stay reading, the pleasure is the same and maybe even bigger because you can live longer with your favourite characters.

I liked the second book of Cole family. I can never imagine that I will enjoy reading about medicine, hospitals and surgery but somehow I do! Noah Gordon really has a talent for writing. There are some stories and descriptions about native americans and American Civil war but the main story is not about that. I think it's more about medicine and family relations. Ant of course love...

This is the second of a trilogy. What a great storyteller author Noah Gordon is! The story begins with the death of Rob J. Cole, who is The Physician ( the first book). Shaman is the younger of the two sons, and this book is about him. He is deaf due to a childhood illness. He wants to become a doctor like his father was. His father says that can never happen because he is deaf, but he is determined. He applies at just about every medical school there is and is finally accepted, with conditions. Knowing he must study harder than the other students and apply himself even more, he becomes a favorite of his teachers and proves that he has exactly "the stuff" required to he a great physician.
The book follows his career and the struggles he has; in his personal life as well. We follow as he finds answers to questions his father had about the murder of an Indian woman who had taught him much about her medicine. She had been a good friend and a character I enjoyed very much reading about.
Shaman has loved Rachel all his life, a Jewish girl who was a close childhood friend. We follow his angst of loving her and wanting his feelings reciprocated. Shaman is a tender warm compassionate man and you find yourself cheering for him, and wishing his life was a little easier.
It was with sadness that I put the book down as I finished the story ... But smile because I can't wait to open the third and final installment of this saga.
Read it, savor it, it will not disappoint !!!

II trilogijos dalis ir tokia pat nuostabi kaip ir I knyga (Gydytojas. Avicenos mokinys). Vietomis gal buvo kiek sunkiau susigaudyt, nes nedaug težinau apie Amerikos pilietinį karą (savo gėdai), tad teko papildomai ieškoti informacijos. Bet kokia istorija! Indėnai, karas, meilė, religijos ir aišku medicina. Rekomenduoju!

3,5 en realidad.

Entretenida novela de ficción histórica de Noah Gordon, autor del famoso libro "El médico". Éste, "Chamán", es el segundo de su trilogía "La familia Cole", el cual nos narra acerca de un descendiente directo del protagonista de la novela anterior.

La trama se centra en Rob J. Cole, un médico escocés, que emigra a USA escapando de los problemas políticos que asolan Escocia, estableciéndose en un pequeño pueblo que a futuro se transformará en una importante ciudad americana. Acá conocerá a quién será su esposa, a las tribus locales y por supuesto engendrará un hijo, por quién se debe el nombre de la novela, chamán, quién luchará contra la adversidad al quedarse completamente sordo y que a medida que avance la trama ira tomando el protagónico.

Está novela es bastante detallada y entretenida, el autor nuevamente nos deleita con su buena narrativa y su prosa sencilla, pese a las descripciones no sé enrolla demasiado ni llega a cansar. No obstante ¿Por qué le he dado 3.5 estrellas? Y el motivo es sencillo, no está a la altura de la anterior novela. Pese a qué Gordon se esfuerza por meter una buena dosis de hechos históricos, rituales indígenas y detalles de la guerra civil, la trama pareciera ir dando tumbos de un lado a otro intentando hallar su camino, su hilo argumental... Y es que la novela comienza con un protagonista y termina con otro. Algo que no es necesariamente malo, pero que me dejó esa sensación de novela inacabada, carente de clímax real. En donde solo se intenta documentar la vida de sus personajes para meter datos históricos y más datos historicos que a la final se sienten forzados.

El mismo Rob j. Cole, cuándo inicia, ya es médico y se pasa un tercio de la novela tratando de hallar su destino. Lo que no deja de ser Interesante, pero a la vez esa falta de norte comienza a causarnos cierto desgaste. La historia de chamán y su lucha con la sordera es algo mejor, fueron los capítulos que más se me quedaron. No obstante, a partir de ahí se inicia una especie de trama de investigación por la muerte de una nativa y otra trama paralela de su hermano en la guerra que me hacían preguntar, ¿Qué era lo que realmente intentaba contarme Noah? ¿Era la Guerra? ¿La superación personal? ¿La discriminación a los pueblos nativos? ¿La búsqueda de identidad o un sentido de pertenencia? ¿Cuál es el mensaje implícito de la novela al final? porque al cerrar la última página fue algo que no me quedó claro.

En su anterior libro, "El médico", la línea era clara, "la incansable lucha de un hombre por aprender medicina". Acá no, el autor pareciera agarrar de todo un poco para mezclarlo y ver que sale, un montón de ideas conectadas a la fuerza que intentan decir todo, pero terminan diciendo nada. "El que mucho abarca poco aprieta" se suele decir y creo que está novela es un buen ejemplo de ello.

Lectura interesante, entretenida, pero sin visión clara.

Si te gusta la ficción histórica disfrutarás. Más, si este no es tu género te recomiendo dejarla pasar.

¡Interesante, entretenida! No mucho más.

Loved all three books. The Physician my favorite.

The Physician - book one. Amazing story line with characters to love and hate. The main character was so realistic and likable. The descriptions of the times and places were very detailed and it was easy to put yourself there. I loved the progression of the story. Very well written. I would highly recommend.

Shaman - book two. Again, excellent story line. I did enjoy book one more than the second. Very well written. Exciting characters. Interesting time periods with vivid descriptions. This could stand alone. I would highly recommend.

Matters of choice - book three. I enjoyed this book but not as well as the other two. It was set in modern day and I had enjoyed the previous time periods so much it was a little disappointing to be back in the modern era. This could stand alone. I would read it to see the conclusion of the story and I would recommend, but not as fun as the first two.

I am posting this review to all of the books as is. That way you can see the progression of the reviews. gbash