Fragile is the memoir of ER doctor Shannon Sovndal, including the winding path that he took to becoming a medical doctor. Sovndal examines the delicate balance between professionalism and humanity, especially how to remain present and calm in the face of trauma. Fragile does give readers an inside look into the grueling schedule of an emergency room doctor, but it also pulls back the curtain a little too far on this particular physician. I do appreciate his candor, but it does not inspire confidence in a physician when he says how he often looks into space while at work.

As far as the structure of the book itself, I found it to be as scattered as the physician often said about his mind. It seemed to be more of a collection of thoughts than a cohesive path through Doctor Sovndal's life. Overall, I did like the honesty regarding trauma and how to compartmentalize it, but Fragile was lacking a clear direction. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend the memoir to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Fragile: Beauty in Chaos, Grace in Tragedy, and Hope that Lives In Between by NetGalley and the publisher, Gyrfalcon Press. The decision to review this book was entirely my own.

I am always fascinated with the ins and outs of the medical profession, whether it is from the viewpoint of the doctors, nurses or others working within the hospital or other areas. That is one of the main reasons why I wanted to read this book by Dr. Sovndal, and it does not disappoint. Dr. Sovndal offers a glimpse into the human side of medicine, providing us with his thoughts and emotions as he goes about the task of saving lives. Not only are we privy to what happens as he does his job, we also learn the effect on his friends, family and home life. We see how he learns and grows and how his memories affect him. This is a page-turner and a great read. You will laugh, cry and sympathize. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

This book had me wanting to cry, laugh and be grateful for life. I cannot begin to imagine what doctors like Dr. Sovndal deal with on a daily basis. I did like his perspective even if some would not agree with it. He wrote a book that takes us in his life and the choices he made to get there. His struggles, hardship, sorrow and joy is on display for readers. He made you remember that doctors are humans too and they have their own issues to deal with. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the person behind the medical title.

I received this book from NetGalley and the opinions expressed are entirely my own

Shannon gives you a perspective of doctors that you probably have never thought about. The fragility of their emotions and what they must do to "disconnect" from work and be present at home. The weight of the world is on our medical professionals shoulders, how do we expect them to just go home and live a normal life. We are all blessed to have doctors like Shannon in our midst. Recommend reading this. It is a pretty easy read and will keep your attention.

Fragile: Beauty in Chaos, Grace in Tragedy and Hope that Lives In Between is the autobiography of an American ER doctor Shannon Sovndal who has lead a very interesting life, starting off desperate to be a fighter pilot his not perfect eyesight forced him to reconsider his options. This book twists and turns through pivotal events in his life.

This was a bit different to the kind of medical memoir I've read before, this focuses much more on Shannon's personal life than his medical one. What I've come to expect from medically themed books are account after account of the encounters and experiences the individual has faced throughout their career, this isn't one of those books; there are only about 4 or 5 patients mentioned.

I did find that the author does tangent quite a lot while retelling some stories, the chapters are by no means chronological and even within them Sovndal will jump from talking to his wife, to Paris, to cycling, to physics and back again. It all makes sense but I did start to find that style a little frustrating towards the end. However, that style did make it feel much more conversational than overly edited which made the narrative flow well.

Another nice touch is that for each chapter the author has suggested a song to be listened to along with the music, I only put the suggested song on for one of chapters but its a really interesting idea that I haven't seen before.

Overall, an interesting autobiography documenting a fascinating life if you enjoy non-celebrity memoirs but probably not one if you're after medical-related content.

Such a profound book to read, especially right now with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the world as we know it. Would recommend to those who want a firsthand experience on what it's like to work in a career that's full of so much beauty and sorrow.

Thank you to the author, Gyrfalcon Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an RN by training (but no longer working in the field), I enjoy reading medical dramas. This had a few interesting vignettes of individual cases, but it's primarily a very personal memoir written by someone who happens to be a doctor of emergency medicine. While I'm sure he's very competent at what he does, he should have resisted writing this book - it's all over the place, rambling, repeating himself and apparently putting down on paper whatever seems to come into his head on the spur of the moment. There is no flow, it's a very choppy and ultimately - for me at least - frustrating read.

We are addicted to shows such as stories from the ER and I was really hoping that this was going to be like those. However, what I found was a book that didn't know what it wanted to do. The author would start on one topic then switch mid story to another one. It felt very all over the place.

I found this memoir to be a difficult read in regards to the structure. The author would go into great detail on minor parts within a story without returning to the initial topic. Therefore, I was left questioning what was the motive behind these multiple transitions. However, I did enjoy reading about what lead to his pursuit of medicine and the triumphs and challenges doctors face. I also was pleased with the explanations for medical terminology that may be unfamiliar to his readers. Although it was challenging to read, this book had several good pieces that was able to capture my attention.

A medical memoir based in the ER, set in the USA. I enjoyed the anecdotes and the personal journey but also the deeper reflections and philosophical tangents. The author does skip about from topic to topic which at times can be hard to follow (understandably due to Shannon’s ADHD). I felt the book started strongly but was slightly weaker towards the end. Some anecdotes felt unfinished; what happened to Lock? Overall an enjoyable and informative read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story must grab me very quickly in order to enjoy and sustain my interest. This book was just too cold and choppy. Totally lacking in warmth in my opinion. Couldn't get into the book at all.

I’ve read quite a few medical type books now and this one was just as interesting. Although I’m UK based and this was American, it still had the same effect for me when reading it, just as fascinating. Lots of technical terms used, which I personally found interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

A fascinating look inside the world of medicine. The author weaves gripping vignettes from his hospital experience as an ER doc with compelling glimpses into the strong emotions evoked by his work. Skillfully blending clinical descriptions with his own inner thoughts and feelings makes this an exceptional book. Highly recommend.

I thought this book would be more about various medical stories, but instead it's a flowery ramble about the life of a surgeon and his personal life. Yes, there were some medical stories, but it's mostly a tell-all about his life and various aspects of his life that he picks and chooses. It's just not what I thought I was going to be reading, and as such, I didn't like the book.

Medical memoirs is one of my favourite genres to read. This one is written by Shannon Sovndal, a board-certified doctor in both emergency medicine and emergency medical services. An interesting book, you will read it in one sitting. I personally found a small problem with the flow of the story because there is a lot of back and forth between the present and the past. I especially enjoyed the lyrics to the songs that start each chapter.

If you love medical dramas, you are going to love this book. Dr. Sovndal writes in a way that puts you right there with him in the ER, your pulse rate going up, your blood pounding … but the emotion is always present, too. There's that split-second moment when you are 'him' and all the emotions are washing over you … Truly powerful.
Felt a bit let down when he veered to other topics that seem to have nothing to do with the ER, but then again, it is a book about how he found beauty in chaos, grace in tragedy, and the hope that lives in between (as the book's subtitle states), so there would definitely be more than ER moments in there, granted.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GyrfalconPress for the chance to read and review this book.
Publish date 06/12/2020
I enjoy reading books written by medical professionals, since my career was spent in the health care industry.
Dr Sovndal gives the reader a glimpse of the life of an Emergency room physician. He describes the inner working of his mind as he assesses patient brought to the ER by EMT's. His descriptions of the environment is vivid and real.
But I had a big problem with his writing style. He tends to go off on tangents in the middle of a story. The cohesion of his stories is lost when he flits from one topic to another mid story.
His inclusion of his cycling career seems irrelevant to this book.
The flow of the writing is not conducive to understanding his descriptions.
He has included the mental conflicts he has experienced in growing into the doctor he is today. Some of these comment are appropriate. others not so much. I would have loved more actual stories of emergency situations.

My husband works as a physician in an emergency room so I am always interested to read the stories of other doctors to get a better picture of his world. Dr. Sovndal did a great job with his essays here, although he does tend to go off subject a lot but he always gets back to what he was talking about. Some of these stories were tough to read, it definitely takes a special type of person to work in emergency medicine and I am so thankful that people like Dr. Sovndal and my husband exist.

Thanks to NetGalley for this copy in return for an honest review.
I almost always love books by doctors and nurses. This one was very philosophical and introspective, circling around and around and skipping around. The author seems like a great guy, I just had a hard time following this and making sense out of it.

Medical memoirs are my favourite. I have read some great ones in the last 6 months.
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I loved the songs linked to the chapters which introduced me to Red Rider which I am truly grateful for. I loved his use of language, how he feels and thinks. His route to medicine and how he applied himself was fascinating. I will never look at an A&E doctor in the same way again.

Thanks for allowing me to read this. I will be purchasing this when it's released to add to my collection.