The Final Diagnosis| Strong Medicine| The Evening News by Arthur Hailey

Author: Arthur Hailey
Original title: The Final Diagnosis
Pages: 164
Edition Language: Russian
Series: no
Format: hardcover
Genres: fiction
Goodreads

Blurb:    
   A look at the workings of a modern day hospital through the lens of the pathologists department.

  My thoughts: 
    I simply love this one. Unable to put down the book. Once you are into it, you are hooked. I read this book multiple times and always find it impactful.
      The duration of the story is short, but the author manages to give a life history of all the main characters. It is fast paced with extremely interesting characters thrown into realistic episodes. The descriptions are so vivid one can actually visualise things happening in front of your eyes.
       A story  is told through the perspective of a pathology lab. We don't quite value pathologists enough, always reserving our praise for the kind physicians and fancy surgeons. Of course, a lot of things changed from the times the novel was written, everything is computerized and faster, but if skip the outdated facility, you can see the work that is done and the importance of it for the functionality of the hospital in general.

Rating:  

    4/5  

Author: Arthur Hailey 

Original title: Strong Medicine

Pages: 265

Edition Language: Russian

Series: no

Format: hardcover

Genres: fiction

Goodreads

Blurb:    

   Miracle drugs save lives and ease suffering, but for profit-motivated companies, the miracle is the money they generate...at any cost.  Billions of dollars in profits will make men and women do many things--lie, cheat, even kill.  now one beautiful woman will be caught in the cross fire between ethics and profits.

  My thoughts: 

    First of all, this book took forever to read, because of the way it was written. The writing is passive and too many years are covered. You can easily recognize the well-rounded characters and lots of inside info that Hailey is so good at.  I have read, that Hailey writes from some experience, after medical issues of his own, and also throws in plenty of brand names and current events to keep this topical.

     Secondly, the main character is absolutely unbelievable: too many ups and downs in the life of Celia Jordan and in frequent succession. She is too perfect and I had a hard time believing her decisions and actions to be realistic for a person at the top of the ladder.

     Overall, it was a really long and dull read, trying to cover so many topics that you lose the connection to the main characters and the plot. 

Rating:  

    2/5  

Author: Arthur Hailey

Original title: The Evening News

Pages: 543

Edition Language: Russian

Series: no

Format: hardcover

Genres: fiction

Goodreads

Blurb:    

   This passionate, terrifying drama takes us behind the scenes of a great television network faced with mortal dangers and moral challenges as it collides with a smaller but equally potent force--the most feared terrorist group in the Americas.

  My thoughts: 

    I've read most of Arthur Hailey novels before this one, and this is by far the worst one. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to tick it off the list. Most of it is just mindless ramble, with little content focused on the workings of the news network.  I did not care about any of the characters. The action sequences and who solved the problems seemed ridiculous and forced.  

Rating:  

    2/5