2024 the best tennis players review


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An unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive, from Abraham Verghese, the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Cutting for Stone and The Covenant of Water, an Oprah's Book Club Pick.

“Heartbreaking. . . . Indelible and haunting, [The Tennis Partner] is an elegy to friendship found, and an ode to a good friend lost.”—The Boston Globe

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unraveling, relocates to El Paso, Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at the county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security in the sport they love and with each other. This friendship between doctor and intern grows increasingly rich and complex, more intimate than two men usually allow. Just when it seems nothing can go wrong, the dark beast from David’s past emerges once again—and almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened as David spirals out of control.

Reviewer: DRotolo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A moving tale of friendship.
Review: I’ve now read all of Dr. Verghese books. This book unique in its’ naked honesty and reality. More than a few passages resonating with my own thoughts. This book will not be for everyone. However, I was moved, swept up, frightened and certainly not disappointed. Dr. Verghese is one of the most gifted writers of our time. A bright jewel in an otherwise monotonous dull world of mundane, formula books.

Reviewer: Marci L Onorato
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Abraham Varghese- Amazing
Review: A beautifully written book with such heartfelt insight into the frail human psyche. My only critique (and who am I??!!) is that there were some very lengthy, detailed tennis passages that I found difficult to read through.

Reviewer: Walter Prochorenko
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book by a superb author
Review: A great and moving autobiographical novel that takes the reader through another chapter of Verghese's life. Few writers can elicit the moving and emotional roller coaster of this great author's life and his brilliance. I'm captivated by all of Verghese's books and hope he will never stop writing.

Reviewer: Baja Kathy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Wonderful Story on the Failure of Recovery Programs
Review: Abraham Verghese's writing connects the reader so firmly with his characters that, upon waking the day after finishing "The Tennis Partner," the reader wants to pick up the phone to find out what his characters have planned for the day. I felt a similar connection to the characters of Verghese's wonderful book, "Cutting for Stone."The secondary theme of "The Tennis Partner" is Verghese's finesse as a doctor of internal medicine, primarily because of his amazing intuitive abilities and emotional intelligence. The stories of his patients and his care for them are educational and heartwarming. But for me, the primary missives of the book were:1) Deep interpersonal relationships can be incredibly rewarding and help one progress through difficult times (e.g., Verghese's family issues, David's attempts to stay sober). But they can also be very painful, particularly if one's expectations for the other person are unreasonable (see below).2) No matter how much you love someone, you can't save him/her from himself/herself;and, most important,3) Addiction recovery programs (Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Talbott-Marsh Recovery Center) failed David, not because he didn't attend A.A. or N.A. meetings frequently enough or stay long enough at Talbott-Marsh. They failed, as they have millions of other addicts, because their success criteria are ridiculously irresponsible, applauding only the symptom--the ability to stay sober or off drugs--rather than emotional sobriety--the identification of, and attempt to relinquish (or at least minimize) the toxic beliefs and/or behaviors that led to the addiction.Steps 4 and 10 of AA's Twelve Steps recommend a "personal inventory," and A.A. encourages correction of character defects toward adopting a new way of life. But A.A. members are to accomplish these difficult goals without professional help such as concomitant therapy to treat the root of the addiction (see Scientific American "Does Alcoholics Anonymous work" May 2011). One of A.A.'s Twelve Traditions is "The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking," while a commitment toward attaining emotional sobriety is necessary if the addict wishes to recover completely, to treat his/her loved ones better than he/she did as an addict, as well as to confront and to attempt to slay the beliefs and behaviors that led to the addiction. Complete recovery, however, may never be possible, if the cause for the addiction is years of emotional abuse, as in David's case (see below). The feeling of inadequacy resides as an emotion in the limbic system, which Verghese discusses as the root of his olfactory diagnostic capabilities yet fails to recognizeas a dominant driver in David's addiction.David's relapses into drug use were triggered by his deep-seated self-loathing, which never diminished despite frequent attendance at N.A. and A.A. meetings, and months at Talbott-Marsh (I apologize for the non sequitur, but if you google "Talbott-Marsh" you'll find eye-opening accounts of patient abuse at Talbott-Marsh and successful lawsuits against the clinic).Verghese never directly implicates David's parents, though in "The Tennis Partner" Acknowledgements, only thanks David's sisters. It's obvious to the reader, however, from David's phone call to his parents Verghese overhears, the message David received from his parents for decades was that he was just not good enough. David's feelings of inadequacy would likely haunt him for the rest of his life, yet his N.A. sponsor, his friend (Verghese), and the chief of his recovery at Talbott-Marsh expect him to simply reject drugs and become a successful doctor. Verghese's emotionally intelligence with his patients was sorely lacking in his feelings for his dear friend David.Verghese and Talbott vetoed David's dream for emergency medicine and instead recommended internal medicine (the reader wonders whether David begins to feel Verghese is treating him as did his father, e.g., "your dream is not good enough, follow mine") because the adrenaline rush provided by E.R. work is too similar to cocaine, David's drug of choice. Yet thousands of "recovered" addicts have simply switched addictions, from alcohol or drugs to, for example, the endorphins of extreme exercise, or to workaholism. Verghese took personally David's expressed hatred for internal medicine. But it's apparent to the reader that David's psyche required daily affirmations about his abilities, which he'd receive from pulling patients from the brink of death, and that he lacked the patience required by an internist to wait for sometimes weeks until his patient is cured. Verghese couldn't understand that and felt that E.R. medicine would be like "walking out in the middle of a movie."No one other than David can be blamed for his failure at sobriety and for his ultimate suicide. But I wonder, since it's unlikely David could have ever entirely silenced the derogatory broken-record in his brain, if he'd be alive today had he been allowed to become an E.R. physician.

Reviewer: Sonia
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: It Was Okay …
Review: Like I said in the title of this review, it was okay, just okay … At times, it read more like a personal, PRIVATE journal than a “story about male friendship”, as it was advertised as being. Emphasis on “private”!! Like he mentions some things that I thought, “Oh … Uh … maybe he shouldn’t have published that to the whole world … “ 😕 But maybe it’s just me seeing this through a modern lens & not in a “90’s lens” (when the book was first published) … (Cue me singing, 🎶 It’s me. Hi! I’m the problem. It’s me. 🎶 here. 😅) For example, he seems a little too unemphatic towards his friend who’s an addict. And, yes, I understand that a friend with an addiction is frustrating and maddening at times (🎶 You needed me but you needed drugs more 🎶; sorry, I’m a hardcore Swiftie. This is just me being me 😅), BUT it’s like, “C’mon, dude! You’re a DOCTOR who cares for addicts EVERYDAY!! You could be a little more compassionate towards your FRIEND who HAS an addiction!!” 😒 Also, all the women who became in introduced seemed to have a “romantic introduction” (if that’s makes any sense 😉) that lead literally NOWHERE!! What the “F” was happening there?!?! … 🤷🏽‍♀️ … And, I could’ve done without all the “tennis talk”, too. I’m just not that into tennis (or any sports, really, unless it’s Quidditch, of course 😉. I’m also a major Potterhead as well as a big Swiftie. Again, just me being me! 🥰). Also, to add your OWN good review (at least the Kindle version has a good review) at the end of the book seemed a little too “inflated ego” for me … It’s like, Really, dude?? Gilderoy Lockhart much? 😅 … 😒 But who knows? Maybe it was the publisher’s idea to add it to the end … 🤷🏽‍♀️ Anyway, all in all, it was okay. Would recommend if you LOVE tennis! 😅

Reviewer: Mark Wood
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: We enjoy reading books written by this author. He is a wonderful writer.

Reviewer: mathew e.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The book tells the story of two doctors at a Texas Hospital and how their lives are intertwined between tennis,medicine and their personal struggles.David Smith is an Australian intern at the hospital where Dr Verghese is the senior doctor in the Internal Medicine department.David is a recovering drug addict who has gone through rehab .Dr Verghese is having his own personal separation issues with his wife.They find comfort in their friendship on the tennis court where David is skilled and helps Verghese in learning the finer points of the game. Dr Verghese helps David in learning the ropes in patient care and diagnosis.In the last chapter the author reveals how differently people deal with the loneliness that comes with the success in a doctor’s life.

Reviewer: J. Casini
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Addiction. Addiction and relationships. Addiction and work. Addiction and personality changes.Well written. You learn about Verghese's own weaknesses, not just his tennis partner's. Scary, revealing.

Reviewer: Henri IV
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: In my opinion Abraham Verghese is one of the best and most thoughtful writers working today. This book is an exposition of a drug addict...not a pleasant story, but a gripping one. It should be read by anyone who has the misfortune to have a drug addict in the circle of acquaintances. He writes with an acute intelligence and a mastery of the language. I love his stuff.

Reviewer: Mrs. Tracy D. Saunders
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: tidy book arrived promptly, good value, an interesting read. I wanted to read more Abraham Verghhesebecause cutting for stone is so brilliant, this one was different, and not quite so much for me as I know nothing about tennis (there are a lot of detailed match descriptions} but I am glad I read it, He is an excellent writer I hope he produces more, overall I reccomend it.

Customers say

Customers find the book very good, entertaining, and articulate. They also describe it as thought-provoking, captivating, and moving. Readers praise the writing quality as beautiful, easy, and fluid. Opinions are mixed on the story quality and pacing, with some finding it interesting and sad, while others say it's boringly slow.

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