--- product_id: 8171133 title: "God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine" price: "€ 38.16" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/8171133-gods-hotel-a-doctor-a-hospital-and-a-pilgrimage-to store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine **Price:** € 38.16 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine - **How much does it cost?** € 38.16 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/8171133-gods-hotel-a-doctor-a-hospital-and-a-pilgrimage-to) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A medical “page-turner” that traces one doctor’s “remarkable journey to the essence of medicine” ( The San Francisco Chronicle ). San Francisco’s Laguna Honda Hospital is the last almshouse in the country, a descendant of the Hôtel-Dieu (God’s hotel) that cared for the sick in the Middle Ages. Ballet dancers and rock musicians, professors and thieves—“anyone who had fallen, or, often, leapt, onto hard times” and needed extended medical care—ended up here. So did Victoria Sweet, who came for two months and stayed for twenty years. Laguna Honda, relatively low-tech but human-paced, gave Sweet the opportunity to practice a kind of attentive medicine that has almost vanished. Gradually, the place transformed the way she understood her work. Alongside the modern view of the body as a machine to be fixed, her extraordinary patients evoked an older idea, of the body as a garden to be tended. God’s Hotel tells their story and the story of the hospital itself, which, as efficiency experts, politicians, and architects descended, determined to turn it into a modern “health care facility,” revealed its own surprising truths about the essence, cost, and value of caring for the body and the soul. Review: A profoundly human book - A book that can delight you through its entertainments or instruct you with useful knowledge is a good book; one that does both is a great book. Rarely, a book comes along that not only instructs and delights but also deepens your humanity, carving out extra space inside us to carry even more compassion. 'God's Hotel' is such a book. [A hat-tip to Jesse Kornbluth of Head Butler for introducing me to it.] There were many reasons I enjoyed the book, which is really many books at once: -- The author, Dr Victoria Sweet, who has a PhD in medieval history as well as an MD, shares the ancient Latin and Greek etymologies of many terms used in patient care today. Hospitality, community, charity - what do they really mean? Through her stories about her time taking care of patients, Dr Sweet shows how those formed the three foundational principles of Laguna Honda Hospital. -- Dr Sweet interweaves the account of her doctoral research on Hildegard von Bingen in the story. Von Bingen was the original 11th century superwoman: head cleric, builder, farmer, physician, author *and* composer at a time when women weren't allowed much power at all. Dr Sweet applies some of the premodern principles from von Bingen's healing framework to her patients, with encouraging results. -- Dr Sweet describes in great detail and without spite the encroachment of modern medicine with its "efficiencies" into the cozy, personable and strangely effective ways of Laguna Honda, even though there is much to provoke the reader's dismay. The personal, health and financial consequences of cost-cutting, both on patients and staff, turn out to be much higher than the dollars that those measures purport to save. It's a cautionary tale about what medicine can be vs. what it has become, and should be required reading for every medical student. -- And most of all, the stories of the patients. Laguna Honda being a hospital for the care of the indigent - the last almshouse in the US - its patients are people that the good life left behind. The poor, the mentally ill, the unlucky, those with nowhere else to go: these are the patients that Laguna Honda treats equally and without prejudice. Sometimes the patient goes to the brink of death, the 'anima' already halfway in ascent, and turns back. Other times, the patients make miraculous recoveries only to succumb to alcohol or neglect once discharged. These case histories are at once invigorating, enlightening, infuriating and heartbreaking. They are the human heart of the book. One of the side effects of reading any book is to become partially imbued with the spirit of its author. Reading 'God's Hotel', you get a sense that Dr Victoria Sweet is a deeply thoughtful and compassionate person, and one of the very best kind of caregivers one could hope to have. As a result, this book will not only delight and instruct you, but is also likely to leave you a better human being. -- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., author of [...], the highest-rated dating self-help book on desertcart Review: I Would be Honored to Have Dr. Sweet Manage My Healthcare - In the late 80's and early 90's I used to take the bus to visit a good friend and we'd pass Laguna Honda. A co-worker's grandmother was recuperating from a stroke at one point during this time and I was awed by what I could see of the grounds and there was something comforting about the old buildings. A lot has happened since then and San Francisco is no longer home but two years ago I immediately bought the Kindle edition and promptly forgot it for two years. Earlier this year I downloaded it and was immediately immersed in medieval medicine and Dr. Sweet's exploration of slow medicine. Before finishing the second or third chapter I decided to buy the Audible unabridged version, thinking this would be enjoyable to listen to. Imagine my delight upon discovering the reader is none other than Victoria Sweet herself. She's not a professional reader polished by experience but so compelling are the stories she has to tell that no one else could bring them to life better than she. Her often candid but always respectful descriptions of co-workers, superiors and above all, her patients, their triumphs and failures, their life histories - all are recounted by the woman who has first hand knowledge of it all. Even the most roguish patient, the most unfortunate stories of mental illness compounded by physical infirmity are introduced and discussed with compassion and a subtle humor. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her stories of her pilgrimage - an act of devotion undertaken in stages. Each segment was completed annually during vacation or leave and we are right there with her and her travel partner (if only we could all choose travel buddies as perfect as hers sounded). Having undertaken Buddhist pilgrimages I can truly relate to her happiness suffusing what would normally be considered miserable in everyday settings. One understands her faith is important to her but as she recounts the pilgrimage adventures there is no mention of religious dogma. Here is a person who quietly and without fanfare lives her beliefs and to this reviewer, embodies what one teacher terms an "undercover bodhisattva". This is a book to savor slowly or gobble up in a few sleepless nights. It's a homage to the practice of medicine of the past, a candid look at today's managed health "care", a most interesting and evenhanded look at political maneuvering and still I was left with the impression that slow medicine will once again find its way back into the mainstream - perhaps our great grandchildren will demand it. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #89,265 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #89 in Medical Professional Biographies #981 in Women's Biographies #1,859 in Memoirs (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,251 Reviews | ## Images ![God's Hotel: A Doctor, a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qGlFMgVbL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A profoundly human book *by D***R on November 14, 2012* A book that can delight you through its entertainments or instruct you with useful knowledge is a good book; one that does both is a great book. Rarely, a book comes along that not only instructs and delights but also deepens your humanity, carving out extra space inside us to carry even more compassion. 'God's Hotel' is such a book. [A hat-tip to Jesse Kornbluth of Head Butler for introducing me to it.] There were many reasons I enjoyed the book, which is really many books at once: -- The author, Dr Victoria Sweet, who has a PhD in medieval history as well as an MD, shares the ancient Latin and Greek etymologies of many terms used in patient care today. Hospitality, community, charity - what do they really mean? Through her stories about her time taking care of patients, Dr Sweet shows how those formed the three foundational principles of Laguna Honda Hospital. -- Dr Sweet interweaves the account of her doctoral research on Hildegard von Bingen in the story. Von Bingen was the original 11th century superwoman: head cleric, builder, farmer, physician, author *and* composer at a time when women weren't allowed much power at all. Dr Sweet applies some of the premodern principles from von Bingen's healing framework to her patients, with encouraging results. -- Dr Sweet describes in great detail and without spite the encroachment of modern medicine with its "efficiencies" into the cozy, personable and strangely effective ways of Laguna Honda, even though there is much to provoke the reader's dismay. The personal, health and financial consequences of cost-cutting, both on patients and staff, turn out to be much higher than the dollars that those measures purport to save. It's a cautionary tale about what medicine can be vs. what it has become, and should be required reading for every medical student. -- And most of all, the stories of the patients. Laguna Honda being a hospital for the care of the indigent - the last almshouse in the US - its patients are people that the good life left behind. The poor, the mentally ill, the unlucky, those with nowhere else to go: these are the patients that Laguna Honda treats equally and without prejudice. Sometimes the patient goes to the brink of death, the 'anima' already halfway in ascent, and turns back. Other times, the patients make miraculous recoveries only to succumb to alcohol or neglect once discharged. These case histories are at once invigorating, enlightening, infuriating and heartbreaking. They are the human heart of the book. One of the side effects of reading any book is to become partially imbued with the spirit of its author. Reading 'God's Hotel', you get a sense that Dr Victoria Sweet is a deeply thoughtful and compassionate person, and one of the very best kind of caregivers one could hope to have. As a result, this book will not only delight and instruct you, but is also likely to leave you a better human being. -- Ali Binazir, M.D., M.Phil., author of [...], the highest-rated dating self-help book on Amazon ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I Would be Honored to Have Dr. Sweet Manage My Healthcare *by L***5 on May 2, 2014* In the late 80's and early 90's I used to take the bus to visit a good friend and we'd pass Laguna Honda. A co-worker's grandmother was recuperating from a stroke at one point during this time and I was awed by what I could see of the grounds and there was something comforting about the old buildings. A lot has happened since then and San Francisco is no longer home but two years ago I immediately bought the Kindle edition and promptly forgot it for two years. Earlier this year I downloaded it and was immediately immersed in medieval medicine and Dr. Sweet's exploration of slow medicine. Before finishing the second or third chapter I decided to buy the Audible unabridged version, thinking this would be enjoyable to listen to. Imagine my delight upon discovering the reader is none other than Victoria Sweet herself. She's not a professional reader polished by experience but so compelling are the stories she has to tell that no one else could bring them to life better than she. Her often candid but always respectful descriptions of co-workers, superiors and above all, her patients, their triumphs and failures, their life histories - all are recounted by the woman who has first hand knowledge of it all. Even the most roguish patient, the most unfortunate stories of mental illness compounded by physical infirmity are introduced and discussed with compassion and a subtle humor. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her stories of her pilgrimage - an act of devotion undertaken in stages. Each segment was completed annually during vacation or leave and we are right there with her and her travel partner (if only we could all choose travel buddies as perfect as hers sounded). Having undertaken Buddhist pilgrimages I can truly relate to her happiness suffusing what would normally be considered miserable in everyday settings. One understands her faith is important to her but as she recounts the pilgrimage adventures there is no mention of religious dogma. Here is a person who quietly and without fanfare lives her beliefs and to this reviewer, embodies what one teacher terms an "undercover bodhisattva". This is a book to savor slowly or gobble up in a few sleepless nights. It's a homage to the practice of medicine of the past, a candid look at today's managed health "care", a most interesting and evenhanded look at political maneuvering and still I was left with the impression that slow medicine will once again find its way back into the mainstream - perhaps our great grandchildren will demand it. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ very glad I did *by J***N on February 21, 2016* Fascinating. At first, I thought I would not get into it .... I am squeamish ... sigh ... but I carried on, and I am so very, very glad I did. The author's knowledge, perceptions, etc., re modern medicine are interesting. I really like this gal, and would love it if she were my doc. She produced a very entertaining and informative read, however, the book needed good editing. There were the occasional redundancies ... she would start a paragraph with a statement, follow it up with the background to support her original statement, and then finish the paragraph stating exactly what she had said at the beginning of the paragraph. Also, the book included many incomplete sentences. Although none of this detracted from her basic message, for me, it did detract from the work in its entirety. I kept going back to say, "Huh, didn't she just say that? Huh, didn't she just say that in an incomplete sentence?" Minor quibbles, for sure, but then why should I have had to quibble at all? I do not have an English degree, but these things definitely jumped out at me. In any event, it was a good read, provides much food for thought, and I do recommended it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/8171133-gods-hotel-a-doctor-a-hospital-and-a-pilgrimage-to](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/8171133-gods-hotel-a-doctor-a-hospital-and-a-pilgrimage-to) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-08-20*