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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Took me a little while to get into, but I really liked this. Would have loved to see a little bit more of the aftermath, but it's okay.
Book 33/50 (2020)
Book 33/50 (2020)
Can I just say I called the whole Ross/Lia thing by the second or third time he saw her. (And tbh I was probably slow on the uptake.)
Are you looking for a non-spooky ghost story with a lot of other side stories thrown in? If so, grab this off the shelf. It was a bit much for me but I can see why it would appeal to a lot of people.
Sad. Too sad for me about the suicides.
* Jodi Picoult lives in the neighboring town and I've been meaning to read her stuff for a long time.
* This book was like, 2x longer than I expected it to be.
* I knew VT had a history of eugenics, but I didn't realize the extent. There's a reason SNL made a skit about how white VT is... My mom reminded me that my (great) uncle Pete probably would have used G*psy for Native Americans - it wasn't really that long ago.
* Racism sucks.
* Ross is like, 35 and I didn't realize that until 3/4 of the way through the book. I definitely thought he was way older. Major spoilers:
* Why don't we get to hear from Lucy after the quarry? Does she still see the ghosts?
* Az tells Meredith that he wants to be around to see his (great-) grand daughter more than he got to see his own child, but then he drowns himself and by not being at the quarry greatly endangers her?? It just seems like he already waited 70 years, he could wait another day until they actually left town.
* Why didn't Cecelia's mom come back as a ghost until Az dies?
* The narrator did a really good job of keeping the (many) character voices distinct.
* This book was like, 2x longer than I expected it to be.
* I knew VT had a history of eugenics, but I didn't realize the extent. There's a reason SNL made a skit about how white VT is... My mom reminded me that my (great) uncle Pete probably would have used G*psy for Native Americans - it wasn't really that long ago.
* Racism sucks.
* Ross is like, 35 and I didn't realize that until 3/4 of the way through the book. I definitely thought he was way older. Major spoilers:
Spoiler
It's still really creepy that he falls in love with an 18 yr old ghost.* Why don't we get to hear from Lucy after the quarry? Does she still see the ghosts?
* Az tells Meredith that he wants to be around to see his (great-) grand daughter more than he got to see his own child, but then he drowns himself and by not being at the quarry greatly endangers her?? It just seems like he already waited 70 years, he could wait another day until they actually left town.
* Why didn't Cecelia's mom come back as a ghost until Az dies?
* The narrator did a really good job of keeping the (many) character voices distinct.
* Jodi Picoult lives in the neighboring town and I've been meaning to read her stuff for a long time.
* This book was like, 2x longer than I expected it to be.
* I knew VT had a history of eugenics, but I didn't realize the extent. There's a reason SNL made a skit about how white VT is... My mom reminded me that my (great) uncle Pete probably would have used G*psy for Native Americans - it wasn't really that long ago.
* Racism sucks.
* Ross is like, 35 and I didn't realize that until 3/4 of the way through the book. I definitely thought he was way older. Major spoilers:
* Why don't we get to hear from Lucy after the quarry? Does she still see the ghosts?
* Az tells Meredith that he wants to be around to see his (great-) grand daughter more than he got to see his own child, but then he drowns himself and by not being at the quarry greatly endangers her?? It just seems like he already waited 70 years, he could wait another day until they actually left town.
* Why didn't Cecelia's mom come back as a ghost until Az dies?
* The narrator did a really good job of keeping the (many) character voices distinct.
* This book was like, 2x longer than I expected it to be.
* I knew VT had a history of eugenics, but I didn't realize the extent. There's a reason SNL made a skit about how white VT is... My mom reminded me that my (great) uncle Pete probably would have used G*psy for Native Americans - it wasn't really that long ago.
* Racism sucks.
* Ross is like, 35 and I didn't realize that until 3/4 of the way through the book. I definitely thought he was way older. Major spoilers:
Spoiler
It's still really creepy that he falls in love with an 18 yr old ghost.* Why don't we get to hear from Lucy after the quarry? Does she still see the ghosts?
* Az tells Meredith that he wants to be around to see his (great-) grand daughter more than he got to see his own child, but then he drowns himself and by not being at the quarry greatly endangers her?? It just seems like he already waited 70 years, he could wait another day until they actually left town.
* Why didn't Cecelia's mom come back as a ghost until Az dies?
* The narrator did a really good job of keeping the (many) character voices distinct.
In some ways I loved this book, in others it made me want to hit my head against a brick wall, multiple times.
Some context.
The book is about an investigation into the death of a young woman who died in 1932. It's also about the eugenics movement in America pre World War II, designer babies, with a side order of suicidal thinking and happily ever afters. In other words; there's a lot going on.
Throughout the book the reader is introduced to a plethora of characters on a quest to find the murderer of a young woman 70 years prior to the start of the book. To be blunt, both the mystery of the killer, and most of the plot twists can be solved a mile before they hit.
The whole section where the reader is taken back in time to witness the final weeks of the murder victim from her perspective, didn't work for me. Information revealed to the reader in this section is restated later in the story by characters in the 'present'. It gives the distinct feel that the author only knows how to weave in a couple of plot twists and likes to reuse them in the same book. Almost like the author couldn't quite figure out if she was going to get all the information she wanted into the story, so added everything to one section, then added the same information in later as required.
Most of the characters in the book are typical Picoult characters; the single mum with a son who has an unusual condition which rules his mother's life, the doctor who has a disconnection with her daughter, and then there’s Ross. The one that annoys me the most is Ross, who's constant complaints over his life really wear you thin when he doesn't seem to care about what the rest of the world would feel like if he wasn't there. Years after the untimely death of his girlfriend he continues to pine over her and think about joining her. He gives the impression of a man who time has forgotten to bring forwards, his whole character is shaped around his not being able to let go.
This would be less annoying if, at the end of the book, when he manages what he's wanted to achieve for years, he didn't decide to come back. With no medical reasoning, he comes back from the dead while his sister is off dealing with his funeral arrangements.
It's infuriating.
However well written the book, it took me half of the book to care about any of the characters which is too much.
Final Rating: 2/5
Some context.
The book is about an investigation into the death of a young woman who died in 1932. It's also about the eugenics movement in America pre World War II, designer babies, with a side order of suicidal thinking and happily ever afters. In other words; there's a lot going on.
Throughout the book the reader is introduced to a plethora of characters on a quest to find the murderer of a young woman 70 years prior to the start of the book. To be blunt, both the mystery of the killer, and most of the plot twists can be solved a mile before they hit.
The whole section where the reader is taken back in time to witness the final weeks of the murder victim from her perspective, didn't work for me. Information revealed to the reader in this section is restated later in the story by characters in the 'present'. It gives the distinct feel that the author only knows how to weave in a couple of plot twists and likes to reuse them in the same book. Almost like the author couldn't quite figure out if she was going to get all the information she wanted into the story, so added everything to one section, then added the same information in later as required.
Most of the characters in the book are typical Picoult characters; the single mum with a son who has an unusual condition which rules his mother's life, the doctor who has a disconnection with her daughter, and then there’s Ross. The one that annoys me the most is Ross, who's constant complaints over his life really wear you thin when he doesn't seem to care about what the rest of the world would feel like if he wasn't there. Years after the untimely death of his girlfriend he continues to pine over her and think about joining her. He gives the impression of a man who time has forgotten to bring forwards, his whole character is shaped around his not being able to let go.
This would be less annoying if, at the end of the book, when he manages what he's wanted to achieve for years, he didn't decide to come back. With no medical reasoning, he comes back from the dead while his sister is off dealing with his funeral arrangements.
It's infuriating.
However well written the book, it took me half of the book to care about any of the characters which is too much.
Final Rating: 2/5
I love Jodi Picoult! And although this wasn't one of my favorite of hers, but of course I still have to give it to her!
This was the first book by Picoult I read, and I was most interested in the Abenaki angle. Also there was some feeling of closure at the end. I liked some of the characters, especially the librarian (of course). But there were just too many issues packed into this one book.
I love Jodi Piccoult and had wanted to read this book for quite some time. I finally got to read it for book club. I must say that I found her writing a bit different in this book. I did not feel as drawn in to the characters as I have been in her other books. I can't put my finger on it, but it was missing something.
If you enjoy the supernatural though, you'll enjoy the story.
If you enjoy the supernatural though, you'll enjoy the story.