I really enjoy Jodi Picoult's books - in fact, some of my "top ten" are her books. But I just can't really give this book a good review. In fact, I couldn't even recommend this one to a good friend last week. It's not that it's a BAD book - it's just not a good one.
The characters are SO cliched here that it's painful to read - the child with illness (Willow), the ferociously protective mom (Charlotte), the tough guy dad (Sean) and of course the neglected other child (Amelia). Then there is a best friend (Piper) who is betrayed by the mom, and in turn almost betrays the mom, and the best friend's daughter and husband who are so ancillary to the story that you almost wonder why Picoult included them at all except for the "plot points" that they create. Then enter the lawyers - one tough guy with silver hair that gets the job done and one woman with so many personal issues that you sort of wonder how she manages to keep a job at a law firm, much less excel at it.
There is a trial (of course) which I normally enjoy about Picoult's writing - but this one falls so flat that I couldn't get into it. Perhaps part of it was that I couldn't really commiserate with Charlotte when she begins the lawsuit. I didn't get her drive to win the trial because I couldn't imagine a mother saying those things about her child - even if she was only doing it for "the greater good." I understand that the book was supposed to flow around this moral problem but I just didn't find it at all believable and more importantly, it wasn't enjoyable to read. Amelia was a seriously flawed character who never seemed to receive the attention or help she would require, and that upset me as well. Sean and Charlotte were cookie-cutter parents, which also reminds me - Charlotte's job as a pastry chef pre-Willow was mentioned only as a sidebar and a way to tie-in the recipes and baking terms scattered through the book. I find that cute when I am reading what is called a "cozy" book - but not when I read something from Picoult.
I also did not enjoy that all the characters "spoke" to the Willow throughout the book. It felt like there were far too many points of view, and the switches were sudden and often made me stop and think "wait, who's talking now?" I can't believe any mother, father or older sister not to mention a family friend or a lawyer would share some of the thoughts and experiences that they tell Willow about throughout the book.
Overall, this one just didn't do anything for me. I was disappointed by the flat feeling of the book and while it seemed so unrealistic, that would have been okay if it was enjoyable to read. I don't only read "real" stuff - but I do want something that holds my interest and is a good way to spend my time. The ending was also too much - a quick turn-around that Picoult is famous for that just felt shoddy this time.
If you want a great Picoult read, go for some of her earlier works - "The Pact," "Mercy," "Perfect Match," "Plain Truth" and "Salem Falls" are some of my favorites. The best of her more recent works for me is "Nineteen Minutes", although I also thought "Harvesting the Heart" was a good read as well.
I'd save a credit and skip this one, if I were you.
The characters are SO cliched here that it's painful to read - the child with illness (Willow), the ferociously protective mom (Charlotte), the tough guy dad (Sean) and of course the neglected other child (Amelia). Then there is a best friend (Piper) who is betrayed by the mom, and in turn almost betrays the mom, and the best friend's daughter and husband who are so ancillary to the story that you almost wonder why Picoult included them at all except for the "plot points" that they create. Then enter the lawyers - one tough guy with silver hair that gets the job done and one woman with so many personal issues that you sort of wonder how she manages to keep a job at a law firm, much less excel at it.
There is a trial (of course) which I normally enjoy about Picoult's writing - but this one falls so flat that I couldn't get into it. Perhaps part of it was that I couldn't really commiserate with Charlotte when she begins the lawsuit. I didn't get her drive to win the trial because I couldn't imagine a mother saying those things about her child - even if she was only doing it for "the greater good." I understand that the book was supposed to flow around this moral problem but I just didn't find it at all believable and more importantly, it wasn't enjoyable to read. Amelia was a seriously flawed character who never seemed to receive the attention or help she would require, and that upset me as well. Sean and Charlotte were cookie-cutter parents, which also reminds me - Charlotte's job as a pastry chef pre-Willow was mentioned only as a sidebar and a way to tie-in the recipes and baking terms scattered through the book. I find that cute when I am reading what is called a "cozy" book - but not when I read something from Picoult.
I also did not enjoy that all the characters "spoke" to the Willow throughout the book. It felt like there were far too many points of view, and the switches were sudden and often made me stop and think "wait, who's talking now?" I can't believe any mother, father or older sister not to mention a family friend or a lawyer would share some of the thoughts and experiences that they tell Willow about throughout the book.
Overall, this one just didn't do anything for me. I was disappointed by the flat feeling of the book and while it seemed so unrealistic, that would have been okay if it was enjoyable to read. I don't only read "real" stuff - but I do want something that holds my interest and is a good way to spend my time. The ending was also too much - a quick turn-around that Picoult is famous for that just felt shoddy this time.
If you want a great Picoult read, go for some of her earlier works - "The Pact," "Mercy," "Perfect Match," "Plain Truth" and "Salem Falls" are some of my favorites. The best of her more recent works for me is "Nineteen Minutes", although I also thought "Harvesting the Heart" was a good read as well.
I'd save a credit and skip this one, if I were you.
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