Intuition

Written by Allegra Goodman

Narrated by Jenna Stern

Hailed as "a writer of uncommon clarity" by the New Yorker, National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman has dazzled readers with her acclaimed works of fiction, including such beloved bestsellers as The Family Markowitz and Kaaterskill Falls. Now she returns with a bracing new novel, at once an intricate mystery and a rich human drama set in the high-stakes atmosphere of a prestigious research institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Sandy Glass, a charismatic publicity-seeking oncologist, and Marion Mendelssohn, a pure, exacting scientist, are codirectors of a lab at the Philpott Institute dedicated to cancer research and desperately in need of a grant. Both mentors and supervisors of their young postdoctoral protégés, Glass and Mendelssohn demand dedication and obedience in a competitive environment where funding is scarce and results elusive. So when the experiments of Cliff Bannaker, a young postdoc in a rut, begin to work, the entire lab becomes giddy with newfound expectations. But Cliff's rigorous colleague-and girlfriend-Robin Decker suspects the unthinkable: that his findings are fraudulent. As Robin makes her private doubts public and Cliff maintains his innocence, a life-changing controversy engulfs the lab and everyone in it.

With extraordinary insight, Allegra Goodman brilliantly explores the intricate mixture of workplace intrigue, scientific ardor, and the moral consequences of a rush to judgment. She has written an unforgettable novel.


From the Hardcover edition.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Feb 28, 2006
• ISBN: 9780739325254

Reviews for Intuition

[baseballgeek · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Provocative psychological thriller.

[rhactor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Scientists working on cure for cancer

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book which just fizzed with intelligence. I know very little about science, and the process by which research is carried out, and it was good to be educated by something as readable and well constructed as this novel. It is gently paced, to give plenty of personality time to all the main characters, and to make sure you can sympathise with all of them. I would definitely read more by this excellent author.

[kukulaj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very nicely constructed, well paced. Every kind of twist and turn as the story evolves. Maybe a little over-complicated, maybe it moves too fast. It never really sits and simmers and soaks... it takes a taste, and then on to the next wild scene. I really liked the tension between science as the quest for truth and science as the quest for fame. This book did a good job of walking the tightrope, never landing on either side.

[thebookjunky · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fascinating read about the personalities and politics of a cancer research lab. A struggling postdoc suddenly starts to achieve startling results with his experiments, bringing some fame and kudos to his lab. But another postdoc, a soon-to-be-ex girlfriend, can't replicate his results, and she starts to wonder about the integrity of his processes. The story is told from numerous viewpoints, showing that truth is relative, not easily defined. Supposedly objective and unassailable hard data, the backbone of rigorous science, is only a tool in the hands of humans, who cannot help but be defined by their own subjective, shifting and wavering human emotions. Goodman has captured the intricate and complex dance of how humans interact and relate -- that was the real triumph of this book.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The story of a fictional cancer-research lab, this is a great picture of lab life but not a great book. I was terribly impressed with all the detail Goodman got right, and how well she captured the mindset and zeitgeist of lab work in this era, but the story itself is so lackluster, and the characters so un-enticing, that I wouldn't reread it.

[ricardob-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An easy, but compelling read.
Allegra Goodman is a good writer and is able to develop a story in a laboratory without getting carried away with the technicality of her surroundings. Instead, she works the intrigue, the love and the hate and how they carry and affect the workplace.
The book takes good use of the politics involved in science and the never-ending conflict it has between the demanded objectivity and the fame and fortune that comes with achievement.
However, the book is a bit lost in the beginning with a romance that seems to take too many turns to get where it inevitably would. Maybe other more interesting relationships could have been expanded on, so that one could read the very intelligently tying ending and not feel some aspects of the story had been neglected.

[debavp · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Several times I really wanted to put this down. PETA people beware, this has some graphic scenes. Where do you draw the line between animal cruelty and medical research? Goodman does not glamorize that dilemma, the reader has to make that decision themselves—and although that’s not what the book is about, it is a presence that can’t be avoided, and disturbing though it is, it begs the debate of necessity. To this aspect she deserves credit for bringing in the different views of the various researchers involved, their dislikes or ambivalence regarding certain processes and how individually they deal with that aspect of their work. The main theme of this however is fraud, research fraud to be exact, and here again she brings in the different interpretations of the characters. Nothing is truly cut and dried, every single character rationalizes their behavior. As fiction, the story is credible and one could branch out into many a discussion about right, wrong, needy desire for glory, fame and disillusionment. By the end I didn’t really give a damn about any of the characters and couldn’t help but wonder how accurate her descriptions were and just how flawed the world of medical research really might be.

[squeakychu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Life in a research lab may not seem the kind of subject that would be good for a novel, but Allegra Goodman does a terrific job with this story. In charge of a lab doing oncology research are Marion Mendelssohn, a strict and methodical researcher, and Sandy Glass, an oncologist of reknown and a go-getter. These two end up in a most difficult situation when the validity of the research being done within their lab comes under scrutiny.What really shines in this novel are the relationships that develop and break during the course of the research. All of the characters in this story work very closely together. It’s interesting to see how stress affects them all. It’s also fascinating to see how the author develops her characters in reaction to this stress. What are the boundaries of research? Who can question the validity of research results? Who are those of the greatest integrity within a lab setting? If such questions haunt you, you’ll find much to like in this fine novel.

[citizenjoyce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't know if Allegra Goodman wanted to reference the Anita Hill - Clarence Thomas trial in this book, but it felt that way to me. This is a story of scientific research from all sides, medical, scientific, ethical, academical, gender-related, political, feudal, and ego boosting. I thought her ability to incorporate so many different sides of the issue was masterful, and the ending perfect with tendrils snaking out from all directions.

[bookappeal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Goodman explores the environment of a research lab studying potential cures for cancer through four different characters' points of view - the scientist whose experiments are finally showing results and 3 other scientists involved in different ways in the lab.Raises interesting questions about scientific research and Goodman's style of subtly changing points of view is effective in a book where the truth is not necessarily exact. But the characters are hard to like or respect and Goodman once again inserts unnecessary detail. At least, this time, the Jewish detail is pertinent to character development.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This story of a research lab and what happens when one of the post-docs working there gets some surprisingly good results in reducing cancerous tumours in mice is okay, but left much to be desired. First of all the characters: Marion and Sandy who manage the lab; Cliff the successful researcher; Robin his co-worker and ex-girlfriend and several other colleagues and family members. Long list, short on developing the characters and their motivations. I spent a lot of time wondering what was really going on, and the author never answered that question. In some novels, that works -- the author manages to draw you into the uncertainty and makes you feel like one of the characters -- feel like you are there -- but in this case, it doesn't.

[alanna1122 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow.First. Why haven't I ever read anything by Allegra Goodman before? Second. Boy, was this a good book. By far the best I have read all year maybe even the past two or three years. That is saying a lot since this book has scene after scene of graphic experiments with mice. I generally would *never* read a book that contained this kind of subject matter. I find it so upsetting - but this book was so compelling I just couldn't put it down - even though I really didn't know if I would make it through all those scenes. (for sensitive readers like myself - it does get better - after the first couple of sections there is much less time spent with the mice.)The plot was complex and compelling. It read almost like a thriller for me. Her characters are so well drawn and complicated. It is frosting on the cake for me that the setting of the book was local (Cambridge, MA ). As I read, I kept thinking that it would make a fabulous movie - then I thought... no... a masterpiece theater mini-series would be even better... it would allow the time for the story to really unfold at the pace it does in the novel.Anyway - I was blown away by this book - I am even more excited to read something else by Goodman... I fully expect that in the next book if I am spared the animal experiments - I will be even more excited (if that is possible) about her writing.

[miriamparker_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A bothersome academic novel about a lab and some research gone awry. The thing is full of irritating point of view shifts that were constantly jarring to me and made me hate the book. It might have been interesting...but I couldn't tell because I was so busy listening to what everyone thought about everything. You know what: I don't care. Just tell me a story, don't clutter it up with lots of character opinions. Blech.

[labibliophille · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Why, oh why can’t I find a good book to read? I struggled through Intuition because it was a book club selection. And also because I had really enjoyed Allegra Goodman’s Kaaterskill Falls. This should have been the type of book I enjoy. Unfortunately, I had to struggle through every chapter.Intuition is about a fictional research laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and what happens when one of the postdoctoral fellows gets positive results from an experiment. The brash, ambitious co-director of the lab pushes the results towards publication, perhaps prematurely. The former girlfriend of the researcher begins to have suspicions about the work. Is she just jealous? Is there fraud involved, or merely sloppy record-keeping?Basically-I don’t care. The characters are boring. There are a number of ancillary characters who seem potentially more interesting, but we don’t get a chance to know them in depth. And I think that depth, or the lack of it, is the problem with this novel. The characters are stereotypes. They lack motivation and interest. Once the plot line is established, the end result seems preordained.Allegra Goodman-you can do better!

[she_climber · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Got half way through the book and nothing of any signifigance had happened yet - just seemed like a year in the life of a science lab. No real direction nothing to keep the reader moving forward - except hoping that something will happen. Don't think I would have read as much as I did if it weren't a book club selection. My feelings about the book were echo'd by the others in the group.

[owenre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a lovely read and as a person with a science background, I felt I could connect with everyone, including people who want a result so badly that they will shave corners. I could connect and understand even though I loathe them.

[aliciamalia · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was doomed from the beginning. It's a legal thriller, of sorts, packed with sexual harassment, workplace drama, mistaken love affairs, and emotional drama. Goodman clearly understands the office politics of the environment she's describing. It's just that the environment is so boring. Seriously - who wants to read about the day-to-day squabbles of 15 medical researchers? Working with mice? Nice try, but it doesn't work.

[plenilune · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Goodman is a gifted author with a knack for creating nuanced, realistic characters. This novel of scientists' dreams and their relationships with each other and their families is told from the perspective of at least a dozen such characters. While each different point-of-view adds a unique flavor to the narrative, I found the transitions jumpy and too frequent. This book would have benefitted from more emphasis on the major players in the plot, rather than those on the periphery of the action.I had eagerly anticipated reading this book and once finished reading it felt rather nonplussed. This was partly due to the hype surrounding it (particularly in Boston, due to its local setting and the fact that the author is a local) but also due the distracting skipping amongst both major and lesser characters. I still would recommend this book for those who enjoy their fiction with a scientific bent, and those familiar with Boston and Cambridge will get a kick out of all of the places mentioned. Ultimately, though, I enjoyed Goodman's Kaaterskill Falls more and would recommend that book more than this one.

[ctait17 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

research at a college, people possibly faking resultsdidn't really care about characters - thought subject would be more interesting

[lazybee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Intuition is a character-driven story about the culture of scientific researchers. The story focuses on a group of researchers at the Philpot Institute, an undistinguished oncology lab in danger of losing its funding. When Cliff, a postdoc who had failed to live up to his promise, starts getting promising results from his anti-cancer virus, the lab director rushes to promote his work as a major breakthrough. But Robin, Cliff's co-worker and girlfriend, resents his success and begins to believe that in his desire for success he has compromised the integrity of his research.It's an interesting look at the way personal dynamics and professional rivalry shape what should be objective research. I liked the complexity of the characters, and the fact that their motives are not straightforward or oversimplified. Overall, I really enjoyed it and found it an interesting and thought-provoking read.

[bobbieharv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

About possible fraud in a cancer lab - writing a little too expository for me.

[oregonella · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The author has provides an intimate examination of how each character's personality and intellect blend to guide their individual actions. She provides a plausible plot for how the individual actions blend to form an event beyond anyone's control. An interesting look at the connection between "science" and the "money" that funds the science.

[claudiabowman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a pretty good read. Almost uncomfortable in places if you've ever worked in an experimental lab. I would certainly recommend this one.

[aahlvers_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Intuition by Allegra Goodman, is a lovely novel set in the world of scientific research. In this world a scientific breakthrough can produce years of funding for entire labs. When postdoc Cliff starts to record promising results for a new cancer virus, the entire lab is impacted. As one lab director rushes to publicized the results, others council caution. When another researcher starts to question the results the lab "family" begins to disintegrate.

[harveywals · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A very compelling read, couldn't put it down. Interesting look at cancer research and its politics. Complex, fascinating characters.