Scan barcode
kelly_e's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Title: Handle with Care
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Pub Date: March 3 2009
T H R E E • W O R D S
Poignant • Insightful • Emotional
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Willow was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a severe medical condition which will cause her to break many bones over the lifetime. Her condition has made for many sleepless nights, mounting medical expenses, and pitying stares for the entire family. For her parents, it's all worth it because Willow is their child. When confronted with many what-ifs, Charlotte and Sean must make a difficult decision that could change their lives forever. Handle with Care is a story of love and family, and just what you're willing to do to help the ones you love.
💭 T H O U G H T S
In typical Jodi Picoult fashion, she takes a sensitive topic and opens the reader's eyes to both sides of the issue. This book made me reflect and think from start to finish, and for me that's the sigh of a good book. An emotional read, she sheds light on a disorder I knew nothing about, Osteogenesis Imperfecta. The characters were all well crafted and realistic. I'd particularly like to mention the character arc of Amelia which was superbly done and added an extra layer to this story. Having a sibling perspective here was extremely valuable. I also enjoyed the recipes sprinkled within. At first, I didn't see their place, but as the story unraveled their purpose became apparent, and their metaphorical use was clever. I may even test some of them out. The exploration of a maternal love throughout this book is so powerful. And the ending wasn't at all what I anticipated.
While there were a lot of good things, I had a major issue with language use throughout. At different points the author uses derogatory and highly stigmatized terms to refer to different people, and I found this is be shocking and upsetting. My second issue, was how it felt a little too similar to My Sister's Keeper which is one of my favourite books.
Handle with Care was a literary pleasure, adding conversation to a disorder that may otherwise be overlooked, but it isn't without it's faults.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Jodi Picoult fans
• readers of realistic fiction
• anyone looking for a contemplative read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's no surprise to me that - in baking, and in life - the cost of growth is always a small act of violence."
"There's a cost for everything. You might have a beautiful baby girl, but you learn she'll be disabled. You move heaven and earth to make that child happier, but you leave your husband and your other daughter miserable. There is no cosmic scale on which you can weigh your actions; you learn too late what choices ruin the fragile balance."
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Pub Date: March 3 2009
T H R E E • W O R D S
Poignant • Insightful • Emotional
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Willow was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a severe medical condition which will cause her to break many bones over the lifetime. Her condition has made for many sleepless nights, mounting medical expenses, and pitying stares for the entire family. For her parents, it's all worth it because Willow is their child. When confronted with many what-ifs, Charlotte and Sean must make a difficult decision that could change their lives forever. Handle with Care is a story of love and family, and just what you're willing to do to help the ones you love.
💭 T H O U G H T S
In typical Jodi Picoult fashion, she takes a sensitive topic and opens the reader's eyes to both sides of the issue. This book made me reflect and think from start to finish, and for me that's the sigh of a good book. An emotional read, she sheds light on a disorder I knew nothing about, Osteogenesis Imperfecta. The characters were all well crafted and realistic. I'd particularly like to mention the character arc of Amelia which was superbly done and added an extra layer to this story. Having a sibling perspective here was extremely valuable. I also enjoyed the recipes sprinkled within. At first, I didn't see their place, but as the story unraveled their purpose became apparent, and their metaphorical use was clever. I may even test some of them out. The exploration of a maternal love throughout this book is so powerful. And the ending wasn't at all what I anticipated.
While there were a lot of good things, I had a major issue with language use throughout. At different points the author uses derogatory and highly stigmatized terms to refer to different people, and I found this is be shocking and upsetting. My second issue, was how it felt a little too similar to My Sister's Keeper which is one of my favourite books.
Handle with Care was a literary pleasure, adding conversation to a disorder that may otherwise be overlooked, but it isn't without it's faults.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Jodi Picoult fans
• readers of realistic fiction
• anyone looking for a contemplative read
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"It's no surprise to me that - in baking, and in life - the cost of growth is always a small act of violence."
"There's a cost for everything. You might have a beautiful baby girl, but you learn she'll be disabled. You move heaven and earth to make that child happier, but you leave your husband and your other daughter miserable. There is no cosmic scale on which you can weigh your actions; you learn too late what choices ruin the fragile balance."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abortion and Eating disorder
Minor: Child death, Death, and Miscarriage
adoption, language usebrookey8888's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Um I did not see that ending coming at all. I’m in shock 😮
Reread
Changed from a five star to a four star. I still really enjoyed this book, but it’s not on the same level as some of her other books. This author does such a good job of having all these different perspectives and opinions and just getting to learn more about them and the people and interactions. This one was interesting and I could see everyone’s point, but I don’t know fully what I would agree with. This is kind of triggering for bulimia and self harm. It doesn’t shy away from details be be warned. This did make me tear up multiple times. Honestly I really only liked reading from Amelia’s prospective because she wasn’t as annoying as all this adults. They just pissed me off at times, but it was interesting and I was invested in everyone’s story. I think if you usually like her books your like this. It’s very similar to my sisters keeper.
Reread
Changed from a five star to a four star. I still really enjoyed this book, but it’s not on the same level as some of her other books. This author does such a good job of having all these different perspectives and opinions and just getting to learn more about them and the people and interactions. This one was interesting and I could see everyone’s point, but I don’t know fully what I would agree with. This is kind of triggering for bulimia and self harm. It doesn’t shy away from details be be warned. This did make me tear up multiple times. Honestly I really only liked reading from Amelia’s prospective because she wasn’t as annoying as all this adults. They just pissed me off at times, but it was interesting and I was invested in everyone’s story. I think if you usually like her books your like this. It’s very similar to my sisters keeper.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Child death, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Self harm, Medical content, Infertility, Ableism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault
More...