Noah Gordon Books

Noah Gordon has done a superb job of drawing the reader into this 11th century story. Historical facts and practices of the time are carefully interwoven into the main story. The book spans quite a long period of time, but at no point does the reader get bored with the pace of events. I read the book in Spanish and was delighted with the colourfulness of the language used and how the story developed throughout. I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in novels of the time, as well as all those simply interested in a good story.

The Physican is probably the best historical novel I've read. Noah Gordon is a superb writer. In fact, I've reread it and even enjoyed it more the second time. I've read everything that Noah Gordon has written. The same accolades go for all his novels! Read and enjoy!

I couldn't put the book down. Noah Gordon is one of my favorite authors.

Muy interesante, ya que yo soy medico en Inglaterra y conozco los lugares hablados, describe a la perfeccion la figura de cirujano-barbero (Mister), caso unico ingles, diferente del medico (Doctor), de aqui la diferencia actualmente entre los "misteres" y los "doctors" ingleses. Y como ambos reconocen que uno no esta completo sin el otro, por ello "Mr" Cole decide hacerse tambien un "Doctor" a un precio tremendo, mas o menos lo que he vivido yo 1,000 anhos despues. Cole tenia la oportunidad de estudiar medicina en Espanha (Salamanca, Alcala y otras), Salerno (Italia) o Bagdad, ya que las universidades de medicina eran Arabes, prefirio irse a Bagdad y estudiar con Avicena. Yo personalmente tambien cruze el mundo para estudiar medicina en Alcala de Henares. A leer este libro que es de lo mejor que he leido.

El Médico es sin duda uno de los libros para todo aquél que se inicia en ese largo viaje de la carrera médica. Nos relata la historia de Robert Cole, un inglés en la edad media, quien descubre un enorme don, y ese don le impulsa a la vocación poderosa de luchar contra la enfermedad, encontrando las respuestas que necesita en ese fiero y arduo combate. La búsqueda de las respuestas lo lleva en un fascinante viaje hasta el medio Oriente en donde se encuentra con el "principe" de la medicina y uno de sus padres: Avicena. Una obra bella no solo por la enorme cantidad de mensajes que tocan la conciencia de todo sanador, si no también por su ambientación temporal y geográfica, las cuales Noah Gordon ha tenido el tino de cuidar hasta en sus más pequeños detalles. Es un libro que definitivamente está destinado a influir mucho en quien lo lee.

This book has a little bit of everything: a moving story, an interesting setting, many little misteries, a lot of historically correct information about the times of the Spanish inquisition. It is written in a friendly, easy-to-follow language, and it leaves us with many thoughts about discrimination, courage, love, and the human spirit.

A manera de novela, Noah Gordon nos invita a vivir el horror que padecieron los judíos durante la inquisición. Allí uno se entera de lo que la Iglesia Católica calla. España es el escenario para conocer esa parte de la historia (que aunque en este libro fabulada y recreada con personajes que no existieron como tales) de la que los católico se averguenzan. Es una novela maravillosa, finamente escrita, atrapa la atención del lector al leer las primeras líneas y desde allí se hace dicífil cerrar el libro, hasta llegar al sorprendente final que es la esperanza misma.

Este es un libro excelente, aunque es historia novelada, describe una epoca en forma perfecta. Ademas el lector esta siempre en suspenso a traves de todo el libro.Apenas tome el libro para leerlo no pude parar.Este ejemplar lo compre justo despues de un viaje a España y pude recrear todos los sitios donde habia estado.

Esta novela más que la historia de Yonah Toledano y su familia, es la historia de miles de familias judias y musulmanas que tras la conquista de Granada por los Reyes Católicos se vieron forzados a abandonar sus casas y propiedades por su fe o abjurar de ellas y convertirse al catolicismo. Muy de manifiesto se ve la mano de la Santa Inquisición que tomó parte activa en esa historica expulsión tan nefasta para la España de aquel entonces y la reacción de los ciudadanos que igual delataban a los conversos y herejes como que los protegían y escondían a sabiendas de las consecuencias que el delito acarreaba. Muy buena las descripciones que el autor hace de esa España del siglo XVI, sus costumbres, formas de vida y pensamientos.

El autor logra capturar la atencion del lector y es dificil dejar de leer esta novela. El autor revela la aventura de este joven judio durante la España del 1500. Tiene suspenso, amor, y atencion al detalle en una narrativa facil de leer. El que ha viajado a, o vive en España, apreciara esta obra de marco historico. (Si les gusto The Name of the Rose, les gustara esta).

This is a wonderful work of fiction in short prose sections. It's all about a fella who works at a radio station.

Part narrative, part lyric, Noah Eli Gordon's book-length poem The Frequencies unfolds as an exploration of the intersection between the self and the paradox of radio hiding the larger, outside world. Spanning the FM dial, these ephemeral broadcasts cut across unrequited love, pop-iconography, and the requisite music of any station worth a listen.

Buen libro. A pesar de los obvios agujeros históricos, el autor ha escrito un libro entretenido y de fácil digestión. En las 900 páginas del libro se encuentran descripciones detalladas del medio oriente y rasgos del mítico Avicena. Ampliamente recomendable para personas amantes de la lectura.

This is what reading is ALL ABOUT. This was absolutely INCREDIBLE and so is The SHAMAN.

Noah Gordon is my new favorite author. I read The Physician after I read The Last Jew. Both were phenomenal.

The Physician is long, but I read through it quickly. I could hardly put it down! The novel is set in the middle of the eleventh century. Gordon transports readers to another time, setting an ambience that feels authentic to the time period. The novel covers a wide span of geography, beginning in London, taking the reader throughout England and ultimately across Europe through Constantinople to Persia, then India, and back to London and ultimately to Scotland. The main character, Rob J. Cole, is orphaned in London and taken in by "Barber", a Barber surgeon, which is a doctor of sorts for the lowest classes. Rob J. also has a special gift, which he discovers just before his parents die - he can sense when people die. He struggles in his new role as a Barber surgeon (he has a hard time mastering juggling, which is vital to draw crowds) but eventually he becomes obsessed with the idea of healing people after he meets a Jewish Physician who can perform cataract surgery. After Barber dies, Rob J. decides to study in Ispahan, where the Jewish Physician studied, and learn from Abicenna, the premier physician of the time. The complication is that the Catholic Church prohibits Christians from studying in "heathen" institutions, so Rob J. must disguise himself as a Jew. Rob J. learned some Jewish ways during his travels and studies Persian and ends up passing as a Jew ignorant of the Jewish traditions. Eventually Rob J. becomes a physician only to discover that his skills are not wanted/respected in London, where he is suspected of possible witchcraft and he flees to Scotland where he can practice medicine in peace.

This novel is not only entertaining, but also makes the reader think. It raises many issues of religion and science and the relationship between the two. The reader also develops a strong sense of the fragility of life in this time period, of the difficulty of travel, of how much our world has progressed in 1000 years. Also, unlike most novels of this period, it gives a sense of the role of Jews in the Middle Ages. The Jewish system of travel is fascinating.

No, he's not my relative. And yes, this book is on my Top 5 Book List!! The Physician is a remarkable book, you'll love to read it and know more about world history while you experience one of the best stories ever told in one book. Adventure, medical, mistery and romance in one book.

This was one of those novels that sucked me in from the very first page. Rob J. Cole ends up an orphan and after all his younger brothers and sisters are torn away from him and sent to seperate families, Rob is adopted by a travelling barber surgeon. The surgeon takes him under his wing and teaches him his craft.

Rob has bigger aspirations and finds himself wanting to know and learn more about the art of healing. He wants to be a true physician rather than a second rate barber surgeon. He learns of a medical school in the Middle East that is the best in the known world. The problem is Rob is a Christian and the school, run by Muslims, does not allow Christian's. Further complicating matters, the Pope has also forbidden Christian's from attending. So Rob does what he must and disguises himself as a Jew.

This novel was so action packed and filled with adventure. Gordon showed himself to me to be a master story teller. This is a long book but I devoured every page of it! So why did I give it four stars instead of five? First, there is a bear baiting scene where a pit bull is described as having locking jaw's, even after being killed by the bear the dog's jaws are still locked around it's neck! If only the author would've done some research. It is a myth that pit bull's jaw's lock. They are not even any stronger than any other dog with a similar head size! This is my favorite breed of dog and they are currently so maligned that I cannot allow such a mistruth to go unchallenged.

Second, the sex scenes were appalling. Maybe it's because they were written by a man but they left me saying, "Eeew"! Please, just a little more finese, Mr. Gordon! Third, I'm no historian but I had some doubts as to the authenticity of some of the story. For example, "Rob J." seems like an odd choice of name for a man living in England in the 900's.

Those flaws aside, it really is a great story and I highly recommend it. It's exciting and takes you on a grand adventure from England all the way to the Middle East. I can't wait to read the sequal, Shaman!

I'll admit to allowing this book to languish in my to read pile for almost a year after I purchased it. That was a mistake and I'd like to recommend to anyone who buys this book that they read it immediately because it is soo good. I was put off at first by something about the first couple of pages-it is a tad of a slow starter-but this book really flourishes into something quite spectacular.

This is the story of Rob J, who is orphaned and taken on by a barber surgeon (kind of the lowest rung of medical anything) as an apprentice about 40 years before the Norman conquest of England. He discovers at a young age that he can sense death when holding hands and wants nothing more than to fight it off and so ends up on a two year long journey to Persia where he will attend the greatest medical school in the world-disguised as a Jew. In the beginning Rob has no respect for or knowledge of his adopted culture but this changes as the book goes on and he ages and learns more about the culture he has immersed himself into.

There is not only a huge amount of old medical info and treatments in this book (similar in description and gross out factor to "City of Dreams") but a great deal about the culture in Persia, and in Middle Eastern and European Jews. This is really a great book for looking at the religious differences that exists between Jews, Christians and Islam-which aren't that great and the spiritual awakening of one man from being a Christian to believing that perhaps no one religion in the black and white he lives is right or wrong, but variations of each other all with equal worth.

There is also a really subtle undercurrent about how the Middle East and Asia were so much more advanced than Europe in science and medicine and Europe was more advanced in terms of women's rights (sort of) that is just fascinating.

In addition to being extremely entertaining and educational about multiple subjects, this book has a great love story. I loved reading the whole thing and can't wait to read the sequel.

Recommended highly-five stars.

Good reading - happy to recommend. I have lived in this area, played with horse apples as a child and never knew they were called Osage Apples or that they had any use whatsoever. Now I am trying to grow them. The tales are wonderful, some of the characters are historical figures, some of facts are unique and true(Osage Apples or monkey balls) and educational. The story, itself, is a good read. Thank you, Noah Gordon!

One of my all time favorite books - it has everything, history, romance, tiny details that vividly paint the details of an era I knew nothing about. Truly a masterpiece.

We wouldn't be in such an awkward situation with other countries of the world. Peace and love is what will keep us alive, more years to come. That is what I learned and confirmed from reading the saga of Drs. Cole. Thank you Mr. Noah Gordon.

I have nothing but admiration for Mr. Gordon's works. This book continues the line of Doctors in the Cole family who have the power to know if somebody is facing death. The main character is a deaf child nicknamed "Shaman" who overcomes many obstacles to realize his dream of becoming a Doctor Of Medicine. This is a beautifully crafted book with characters from the 19th Century who spring to life. This is one of the few books I have read which are very long in their story and yet managed to keep me enthralled throughout the narration. Bravo Mr. Gordon!!!

Before I actually read "Shaman" I was a little confused. How could a book have a sequel that was at all successful or keeping in the spirit of the book when the sequel is set eight hundred years after the first book. Reading it however I came to appreciate that I could not expect the book to be anything like "The Physician" really. On top of all the characters being different, the world had changed. New continents had been discovered in the interim and enormous life changing advances had been made in the field of medicine (which the much later generations of Cole's still practiced) and all of this changes the canvas the story was to be written on in many ways.

"Shaman" is really the story of two Rob. J. Cole's, father and son. The senior came to America fleeing political unrest and became a small town doctor in a newly settled Indiana town and formed close relationships with the Indian people who were displaced. The junior was his son, called Shaman by the Indians and who became deaf at the age of five but didn't let it stop him in his quest to be a doctor.

Because of the timeframe of the novel (the time before and just after the civil war) there is a great deal of the politics of the time which is one of the best aspects of the book. I learned more about the civil war and what were the real reasons behind it and the horror of it from this book than any history class I've ever taken.

I was especially surprised to learn that many American Jews sided with the south. I had always thought that as a group that is traditionally persecuted that Jews would find a bond with and side with other disenfranchised groups but it seems that like a kid being picked on by a playground bully, there is more relief then a sense of camaraderie when the bully finds a new target. Also the civil war was so little about slavery and so much about economics and not having a weak union.

The medical advances and theories of that time were also fascinating because they are inching closer to what we now enjoy as standard practice and are miles away from what the original Rob J. went so far and risked so much to learn, but are still primitive compared to today's standards. Cleanliness is just being considered to have an effect on health, vaccines are just cropping up and hospitals are often more dirty and contributing to disease than anything else.

Keeping with one of the themes of "The Physician" "Shaman" does have a faith aspect. Rob J. is a pacifist and swore never to hurt another human being and becomes deeply involved in the religion of the Indians and Shaman, with his love for a Jewish neighbor brings on a controversy of a mixed race marriage.

I loved this book just as much as the first and more in different ways. Noah Gordon is truly a talented author who combines history, science and faith to come out with a novel that is an astounding read. I really wish there were more in the series. (hint to the author-there were eight hundred years between these books Go back and fill some of that in!)

Five stars.

I have never read any of Noah Gordon's other works, so I can only rate this as a stand-alone piece. Most of what I enjoyed was how medicine has changed since the book was published in 1969 - anybody with so much as a mild fascination in medicine (or a love of ER or other similar television dramas) would probably find it enjoyable, if not entirely up to date. The whole book has a warm, fuzzy feeling, and I was left quite content and pleased with the world by its end. I give it four stars not for the great prose or character development, but because it kept me reading for hours on end, curious to find out what happened to the characters. A made-for-TV novel, if you will.

Mr. Noah Gordon is my prefered author... I have readed all of his books...and this is another masterpiece that came out of his mind... It talks about the history os three doctors and their lifes inside a Hospital... A sensible book, once you start you can't stop... A MUST READ !!!

An early work of Gordon, it reflects on his fascination with the world of Medicine. Unlike his best work in The Physician and Shaman, Death Committee searches out modern cutting edge medicine. At times he seems in awe of the mortals who struggle to solve the puzzle of transplantation. He does an accurate job for 1969 when the book was published.

I expected more incite to the characters. Having read his wonderful later works first, my expectations were high. Trying to put this in perspective as a second novel, it showcases Gordon's development as a character writer.

It is a clever quick read and highly recommended for those who like Gordon's later works, but I would read the later works first.

700 años después de terminar la primera parte, el autor describe las peripecias de dos nuevos médicos en la familia Cole. El primero inicia la trama de este libro y el hijo de éste termina de gran manera la obra. El libro describe detalles de la guerra civil estadounidense y otros hechos históricos como la muerte de Lincoln a manos de Wilkes Booth. Una gran obra, digna continuación de la primera parte.

This is the second book of a series of 3 books that tell the awesome story of the Cole family, every first kid of wich is a doctor with a strange gift... The story itself is REALLY interesting and well-told, but i definitively liked the 1st book more than this one, since it contains more historical facts and interesting comments about how life was in the Middle Ages, and how religion controlled everything... Oh, and dont you dare to read this book without having read the 1st one, guys... that would be catastrophic!!! Also, i think these 3 books are especially valuable for those studying or somewhat interested in the career of medicine... It really gives you a great idea about what a good doctor is like.

Este es el segundo libro de una serie de tres que relatan la increíble historia de la familia Cole, cuyos primoogénitos son siempre doctores con un don extraño... La historia en sí misma es muy interesante y bien contada, pero a mi definitivamente me gustó mas el primer libro que este, ya que contiene mas hechos historicos y comentarios interesantes acerca de como era la vida en la Edad Media y como todo era controlado por la religion... Ah, y no se atrevan a leer este libro sin heber antes leído el primero, gente... eso sería catastrófico!!! Además, yo pienso que esta serie de libros sería especialmente útil o de interés para aquellos estudiantes o simplemente interesados en la carrera de medicina humana... Realmente te da una buena idea acerca de cómo debe ser un buen doctor.

La Bodega is really a good read. Spain has had for a long time a bad name for mass producing cheap wines, but this trend changed some 20 years ago, and now it markets some really great wines. Making good wine is a long process, which started in Spain around the end of the 19th century. The novel is located in the region of Catalumya around the time of the filoxera epidemy, and also briefly refers to the carlists wars. However this is not a history book, the references are there to develop the plot not as focal point.

Es un libro muy agradable,para mi fue una sorpresa, es el segundo libro que leo de Noah Gordon y en verdad es tan bueno como El ultimo judio, por supuesto con una tematica totalmente diferente.
Esta ubicado en una etapa interesante de la historia de Espana. Una Espana convulsionada politicamente; finales del siglo XIX.
La descripcion del pueblo, los personajes son maravillosos, estan muy bien logrados. La historia esta muy bien lograda, es entretenido y ademas tiene algo de novela historica sin ser una novela historica,aunque ademas del tema politico el tema central el inicio de la producion vinicola en el norte de Espana
No deje de leerlo, pasara un buen rato, yo lo lei en una noche

This is one of the best books I've read in a while. The setting is fascinating and terrifying - the Spanish inquisition. While the inquisition is a continual backdrop - especially the first half of the book - the book is not really about the horrors of the inquisition in the blood and gore sense. Yes, there are some passages about the brutality, but this book is at its core a deep character study.

The Last Jew is about Yonah Toledano, a man who by circumstances ends up orphaned at the time of the expulsion. It is too late for him to leave Spain and he does not want to convert to Catholicism (he is offered the opportunity to stay in Toledo and become the adoptive son of his father's friend, an "Old Christian"). Instead, he leaves Toledo alone with a burro and meanders across Spain, terrified of being discovered but steadfastly opposed to converting to Catholicism. He finds himself in various cities, tries out several professions and meets some interesting people along the way. He uses adopted names, eventually settling on Ramon Callico. There is the constant fear of being turned in and he gradually learns to act outwardly as a Catholic. He tries to keep up with Jewish tradition, but as time comes, he remembers less and less. He struggles to remember, but there is no one to remember with him. Eventually, Yonah finds his way to Saragossa and becomes a physician. At the end of the novel, Yonah has changed - he realizes that for better or for worse he must be an outward Catholic and he assumes the identity of an "Old Christian." He goes to church to keep appearances and over time he forgets the prayers and the traditions. He learns to hob-nob with preists and no one suspects that not only is he not an "Old Catholic" - he never even converted to Catholicism! Yonah is a Jew until the end, but ultimately, he adapts.

This books is definitely not "light reading." I felt sad through most of it - only at the end is there a glimmer of happiness. Nonetheless, I recommend it!

Yonah Toledano is a young Jew, living in Spain during the Inquisition at the end of the 15th. century. At this time, Jews were forced to embrace the Catholic religion or be killed. Even declaring that you were a Christian did not always guarantee that a Jew's life would be spared. Through a series of circumstances, Yonah loses his family and is forced to fend for himself. He chooses not to flee the country but to wander from place to place under the guise of being a Christian. He goes to various places and takes on any job which will earn him enough to survive and, when things become dangerous, he moves on to another place. Always he longs to see his family again or, at least, to practice his religion without persecution. Gordon is a good writer and he includes some interesting and instructive historical background in his novels. This is a good book, but I felt that Gordon's "The Physician" was even better.

I love most of Gordon's books. I say most because I really enjoy historical fiction more than contemporary fiction which can become very quickly dated. I wanted to give this a five star rating but there was such a glaring factual error with regard to Jewish worship that it made me question some of the other information in the book. A sad and beautiful lesson about survival and courage.

This is another great book from the author who gave us The Physician and The Rabbi. I have enjoyed every book he has written.

It is one of the best books I've read. I actually stayed up all night cuz I couldn't stop. And I cried at the end. Gordon is a marvelous writer and did amazing historic research for this book. He exposes the horrors and cruelty of the christian church of those days, and tells a unique story that helps understand how Jews have overcome similar situations all over the world in the last 3 thousand years.