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Arrowsmith

By: Sinclair Lewis
Narrated by: John McDonough
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Summary

The son of a country doctor, Sinclair Lewis turned to writing instead of medicine. He won the Nobel Prize in 1930. Arrowsmith was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. This is the story of a brilliant young man who dedicates his life to science, yet finds that corruption, not disease, is his greatest foe.

Martin Arrowsmith is fascinated by science and medicine. As a boy, he immerses himself in Gray’s Anatomy. In medical school, he soaks up knowledge from his mentor, a renowned bacteriologist. But soon he is urged to focus on politics and promotions rather than his research. Even as Martin progresses from doctor to public health official and noted pathologist, he still yearns to devote his time to pure science.

Published in 1924, this novel had a profound effect on the reading public. As an expose of professional greed and fraud, it was a call to scrutinize flawed medical practices. Now, through John McDonough’s vibrant narration, it is a truly notable audiobook.

Public Domain (P)2001 Recorded Books, LLC
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Editor reviews

This 1924 classic traces the less than satisfying career of a doctor from his college training through his small-town practice, participation in a city health agency, and work in a West Indian clinic, where he hopes to engage in pure science and escape the money-grubbing that has so frustrated him earlier. Sinclair Lewis won the Pulitzer Prize for Arrowsmith but refused it, out of pique, some critics suggest, because he felt he should have won it for his earlier novels. The novel still makes good listening today, in large measure because of the competence of narrator John McDonough. Though he could use a little more drama and more consistent differentiation among the many characters, his style eventually becomes as compelling as the novel itself.

What listeners say about Arrowsmith

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fantastic story

nothing to dislike. Brilliant reading and Sinclair's usual stunning satire of American life. timely and prescient, and full of beautiful writing and characterisation.

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