The Physician cover art

The Physician

The Cole Trilogy, Book 1

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The Physician

By: Noah Gordon
Narrated by: Richard Higgins
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About this listen

An orphan leaves Dark Ages London, taking a dangerous journey and posing as a Jew to study medicine in Persia, in "an adventurous and inspiring tale" (Library Journal).

A child holds the hand of his dying mother and is terrified, aware something is taking her. Orphaned and given to an itinerant barber-surgeon, Rob Cole becomes a fast-talking swindler, peddling a worthless medicine. But as he matures, his strange gift - an acute sensitivity to impending death - never leaves him, and he yearns to become a healer.

Arab madrassas are the only authentic medical schools, and he makes his perilous way to Persia. Christians are barred from Muslim schools, but claiming he is a Jew, he studies under the world's most renowned physician, Avicenna. How the woman who is his great love struggles against her only rival - medicine - makes a riveting modern classic.

The Physician is the first book in New York Times best-selling author Noah Gordon's Dr. Robert Cole trilogy, which continues with Shaman and concludes with Matters of Choice.

©1986 Lise Gordon, Michael Seay Gordon and The Jamie Gordon Trust (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Medical Fiction

What listeners say about The Physician

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent historical fiction. 100 stars!

This is my first Noah Gordon book and I found I would make any excuse to listen to it, travelling through time late into the night. Noah Gordon captures the details of the time period brilliantly and the reader of the book, Richard Higgins is so believable voicing the different characters. I would recommend this book to any lover of history or anyone who just wants to listen to a great story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narration mispronunciations

Although the overall narration was good the continual mispronunciations of very common words was uncomfortably irritating and distracting - someone didn’t do their production reviews or editing

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Entralling story

I loved the scenes set by the story, i enjoy history so i found it interesting and i loved the descriptions of the places and times, the characters were endearing and now feel like old friends.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful Persian Storytelling.

The story will sweep you across the hot desert sands to the sparkling palaces of Persian kings and pashmina’d people of 11th century life. A man’s journey from a poverty stricken orphan in London before the Norman invasion to his emergence as a powerful Physician of the courts of Persia. Outstanding historical detail and a rip-roaring narrative. Expertly drawn characters rolling in love, lust, religious fervour and violence. Written with the steady hand of a confident story teller.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Poor narrator, mispronounced words, sounds like a beginner. Story is OK.

Story is quite interesting in parts, sometimes feels dull, but nice historical context. Lacks a major narrative hook that keeps you reading. Narrator sounds amateurish and plods through, perhaps colouring my perception of the book i.e. making it seem more dull.

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