Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of A Theory of Relativity

A Theory of Relativity
A Theory of Relativity
Author: Jacquelyn Mitchard
ISBN-13: 9780061031991
ISBN-10: 0061031992
Publication Date: 4/2002
Pages: 298
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 79

3.8 stars, based on 79 ratings
Publisher: HarperTorch
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

31 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 13 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
this is a well written, moving and thought provoking look at these families and how they dealt with the death of a young husband and wife. I didn't like the ending, but overall liked the book.
TarynC avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 213 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
very slow moving, couldnt get into it. Not like her other books that really grabbed me from the start. Maybe if I gave it more of a chance I would feel differently- but I just couldnt keep reading.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 116 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
How we love and care for family and who makes up our family are at the heart of Jacquelyn Mitchard's book A Theory of Relativity. Do some people and do some laws consider adopted children less than full-fledged family members? The custody battle that takes center stage addresses wording in a statute that does not give adopted children the same rights as blood relatives.

For the most part, I found this to be a good book about an interesting family drama. I had trouble with aspects of the car crash that I don't want to spoil for those who have not read the novel. The ending was a bit too tidy. A recommended read.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Touching and believable. My favorite of Mitchard's novels.
toni avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 351 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I couldn't put this book down, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The ending was quite interesting and unexpected, which is a pleasure when it seems that lately you can guess the ending to almost every book.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 9 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
If you are a Mitchard fan, then you will be moved by this novel. I felt it was a very moving and well written story.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 30 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
I had trouble putting this down. A good story about two families seeking custody of a little girl.
Oceanmist avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Gordon McKenna is a handsome 24-year-old science teacher who thought life was as tough as it could get when his only sister, Georgia, was diagnosed with cancer. Then she and her husband die in a car crash, leaving behind their one-year-old daughter, Keefer. Gordon willingly gives up his self-involved bachelor life and adopts his beloved niece. Georgia's in-laws, however, have different wishes for their granddaughter. Well heeled, conservative and wealthy, they believe their born-again Christian niece and her husband should get custody of the child. Their challenge to Gordon's custody lies in the fact that both he and Georgia were adopted children, with "only" love, not blood, connecting Gordon and Keefer. Thus begins the custody battle which makes up the bulk of this book.
nezra2 avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Jacqueln Mitchard's first novel, "The Deep End of the Ocean" launched Oprah Winfrey's book club and took the nation by storm.

This novel is a story about a feirce custody battle over a little girl. I won't ruin it for you, but her parents die in a horrid car accident at the beginning of the book, and then it follows her (the girl) through a nasty custody battle, clear to the end. Their are plot twists, and I was suprised how it ended.
tcarlora avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 20 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
If you like The Deep End of the Ocean, you will like this book. It is a story of a little girl caught between two families and all the deep emotions someone one has for their children, their grandchildren and our ability to do the right thing for the wrong reasons out of love.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 20 more book reviews
A nice long book. Great for a road trip. I enjoyed getting to know these character's strengths and weaknesses.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 211 more book reviews
This abridgement read by the author.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 40 more book reviews
read the amazom reviews too much detail I don't often skip parts of a book but did with this one felt like "get on with it please" too much stuff about Gordon's escapades
suzibrooke avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 20 more book reviews
An excellent exploration of what it means to be family. No easy answers here, just love and commitment, learning to accept.

Good writing, the kind that makes you really feel along with the characters.
katydid13 avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 55 more book reviews
A great read!!
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 54 more book reviews
Maybe this book particulary struck me because I related to parts of it, but I absolutely loved it!
Chilypepah avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 16 more book reviews
I enjoyed listening to this book. This is the story of family and love.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 51 more book reviews
She always writes such emotionally intense books. A beautiful story.
miss-zuzu avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 15 more book reviews
This is so well written that you actually become a part of this character's life; I loved how "real" everything was ... it wasn't written like a cheesy made-for-TV movie, it was reality, true to life: there are depressing parts to the story, but there are also down right funny and happy parts too! This is a great book ... it will make you look at your own life a little differently --at least it did for me. :)
kermitreads avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 53 more book reviews
A heartbreakingly good book. A wonderful exploration of the meaning of family. The characters were not well flushed out, but a good book all the same.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 130 more book reviews
Unforgettable tale of love
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 50 more book reviews
Compelling and gripping
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 4 more book reviews
Powerful and compassionate reading!
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 8 more book reviews
The emotional story of a fierce custody battle for a little girl, this is a touching tale of love and the bonds that unite us all. By the author of "the Deep End of The Ocean"
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 22 more book reviews
The emotional story of a fierce custody battle over a little girl.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 52 more book reviews
Lovely book by the author of "The Deep End of the Ocean".
nomi avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 31 more book reviews
Interesting premises on parenthood and relatedness. Invokes thought.
harmony85 avatar reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 982 more book reviews
The emotional story of a fierce custody battle over a little girl.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 9 more book reviews
Involves a custody battle for a little girl between parents. I enjoyed the and the initial book by this author.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 16 more book reviews
An emotional story about an intense custody battle over a two-year-old girl.
reviewed A Theory of Relativity on + 121 more book reviews
I thought this book had a lot of interesting ideas (adopted children vs. blood children, what makes a family) but I didn't think the execution was very good. I felt disengaged from the characters and the idea of their story was more intriguing to me rather than how Mitchard wrote it (if that makes any sense). I struggled to finish and thought the ending was a bit pat.