- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Harper Perennial (Sep 20 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0060931132
- ISBN-13: 978-0060931131
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.5 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#78,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Regional U.S. > South
- #74 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Medical
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
What is it about sports that makes some men wax as mystical as a Castanedan Yaqui? In the hands of writers such as David James Duncan and Norman Maclean, the simple, repetitive motions of baseball, fly-fishing, and golf have acquired almost numinous significance. In The Tennis Partner, Dr. Abraham Verghese takes on his own fascination with tennis and comes up with as good an explanation as any: "In the way we controlled the movement of a yellow ball in space, we were imposing order on a world that was fickle and capricious. Each ball that we put into play, for as long as it went back and forth between us, felt like a charm to be added to a necklace full of spells, talismans, and fetishes, which one day add up to an Aaron's rod, an Aladdin's lamp, a magic carpet. Each time we played, this feeling of restoring order, of mastery, was awakened."
For both Verghese and his tennis partner, a fourth-year medical student named David Smith, the game is a much-needed island of order in the midst of personal chaos. Both men are struggling to rebuild their lives, Verghese undergoing a painful divorce, Smith struggling with an intravenous cocaine addiction. For a brief, idyllic period, their friendship flourishes; Verghese mentors Smith in the examining room, while Smith, an Australian who competed briefly on the pro circuit, ends up Verghese's teacher on the court. But there are dark corners to David's personality, and under the mounting pressures of medical school and his increasingly complicated love life, these come to the fore. Even as he learns how to inhabit his new life, Verghese watches with horror as his friend relapses, dries out, then relapses again. The author of the powerful My Own Country, a chronicle of caring for AIDS patients in rural Tennessee, Verghese once again proves that the skills of a good doctor are strikingly similar to those of a good writer. Careful observation, compassion, restraint: these are the instruments Verghese uses to stunning effect in The Tennis Partner. A paean to the healing powers of tennis, this book is also a moving meditation on friendship, fatherhood, love, addiction, and the particular loneliness of physicians. --Mary Park --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
In his eloquent memoir, My Own Country, Verghese described a parallel story, that of a stranger (himself) and AIDS both becoming part of a rural Tennessee town. Once again, Verghese weaves his own story with that of a place and another person to come up with something moving and insightful. As he tries to cope with a new job on the faculty of Texas Tech School of Medicine, the move to El Paso and the breakdown of his marriage, he meets David, a medical student and former tennis pro. Tennis matches with David reawaken Verghese's passion for the game, and soon the two become regular partners. Their connection is complicated by their shifting roles: Verghese, David's teacher in the hospital wards, becomes his student on the tennis court. For Verghese, the matches offer an escape from loneliness; for David, a recovering drug addict, even more is at stake. Only on the court can they reach a state of grace: "our tennis partnership was special, different, sacred like a marriage." Ultimately, as David's life takes some disturbing turns, Verghese finds himself forced to choose between his role as friend and that of authority figure. While David's story provides the main narrative drive of the book, it's interwoven with Verghese's descriptions of his AIDS patients, his relationship with his sons and meditations on El Paso's distinctive landscape. It's a hard trick but Verghese combines all these elements into a cohesive whole, moving easily between moments of quiet reflection and anxious anticipation. If, as he writes, "to tell a life story [is] to engage in a form of seduction," then Verghese is a master of romance. Agent, Mary Evans. Author tour.-- to engage in a form of seduction," then Verghese is a master of romance. Agent, Mary Evans. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
There are two Thanksgiving in El Paso. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
There are two Thanksgiving in El Paso. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poignant, memorable and incredibly honest.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Tennis Partner (Paperback)
I just finished a cathartic 15 minute shed of tears. The Tennis Partner took over my life for nearly two full days. I was unable to put it down and afraid to read on at the same time. I was moved by the friendship that blossomed from one main commonality, a love for the game. Dr. Verghese's observations about life, his analogies between tennis and medicine spoke volumes to me. I am neither a tennis player nor a physician, but as a compassionate and feeling person I related to the story and I have been changed. It took tremendous courage for Dr. Verghese to write David's story and to express how it made him feel as a physician, a man, a tennis player, a father and most of all as a friend. As an Arizonan I have a love and a deep respect for the desert. This book may help others to appreciate and fear the desert for its natural beauty and its well-kept secrets. If for no other reason, read the book to grow and challenge yourself. Dr. Verghese's writing style is thoughtful and his sentences are astutely and carefully crafted to say more than you can imagine. You must read every word to hear the whole story. You will be grateful.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than a game,
By Amy (Silver Spring, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tennis Partner (Paperback)
This is a moving memoir about two men: Abraham, a doctor, and David, a doctor-to-be, who build a deep friendship by playing tennis together. However, tennis becomes much more than just a game- the author Abraham Verghese manages to beautifully tie the different pieces of the story together by using tennis as a metaphor for life. It doesn't matter that David's inability to overcome his addiction and get his life together comes as no surprise to the reader- it still leaves you crushed and deeply saddened. One thing I wish the author would have added more of was reflections on his own problems. It would have been interesting if he had woven in more of his thoughts and feelings about his imminent divorce, his relationship with his wife, children, and thoughts about his romantic future. However, I suppose this is really David's story, and the story of the friendship that developed between the two men and then ended so tragically.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
FOREVER FRIENDS!,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Tennis Partner (Paperback)
Abraham Verghese is a doctor specializing in internal medicine and pulmonary and infectious diseases. He is doing well professionally but his marriage is falling apart. He decides to make a change by moving to El Paso where he becomes a staff member at the Texas Tech School of Medicine.David Smith is a medical student recovering from a drug addiction. He comes to Texas on a tennis scholarshp and played on the pro tour before enrolling in medical school. David has had several relapses and one in particular. While doing rounds he is having a difficult time fulfilling his duties. He heads for a doctor's office to explain his present situation, but the doctor doesn't need to have an explanation, he instantly knows David's problem. David is then taken to the Lab for testing and the doctor himself takes David, still in his scrubs, to the airport. He gives him two tickets and makes sure he boards the plane. He is heading for the Talbott-Marsh clinic in Atlanta, a facility that specializes in drug and alcohol addiction and is designed for physicians. He is met by two men who bring David directly to the clinic. David attends a meeting with other doctors of various specialties,who suffer from addiction as well. He is told at his first meeting that he has a disease,like Diabetes and every day for the rest of his life needs to be monitored and be treated. The Doctor goes on to say, "that society does not understand that you have a disease. Instead you see yourself as morally flawed. Now that you've been caught, you feel shame". When he returns to El Paso, David meets up with Abraham. Both are alone and struggling in their personal lives, but they both share a love for Tennis and thus a friendship is formed. Tennis becomes a ritual and they play twice a week. Between rounds of tennis and after chats at a cafe, David opens up to Abraham. Along the way there are clues that Abraham can see, which point to the beginning of trouble. Dr. Verghese is searching for answers re his dear friend's addiction. He has done considerable research on addiction and comes up empty. For Abraham, this is frustrating and he can't understand how in some minds treatment can help , while in others treatment does not help. The book is open, honest and detailed. It is written eloquently. It is a story of a deep Love and Friendship of two men, made even stronger by their mutual interest in Medicine and a love of Tennis. Dr. Verghese is a gifted writer whose Memoir is Memorable.
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