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trin's review against another edition
5.0
I was absolutely blown away by this novel. What initially attracted me was the premise: two young doctors involved in high-stakes cancer research come in conflict when one produces a new, potentially life-saving drug, causing the other to doubt the veracity of his results. What eventually impressed me so much was how incredibly well-drawn all of Goodman's characters are. When moving between POVs—from Cliff, the discoverer of the potential cure; to Robin, his colleague (and—uh-oh—ex-girlfriend) who fears he's lying about the effectiveness of his drug; to Sandy, the press-savvy lab director; to Marion, his much more tentative but also more ethically-minded partner—Goodman manages the incredible feat of making every point of view convincing, and making each set of motivations seem logical when you're inside the head of the person they belong to. It's not so much that she manages to keep the reader unable to choose who to believe; she makes you change your mind about who you think is right based on whose head you're currently in. It's a really fascinating look at human psychology and ethics, and about both inter-personal and societal responsibility. The one place the book falters, I think, is in depicting Cliff and Robin's romantic relationship; they fall apart as a couple before you can get any idea what (if anything) was good about them together, so later, when you're meant to feel a frisson of regret at that loss, it doesn't really work. However, everything else about this book does. It even has a note-perfect ending.
kitayers's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This book was disappointing, the entire time I was expecting a twist or a deeper conspiracy that never came. It took half of the book to get to the main plot but it felt weak and fairly boring to be honest
misstwosense's review
1.0
Unbelievably Boring
Wow. Shockingly dull. Everything in this book is told, not shown. Endless paragraphs of dull backstory for even the most minor characters, descriptions of average outings (BIRDWATCHING ffs) that have nothing to do with the plot or characters, no talk of the actual science involved. How did I learn absolutely nothing in a book that takes place in this setting! Not that the science is superseded by emotion. There is no emotional depth here. Every character is vaguely unpleasant, but not enough to be interesting. Just enough to make every pov switch as tedious as the last.
WHY IS SO MUCH TIME SPENT WITH THE POINTLESS TEENAGER? I thought it was going somewhere creepy but, like 99% of this book, it went nowhere. Even the main narrative thrust just fizzles out with no real answers or explanations, but it’s not like the author succeeds in making the shades of grey even vaguely interesting.
Honestly, I can’t even hate it because it’d be like hating a refrigerator repair manual. Sure, it might merit that, but at the end of the day, who cares really?
Wow. Shockingly dull. Everything in this book is told, not shown. Endless paragraphs of dull backstory for even the most minor characters, descriptions of average outings (BIRDWATCHING ffs) that have nothing to do with the plot or characters, no talk of the actual science involved. How did I learn absolutely nothing in a book that takes place in this setting! Not that the science is superseded by emotion. There is no emotional depth here. Every character is vaguely unpleasant, but not enough to be interesting. Just enough to make every pov switch as tedious as the last.
WHY IS SO MUCH TIME SPENT WITH THE POINTLESS TEENAGER? I thought it was going somewhere creepy but, like 99% of this book, it went nowhere. Even the main narrative thrust just fizzles out with no real answers or explanations, but it’s not like the author succeeds in making the shades of grey even vaguely interesting.
Honestly, I can’t even hate it because it’d be like hating a refrigerator repair manual. Sure, it might merit that, but at the end of the day, who cares really?
alicebme's review
2.0
My favorite parts were all of the lab employee get-togethers. The traditions, the food, the social tension! Nice.
I don't read this sort of book (adult fiction) too often, but I think I expected more of a twist or a zinger or a reveal of some sort. This did not come.
That said, the I enjoyed the writing style, and I would pick up another of Allegra Goodman's books in the future.
I don't read this sort of book (adult fiction) too often, but I think I expected more of a twist or a zinger or a reveal of some sort. This did not come.
That said, the I enjoyed the writing style, and I would pick up another of Allegra Goodman's books in the future.
timna_wyckoff's review
1.0
I couldn't get past the unrealistic portrayal of everyday life in a lab to start thinking seriously about the messages of this book.
aubrey_the_explorer's review
3.0
I enjoyed this read about research at a university. I haven't read many stories on this topic, so it was unique in that regard. There is a lot of drama and tension in the book that I could have gone without. I just about thought the last part of the book was pretty awful, but it redeemed itself on the final page.
methanojen's review
Wonderful and thought provoking book about research ethics and the day-to-day life in a biomedical lab at a cancer institute. The characters really sprang to life off the page and were complex and multi-dimensional: Robin, the frustrated postdoc who accuses her lab-mate and ex-boyfriend of research misconduct; Cliff, an extremely ambitious and charismatic postdoc who truly believes in his major discovery of a virus that cures cancer in mice and that he did no wrong; Feng, the Chinese postdoc who helps Cliff in the discovery but later comes to regret doing so; and Marion and Sandy, the lab's PIs who have opposite personalities but both want wants best for the lab and their postdocs until they become entangled in a lawsuit and investigation they never imagined possible. This book really provides an insider's perspective into biomedical research -- and it makes me very glad that I don't work in that field! The researchers do fascinating work, but not without battling politics and others out to scoop them on a daily basis. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in bioethics and anyone who has ever worked in a scientific field, or to those who want to learn what life in cancer research is all about.
cdale8's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Intuition" by Allegra Goodman. People that aren't familiar with the experience of climbing up the academic ladder while doing science may not, though. I imagine it might even be boring... The story revolves around a wet lab and the researchers that inhabit it. The main plot effect: potentially biased reporting of results, and the interplay of PI and trainees during the "discovery" and "whistleblower" periods. It has a subtle commentary on the culture of grant funding and publish-or-perish, and how it facilitates ethical breaches in scientific discovery.
The funny thing is that all the players come out of the experience essentially unscathed, although their situations did change from the status quo. While I agree that the PIs can move on and rebuild with reputations only slightly tarnished, I find it difficult to believe that all of the postdocs involved would be able to land jobs doing science after association with a lab that retracted a publication and caused so much of a public stir in the media. Particularly when the work was attributed mainly to two of the postdocs in the media. But then after a few of my experiences in trainee positions (granted, not in the same field as in the book), I suppose I'm a bit more cynical than most.
The funny thing is that all the players come out of the experience essentially unscathed, although their situations did change from the status quo. While I agree that the PIs can move on and rebuild with reputations only slightly tarnished, I find it difficult to believe that all of the postdocs involved would be able to land jobs doing science after association with a lab that retracted a publication and caused so much of a public stir in the media. Particularly when the work was attributed mainly to two of the postdocs in the media. But then after a few of my experiences in trainee positions (granted, not in the same field as in the book), I suppose I'm a bit more cynical than most.
susanbrooks's review
2.0
Has a researcher in this Harvard lab found something that might cure cancer? Or were his methods compromised to get results? Seemed like it could've been a real medical thriller, but no thrills. Just a thorough, bogged-down description of all personalities and points of view involved in the situation.