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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
The way the author handles a mystery, the Amish way of life, and intricacies of relationships was wonderful. I fell in love with this book and really couldn't put it down. It's not non-stop action, yet at the same time there weren't any slow parts. Something was always going on that made me think about the characters, what would happen next, and what really happened. Great read!
Piccoult easily weaves the Amish culture into this read, allowing the reader to become familiar with many of their beliefs and customs. I really enjoyed it, but there were a couple of things that seemed out of keeping with Amish life. First, Katie’s mother acted out of selfishness both in sending her daughter to visit her brother, Jacob, and in the desperate act she performed to keep her near. Second, Katie really threw caution to the wind when she met Adam Sinclair. Taken together they make this read much less believable.
Eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher gives birth to a baby boy who dies shortly afterward. She becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation regarding the death. She is “plain” (Amish), but she knows more of the world than she is revealing. Katie’s cousin, Ellie Hathaway, a criminal defense lawyer, is familiar with many of the Amish ways, but has never lived among them until she agrees to accept legal responsibility for Katie and moves into the Fisher home. Both Katie and Ellie have past history that they must confront and come to terms with.
Eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher gives birth to a baby boy who dies shortly afterward. She becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation regarding the death. She is “plain” (Amish), but she knows more of the world than she is revealing. Katie’s cousin, Ellie Hathaway, a criminal defense lawyer, is familiar with many of the Amish ways, but has never lived among them until she agrees to accept legal responsibility for Katie and moves into the Fisher home. Both Katie and Ellie have past history that they must confront and come to terms with.
emotional
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Contains sensitive topic of infant death and pregnancy. I would not recoment this book to anyone that may become emotional about such situtations.
While the book had an interesting premise (a murdered baby found on an Amish farm), there is a fairly unlikable main character, a repetitiveness to the book that seems contrived to drag the book out to novel length, and a silly surprise ending that is unbelievable rather than shocking.
Jodi's writing is so enrapturing that she got me to finish a book that I started reading out of boredom and didn't think I would like. I'm not a fan of mystery novels, I generally prefer fantasy and autobiographies. I also didn't think I would be able to relate to the characters and be interested in the outcomes of their stories... But I ultimately I was, and finished the book within a few days.
I did debate giving this story only fours stars because I disagree with the ending. Although the culprit was obvious to me after a certain scene that will not be named... I would have more easily accepted the ending if it had been done for a less selfish reason or that this person found the baby already dead and just concealed the body. The ending was uncomfortable and the reasoning for it was unconvincing for me, but I came to the conclusion that it was put there so that we don't finish the book believing the generalization that all Amish people are saints that put other people ahead of themselves.
I just can't believe that this particular character could do this for that reason... To the point where I have read and reread that last page to try to find some other explanation... There is some ambiguity at the end that I liked, but not enough... the confession combined with the foreshadowing makes it really hard to believe anything other than the worst.
Regardless of the ending, the book was entertaining, it made me think, and gave me an unexpected understanding of the Amish, so it is deserving of 5 stars.
I did debate giving this story only fours stars because I disagree with the ending. Although the culprit was obvious to me after a certain scene that will not be named... I would have more easily accepted the ending if it had been done for a less selfish reason or that this person found the baby already dead and just concealed the body. The ending was uncomfortable and the reasoning for it was unconvincing for me, but I came to the conclusion that it was put there so that we don't finish the book believing the generalization that all Amish people are saints that put other people ahead of themselves.
I just can't believe that this particular character could do this for that reason... To the point where I have read and reread that last page to try to find some other explanation... There is some ambiguity at the end that I liked, but not enough... the confession combined with the foreshadowing makes it really hard to believe anything other than the worst.
Regardless of the ending, the book was entertaining, it made me think, and gave me an unexpected understanding of the Amish, so it is deserving of 5 stars.
Twists and turns making it very diffcult to figure out the truth before it is told to you.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't really agree with the bad reviews this has been getting. I thought it was a very gripping story and could hardly put it down. People have said that the character of Katie was confusing because she was portrayed two different ways, I think that was the point. 18 year old Amish girl going to the big city would be a very conflicting situation. I really liked Ellie and I thought she did a great job transitioning from a Philly lawyer having to go live on an Amish farm just to protect her client. I was also surprised at Sara's confession at the end but I didn't think it took anything away from the book. It just added to the theme that the Amish are a very family oriented people and this woman did what she had to do to prevent losing another child. I thought this was a great book and will continue to read books written by Jodi Picoult because she is an excellent author.
Well, I have to agree with my friend Mary who said that Jodi Picoult is a strong writer of situations, but a terrible ender.
There was a nice amount of cultural information I was able to glean about the Amish from reading this book. That gave it the extra star.
I was puzzled by who the main character was going to be, when were were first introduced to a urban lawyer and a small-town detective. It turns out we follow the lawyer, unless we jump over to the detective. The lawyer's character I could handle. The detective was extracted straight out of a hard-boiled gumshoe story.
I enjoyed that there was a bit of a whodunnit mystery plot, while the book is mostly English and Amish situational.
Overall, it was a fantastic vacation read, and I'll probably give Jodi another try (she writes such different plots, it'll be easy) but I'm wondering if she'll continue to lean on clichéd language.
There was a nice amount of cultural information I was able to glean about the Amish from reading this book. That gave it the extra star.
I was puzzled by who the main character was going to be, when were were first introduced to a urban lawyer and a small-town detective. It turns out we follow the lawyer, unless we jump over to the detective. The lawyer's character I could handle. The detective was extracted straight out of a hard-boiled gumshoe story.
I enjoyed that there was a bit of a whodunnit mystery plot, while the book is mostly English and Amish situational.
Overall, it was a fantastic vacation read, and I'll probably give Jodi another try (she writes such different plots, it'll be easy) but I'm wondering if she'll continue to lean on clichéd language.