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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
No
Jodi Piccoult is a very reliable writer in the sense that if I pick up one of her books, I know I will enjoy it to some degree. This book falls in to the lower end of the "like" spectrum. It was good, but just had too much going on. It literally took me at least 200 pages to get the different characters stories straight, and it took me even longer to be able to figure out how they relate. The latter half of the book is pretty fast paced, and as soon as it all came together, it just ended... rather abruptly in my opinion anyway. I love a good ghost story, so I would probably read this again given another chance. It wasn't my favorite book of hers though.
Not really a 3 but not quite as bad as a 2.5. It definitely could have used a serious edit. The murder mystery aspect of this book kept me plodding along yet never fully delivered. The romantic relationships were fairly insipid and I found the female characters weak with uninventive personalities. The complexity of the story lines had me wondering how they would ultimately intersect but things really bounced around in a weird way. I don’t know… I wouldn’t have read this had it not been in a “don’t judge a book by its cover” bargain bin. The ghosty stuff and the potential vindication for the indigenous folks was almost interesting.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
This is one of Jodi Picoult's novels that remains one I feel conflicted on. I generally love her stories as they are grounded and realistic stories concern challenging situations where a lot of value is brought by the multiple perspectives and you leave the story feeling empathetic to most of the perspectives. While one of the focal points of this story is one that concerns eugenics and its place in American history, and is presented in part in a way that is fascinating, it is also done by heavily using more fantastical elements that take me out of the real world. I love the characters, but wish there was a way to bridge the time gap between them all that didn't require a ghost-hunter who isn't a charlatan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Classism
It took me a bit to get settled with each of the different characters, but once I did, I could. not. put. it. down.
Jodi Picoult weaves a story like absolutely no other.
Jodi Picoult weaves a story like absolutely no other.
Typically awesome. Absolutely loved this one. Incredible storyline. Totally gripping
I'm not a real big fan of Jody Picoult but this one caught my interest more than some that I've read by her. Its a ghost story/love story mixed with her usual controversial issue-- this one being genetic testing.