Helpful Score: 17
Jodi Picoult has become one of my favorite authors, but in my opinion, this is not one of her best books. I have read all of her latest books, and am now working my way back to her earlier writings which I believe this is one of them. The entire plot is unrealistic which makes it hard for me to really empathize with either main character. As with her other books, she presents two different views of a situation and allows the reader to toggle back and forth between the both. The storyline picked up at the end, but the beginning was a yawner. If this is the first book you read by Jodi Picoult, don't let it be your last. She truly is an amazing writer that fully envelopes her readers in most of her novels; just not this time.
Helpful Score: 9
A very moving and heartbreaking book at times. It tells the story of a husband and wife in both their voices. Each Chapter is either in the husband or wife's voice. I could not put it down, at times you want to scream at these two people to get their heads out of their behinds and others you can just see how close they are to connectining and you just hold your breath, hoping, waiting...
This is a wonderful book about not happy ever after, but life and how it is and how you can be in love and just miss it or take it for granit and can lose or gain it back in a heart beat.
This is a wonderful book about not happy ever after, but life and how it is and how you can be in love and just miss it or take it for granit and can lose or gain it back in a heart beat.
Helpful Score: 7
Picoult is a master storyteller. Her writing is superb and she carefully crafts many a surprise within the first 50 pages. Her attempts to ensnare the reader work well and her plots contain a certain "richness" that many writers never achieve.
However, even with the amazing one-two punch of grandiose prose and intriguing subject matter, Picoult sometimes fails to shine. While one desires to connect with her characters, the plot often becomes a bit too absurd and the characters remain a bit out of reach.
I've been reading Picoult since the late 90s, before her popularity increased. While she indeed has more literary genius than Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks, her plots are somewhat formulaic. They usually involve a controversial topic and a host of characters dealing with marital upheaval in the midst of raising children. If you have not read any novels by her, I encourage you to pick up one or two. I recommend this one, along with "Keeping Faith"--which is a genuinely spectacular novel.
Give her a chance if you have not read her works before, but if you are looking for a new twist on her old plots, you won't find it in this book.
However, even with the amazing one-two punch of grandiose prose and intriguing subject matter, Picoult sometimes fails to shine. While one desires to connect with her characters, the plot often becomes a bit too absurd and the characters remain a bit out of reach.
I've been reading Picoult since the late 90s, before her popularity increased. While she indeed has more literary genius than Danielle Steel or Nicholas Sparks, her plots are somewhat formulaic. They usually involve a controversial topic and a host of characters dealing with marital upheaval in the midst of raising children. If you have not read any novels by her, I encourage you to pick up one or two. I recommend this one, along with "Keeping Faith"--which is a genuinely spectacular novel.
Give her a chance if you have not read her works before, but if you are looking for a new twist on her old plots, you won't find it in this book.
Helpful Score: 7
This book did not really keep my interest at first, but it grew on me as I progressed. Maybe it was because it didn't have any real action in it... there was no big event/mystery that needed to be solved (e.g. The Pact, Plain Truth, Nineteen Minutes). It basically tells the story of two people, Paige and Nicholas, which each character taking turns narrating. It's worth a read.
Helpful Score: 5
A wonderfully written story - as is the norm for Picoult - centers around Paige, a young girl on her own who marries the brilliant and wealthy Nicholas. When post-partum depression tears her apart, she runs to find what she thinks she needs - her own mother.
