Items related to Touching Distance
It is 1790. After ten years’ training in the great medical schools of Europe, Alec Gordon has returned to Scotland to take up the post of physician in the Aberdeen Dispensary. Alec has ambitious plans for modernizing medical practice in the town, starting with the local midwives, whose ignorance and old-fashioned methods appal him.
But Alec’s dreams of progress are thrown into disarray when a mysterious disease suddenly strikes the town, attacking and killing every newly delivered mother for miles around. Alec alone recognizes it as childbed fever, a disease more deadly than the plague, a condition that has baffled the greatest physicians of the age, an illness with no known cause and no known cure.
Desperate to save his patients’ lives, Alec sets out on an astonishing medical quest to conquer the disease. But while Alec struggles to find solutions that lie far in the future, his wife Elizabeth is increasingly lost in the past, prey to terrifying memories of her childhood in Antigua. As she knows and he will learn, some diseases lie beyond the reach of reason.
Based on a true story, Touching Distance is a stunning historical novel that brings to life a fascinating period in world history, exploring the tragic limitations of knowledge and the deep-seated tension between reason and passion in the Age of Enlightenment.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
Review:
Rebecca Abrams was born in Cambridge in 1963. Her first book, When Parents Die, was shortlisted for the Mind award and has since become a highly respected classic in its field. Her most recent book, Three Shoes, One Sock and No Hairbrush, was a UK best-seller. Awarded an Amnesty Prize for her reportage on children in war, Rebecca is a regular contributor to the Guardian and a former columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Touching Distance is her first novel.
"Beautifully worked. It is a book about the shockingly intimate, but it has an epic feel." —Hilary Mantel
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPan Macmillan
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 0230015557
- ISBN 13 9780230015555
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages320
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Pan Macmillan
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP13424623
Buy Used
US$ 7.92
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Pan Macmillan
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Bundled media such as CDs, DVDs, floppy disks or access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # X08A-00829
Buy Used
US$ 7.93
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Pan Macmillan, United Kingdom, London
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Paperback
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. It is 1790. After ten years training in the great medical schools of Europe, Alec Gordon has returned to Scotland to take up the post of Physician to the Aberdeen Dispensary. Alec has ambitious plans for modernizing medical practice in the town, starting with the local midwives, whose ignorance and old-fashioned methods appal him. But Alecs dreams of progress are thrown into disarray when a mysterious disease suddenly strikes the town, attacking and killing every newly delivered mother for miles around. Alec alone recognizes it as childbed fever, a disease more deadly than the plague, a condition that has baffled the greatest physicians of the age, an illness with no known cause and no known cure. Desperate to save his patients lives, Alec sets out on an astonishing medical quest to conquer the disease. But while Alec struggles to find solutions that lie far in the future, his wife Elizabeth is increasingly lost in the past, prey to terrifying memories of her childhood in Antigua. As she knows and he will learn, some diseases lie beyond the reach of reason. Based on a true story, Touching Distance is a stunning historical novel that brings to life a fascinating period in world history, exploring the tragic limitations of knowledge and the deep-seated tension between reason and passion in the Age of Enlightenment. `Beautifully worked. It is a book about the shockingly intimate, but it has an epic feel. Hilary Mantel. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001757275
Buy Used
US$ 3.72
Convert currency
Seller Image
Touching Distance
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Small Tears to the Dust Jacket, Slipcase, or cover. Seller Inventory # wbb0023744482
Buy Used
US$ 1.67
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Very Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine. Seller Inventory # CHL2180525
Buy Used
US$ 2.50
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL2706466
Buy Used
US$ 2.50
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Pan Macmillan
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Very Good. 1702035335. 12/8/2023 11:35:35 AM. Seller Inventory # U9780230015555
Buy Used
US$ 5.21
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched the following working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we have over 500,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0003533020
Buy Used
US$ 4.61
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Macmillan UK
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Good. Seller Inventory # SONG0230015557
Buy Used
US$ 12.39
Convert currency
Stock Image
Touching Distance
Published by
Macmillan
(2008)
ISBN 10: 0230015557
ISBN 13: 9780230015555
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hard Cover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. 9780230015555. Seller Inventory # H01239
Buy Used
US$ 10.26
Convert currency