PRISONER IN PARADISE

by Garet Rogers ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A story with a purpose- and yet it is such a readable tale on its own that only in retrospect does the reader accept the fact that Garet Rogers has chosen this medium to rip wide open the vicious world of medical charlatanism and quackery. It is original almost from its inception, as the central character, Spartan McClintock (only rarely either admirable or likable) is condemned to fall short of his goal- to be a great and materially successful doctor -- by a chance prank condemning him to a prison sentence and the end of his role as a doctor. The prison proves an admirable medical education, however -- but when a pardon releases him, he finds his personal world gone. Penniless, he heads West to California- and there puts his wits and his skills against the credulity of a world ready to accept miracles, quick cures, trickery. On the edge of the law, and with the connivance of others ready to employ any means to fame and wealth, McClintock builds what becomes a national school of Healthopathy, all the time realizing the hollowness of what he has built, and fast becoming a hopeless alcoholic in the process. Then, faced with utter corruption, he pulls the whole structure around his ears, brings his associates to their deserved ends, and shoulders the blame for another's guilt knowing it means another prison term. It is a horrifying and frightening portrait of humanity with sick souls. It is the sort of book one can attack on a dozen scores. It has its sordid and its filthy aspects, often beyond the point of necessity, often leaving a nasty taste. It isn't really a good novel. But it tells a holding story and it drives home a lesson.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1954

Categories: FICTION