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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
A suspenseful richly layered drama. Seamingly moving from psychological drama to courtroom thriller. The moment thought I knew what's next, next page and story would be turned upside down.. She never runs out of ideas and way to portray them.. This is really insightful novel in Amish life.. As I studying german culture and history and civilisation, it held me tight up..!!
Welp, it would have had more stars until that ending.
And while I think it’s important to quell misconceptions about the Amish community, not sure if this was executed to do so like she meant to.
And while I think it’s important to quell misconceptions about the Amish community, not sure if this was executed to do so like she meant to.
I have a love-hate relationship with Jodi Picoult’s books. I often find the writing style overdramatic and the characters irritating, but I like that she tackles bizarre issues and that there is always a gray area rather than a black-and-white solution. This book is no exception. Having grown up in an area with a high Amish population, I enjoyed the basic premise of the story and the dynamics of the Amish group rang true to me. It seems that Picoult really did her homework. On the other hand, I really didn’t like Ellie very much—she came off as snobby and shallow to me—and I wish they’d left all her personal drama out of the story. I did, however, enjoy the suspense and especially the big twist at the end. I also liked the element of tension that the two different cultures created. Overall, I definitely thought it was worthwhile but it wasn’t a favorite. I think it will definitely appeal to Picoult fans and anyone who enjoys issue-driven fiction.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was actually a reread for me. It was the second book I read by the author way back when I first found Picoult. My book club at work selected it for our June read.
I decided to try audio this time and I have to say, I still loved it. I think it is the momentum with which she tells a story that I enjoy so much. Multiple POV's while constantly progressing forward. She likes to show the shades of grey that might occur with hot button issues.
I decided to try audio this time and I have to say, I still loved it. I think it is the momentum with which she tells a story that I enjoy so much. Multiple POV's while constantly progressing forward. She likes to show the shades of grey that might occur with hot button issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Pregnancy
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book... The only thing I would say I wasn't fond of was the length of some of the chapters, however this is something that can be forgiven, because, in true Picoult fashion, I have taken away from this book, more than I thought I would.
There are several unknown Amish and Mennonite communities, many of which I do not know about, because they are very quiet people. And to learn about the lives they lead is very interesting, to understand their world in some small amount is the extra that I take away from this book.
Also, in true Picoult fashion, I was left guessing "who dunit" until the very end of the novel. I thought I had an idea in a small snip it they we got as readers. And I still did not expect the person that is revealed in the last chapter.
Picoult continues to remain one of my favourite authors, and I'm going to work at reading all of her pieces!
There are several unknown Amish and Mennonite communities, many of which I do not know about, because they are very quiet people. And to learn about the lives they lead is very interesting, to understand their world in some small amount is the extra that I take away from this book.
Also, in true Picoult fashion, I was left guessing "who dunit" until the very end of the novel. I thought I had an idea in a small snip it they we got as readers. And I still did not expect the person that is revealed in the last chapter.
Picoult continues to remain one of my favourite authors, and I'm going to work at reading all of her pieces!
This was another Picoult novel that gives an inside look at the challenges that can occur with the American justice system. This is the story of Katie Fisher, a young Amish woman, living in rural Pennsylvania. She is accused of murdering her newborn baby boy - a birth and death that she cannot recollect. In fact, she completely denies the idea that she had been pregnant in the first place.returnreturnAs usual, Picoult gives us such complex characters - even though one may find individual acts reprehensible and completely against one's moral code, there's usually something so compelling in so many of the characters that they're hard not to like. In this case, we are presented with the accusation of the purposeful death of a newborn child, and are meanwhile presented with the fascinating way of life the Amish live and how murder is so totally out of tune with the ethics of that community. It was truly delightful to learn a little bit about a way of life so foreign to mine (even as a nonreligious person). returnreturnSo what did happen to Baby Fisher? As usual with Picoult, there are many twists and turns that keep the pages turning. As soon as you think the mystery is solved, we're presented with a new piece of evidence that throws every theory out the window. This was another great page turner from Picoult!
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Broadly and generally speaking, there is no other word to describe this book but "fine". For the most part, it met the bare minimum of general writing standards, but basically all of the writing surrounding the character of Ellie as a person (which would include the characters of Stephen, John, and, arguably, Leda) was vague, predictable, generic, supremely irritating, and severely underdeveloped, not to mention infuriatingly pointless and, ultimately, empty. I feel that the wrong romance was focused on; we spend an inordinate amount of emotional energy on Ellie's ultimately inconsequential love life, while Adam's and Katie's relationship is completely and utterly glossed over and even more under-developed than the former. This irritated me very much, especially considering that a rare opportunity for a romance to be covered that was so strongly intertwined with and instrumental in the plot, the MAIN PLOT of the book was disgraced and spat upon, but I was able to ignore it and skim over the parasitic bits enough to handle the rest of the book with a vague sense of satisfaction, if not basic, dry, (trust me) minimal pleasure. However, the legal ending was rushed and the story ending was a jumbled, confusing mess. Did Sarah actually kill the baby and then hide it, or did she simply hide it after it had already succumbed to natural causes? This is never answered, and I suspect it never will be, meaning that I will never truly be capable of justifying my reading of the book, an unusual experience, based on my knowledge of some of the author's other works. Ellie never bothers to come to a solid conclusion about it, instead opting to ride off into the sunset with her leech of a Prince Charming. This was the worst Jodi Picoult book out all of the ones I've read-I've come to a decision that it will almost certainly be my last-, and the only reason I'm gracing it with three stars is because the plot was brilliant, and select parts of the book were admittedly a tad lovely, but the writing as a whole and, more often than not, individually, was beyond poor, and it seems like it was written by an eight-grader.
Two side-notes:
1. Frank seemed to serve no purpose other than being part of Leda's excommunication. I wonder if it would not have been better to make her reason for living more individually-based, so as to avoid the need for absent characters such as himself.
2. I only really noticed the mystery of Aaron's aloofness and silence when it was brought up in the reading group guide. I feel that this would have been something nice had it been added to the story as a more involved aspect of the plot, but given its nature, I'm not exactly sure that it would have worked. Just a thought on my part, really, but a bit of an instinct, as well.
Two side-notes:
1. Frank seemed to serve no purpose other than being part of Leda's excommunication. I wonder if it would not have been better to make her reason for living more individually-based, so as to avoid the need for absent characters such as himself.
2. I only really noticed the mystery of Aaron's aloofness and silence when it was brought up in the reading group guide. I feel that this would have been something nice had it been added to the story as a more involved aspect of the plot, but given its nature, I'm not exactly sure that it would have worked. Just a thought on my part, really, but a bit of an instinct, as well.