The Story of Doctor Doolittle

by Hugh Lofting

{ 1920 | Frederick A. Stokes | 180 pgs }

Wow, that was a different era, huh? The Story of Doctor Doolittle has some amazingly outdated (and offensive) depictions. Wow. Just wow.

Our main character, Dr. John Doolittle, is a physician who has a variety of pets. Because he has so many pets, his patients gradually stop coming to see him. This means he has no money. Fortunately, he has a pet parrot who teaches him to speak parrot language, and from there Dr. Doolittle learns how to speak to all the animals. He becomes a veterinarian and prospers – until he allows a crocodile (escaped from the circus) to live in his pond, and then people are afraid to bring their pets to see Dr. Doolittle. Just as he runs out of his last few pennies, he’s asked (by a swallow) to travel to Africa to heal some sick monkeys. He borrows a boat and supplies and sets off to Africa with a few of his most trusted animal companions.

Once they arrive, Dr. Doolittle’s pet monkey Chee Chee starts leading them to the monkey colony (village?), but along the way they’re stopped and captured by the king of Jolligingki. He hates white men and won’t let Dr. Doolittle continue. By a clever ruse, Dr. Doolittle’s parrot, Polynesia, helps them escape, and they continue on to the monkeys, whom Dr. Doolittle heals. In appreciation, the monkeys gift Dr. Doolittle with a pushmi-pullyu, a two-headed gazelle-type creature, so that he can charge people in England to see the pushmi-pullyu and thus restore his fortunes.

Of course, Dr. Doolittle and his animals are captured by the king of Jolligingki again on their way back to the coast; this time, Polynesia again arranges escape for them, with the help of the king’s son, Bumpo. Apparently Bumpo’s greatest wish is to be a white prince, so he can marry a beautiful princess; Dr. Doolittle bleaches Bumpo’s face and hair in exchange for freedom. Again, wow.

The gang heads back to England in the ship Bumpo prepared for them, but before too long they’re attacked by pirates. Dr. Doolittle, with the help of his animal friends, manages to steal the pirate ship. In a locked room inside they find a little boy who was captured by the pirates, along with his uncle, a few days before. But his uncle is nowhere to be found. The animals eventually find him, and everyone arrives safely back in England. Dr. Doolittle makes plenty of money exhibiting the pushmi-pullyu and then retires to his quiet home again.

Aside from the plot, The Story of Doctor Doolittle was written very simply; it feels like it was intended for a six- or seven-year-old. And maybe it was. It was a quick read, but not incredibly enjoyable. I think there are so many other great adventure novels (most of them not quite so politically incorrect) that this one just isn’t quite worth the hour it will take to read it. Try Mary Poppins instead.

Every Last One

by Anna Quindlen

{ 2010 | Random House | 299 pgs }

Do you remember I told you to read Cutting for Stone? Definitely don’t bother reading Every Last One.

It’s pretty tricky to find an author whose last name starts with Q. I was able to get Every Last One for the Kindle; it was recommended, well-rated, and short, so it seemed like a win-win-win. Unfortunately, I hated it. I can’t recall finding a book quite so pointless before. Because I hope you take my advice yet again and don’t read this, I’m going to tell you the plot.

Actually, there’s very little plot. The book is narrated by Mary Beth Latham, a middle-aged mom who has a landscaping business. The entire first half of the story is simply Mary Beth talking about her family (husband Glen; daughter Ruby; twin sons Alex and Max). At the exact middle of the book, everyone in the family – except Alex, who is on a ski trip with friends – is murdered by Ruby’s psycho ex-boyfriend who has been secretly living in their unfinished attic. The second half of the book is about Mary Beth’s attempts to recover emotionally from the murders and to move on in her life with Alex.

Not only did I find the plot uninteresting, but Mary Beth’s narration was slow and I felt like I’d rather die than ever reach middle age myself. There was so much…minutiae. Is my life going to be that boring? (This is going to sound horrible – but not even the violent deaths of Mary Beth’s loved ones made the book interesting or worthwhile.)

I can’t think of much else to say, positive or negative…so I’ll just remind you: skip this one.

Cutting for Stone

by Abraham Verghese

{ 2009 | Knopf | 560 pgs }

You may recall that I try to avoid reading book reviews or even hearing general feedback before I read any given book. I’m too easily swayed by others’ opinions. I’d seen the title Cutting for Stone appear on several lists of recommended books, and, as I said, it was also suggested by sposita, so I added it to my list for the year without having (or wanting) any inkling what it was about.

Holy cow, guys. This is the best book I’ve read all year, including The Hunger Games.

I know that seems like a lofty claim. And to be fair, the books are so different that they probably can’t be compared; I’ll just say that Cutting for Stone is the best non-YA fiction book I’ve read in ages. Do you know how many books I’ve read in the last 6 years? (I do, but not off the top of my head. It’s a lot.) This may very well be my top pick from all those books.

So…are you interested now? Want to know what it’s about?

Briefly (so as not to spoil anything, or sway your opinion), Cutting for Stone is narrated by an identical twin born to an Indian nun working in Ethiopia in the 1950s. It begins with his mother’s story, then describes his life in Ethiopia until he is forced into exile and comes to America. Verghese is a doctor himself and most of the major characters in the book are officially or unofficially part of the medical profession as well. I really don’t want to tell you much more about the plot because I desperately want you to go read the book yourself. If you’ve ignored all of my other recommendations, take this one. The story is riveting, expertly woven and written, poignant.

READ THIS BOOK.