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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Second Glance by Jodi Picoult--Told initially through a series of related vignettes in a small Vermont town, this book is a psychological thriller which, among other things, explores the horrors of eugenics in early 20th century America. While the story itself is well-told and powerful, it's undercut a bit by the ending. There's a natural end point the book gets to...and the story just keeps going. With that said, I'd still recommend it. Thumbs up.
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I wonder if, as a New England female writer, this makes it so that she somehow knows exactly what I'll be interested in reading. Since I enjoy horror and ghost stories as well as stories about children, this was a perfect mixture. It had me reading intently and swiftly until the end. And I wasn't creeped out until after I finished reading it. This is not a scary book, so I don't want to mislead you. But it is about ghosts. The one criticism I have is that everything seems to wrap up so neatly, like Dickens. No loose ends, everyone is connected to everyone else, etc. Most of it I could see coming, although I was glad that there was at least one surprise at the end.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
There is a lot going on in the plot, but it is so interesting. Easy to stay involved in the story and hard to put down once you're part of the way in.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Paperback
I did not love it as much as most Jodi Picoult books, mostly because I hate a happy wrapped up ending. I thought for sure we were going to be looking at four deaths, then nope.
I did not love it as much as most Jodi Picoult books, mostly because I hate a happy wrapped up ending. I thought for sure we were going to be looking at four deaths, then nope.
I don't know how to properly review this book in a way that can fully describe how fantastic this book truly is. One of the most underrated books that Jodi Picoult has ever written by far. This book drags me in and spits me out in the best way possible and the only way to read this, in my opinion, is to dedicate a whole weekend to fully imerse yourself in it. I've lost track of how many times I have re-read this book at this point and that is this only way I can describe how I really feel about this book.
This is an interesting book. While I don't believe in ghosts, this story melds the history of eugenics and modern day science with emotional lives and a touch of romance. It's been worth several revisits over the years.
Jodi Picoult's books have never held any interest for me, but this one, about a man unable to shake his grief over the death of his fiance and his subsequent experiences with the ghost of a woman who'd died seventy years before, hit me hard in a lot of good ways.
The full story is complicated and includes seven or eight distinctly drawn primary characters, the paranormal, the eugenics movement of the early 1900's and modern gene therapy. Somehow Picoult weaves it all together in a rich story about the power of both grief and love.
The full story is complicated and includes seven or eight distinctly drawn primary characters, the paranormal, the eugenics movement of the early 1900's and modern gene therapy. Somehow Picoult weaves it all together in a rich story about the power of both grief and love.