Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
It is a wonderful tale, but heavy in characters. I think that is the reason it took so long, I tend to skim sometimes (I know, its bad) but I get bored with descriptions...but you can't do that with this book. You really need to read every word, because most of the story is characters and their thought. There isn't a whole lot of "the trees were large and green"
Overall, I really liked this story.
The beginning, which is setting up the story of the people in the "present" is slow and plodding. I think mostly because there is SO much to set up. I also found myself having to go back and re-read paragraphs to decide who Eli was in comparison to Ross.
For me, the story really started picking up when we went to the past. 1932 and Cecilia Pike's story is what MADE this tale for me. She's a very interesting character, and I admit I fell in love with her. The trials she dealt with by having a man whom she loved, but who only loved her for her pedigree (although I think that in his own way he did love her) and meeting her true father in the form of someone who was so NOT pedigree.
Overall, I really liked this story.
The beginning, which is setting up the story of the people in the "present" is slow and plodding. I think mostly because there is SO much to set up. I also found myself having to go back and re-read paragraphs to decide who Eli was in comparison to Ross.
For me, the story really started picking up when we went to the past. 1932 and Cecilia Pike's story is what MADE this tale for me. She's a very interesting character, and I admit I fell in love with her. The trials she dealt with by having a man whom she loved, but who only loved her for her pedigree (although I think that in his own way he did love her) and meeting her true father in the form of someone who was so NOT pedigree.
Haven’t been a fan of Picoult’s recent books, but this one from 2003 was definitely worth the time. Has a sub plot of eugenics, which I didn’t know anything about, and the way she weaves the characters together was great.
I read this book on CD and I think that in itself, took me a while to get “into” this book. On the other hand, the CD version ends with an author interview that was more than enlightening. This is a twisted, curvy, paranormal, love story filled with educational controversial issues that will leave you thinking long after the book. Picoult mixes factual information on the Vermont Eugenics Project of the 1920s-1930s and compares it to stem cell research of today. Further factual information is presented through characters of the Abernaki Indians (often victims of the Eugenics project) and the XP Disease (highly allergic to sunlight). Although it took me quite a while to read this, I’d highly recommend it.
This book gave me "Ghost Whisper" vibes - love the tv show with Jennifer Love Hewitt -but oddly my enjoyment of paranormal activity did not transfer to this book. Appreciate the moral of the story tying in Indian preservation, uncovering the truth behind a crime committed years ago and righting that wrong.
I thought "Second Glance" was really strange at first with all its supernatural occurrences, but it grew on me. As usual, I found Jodi Picoult's writing very thought-provoking, as well as aesthetically pleasing. Every once in awhile I would stop and just savor one of her metaphors - I wish I could remember them all, or that I could highlight them in library books, just so everyone could appreciate what really good writing is.
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Did not love this one. It's written in her old writing style, rather than the current one where each chapter is a different character's perspective. I just didn't like this story. Love most of her other books but this wasn't my favorite.
A little too much going on in the first part of the book. There were so many characters that it made it difficult to focus on the story. They were all tied together in the end, which is very typical of Jodi Picoult books.
I usually enjoy this author, as she is good at detailing the characters' emotions. This book would have been better if that had been the focus. There was a little too much paranormal activity for my taste.
I usually enjoy this author, as she is good at detailing the characters' emotions. This book would have been better if that had been the focus. There was a little too much paranormal activity for my taste.
It was a little slow to start off with in the first few chapters as it jumped from character to character, but as an avid Picoult reader, I was confident that if I read on, as always, those character's would come together, detail by detail, and I was right. I'm not the kind of person who believes in ghosts, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the story line, so much so that at one point I read about 230 pages in one night. I particularly loved Lia's part of the story. I also really liked the historical aspect of the book in general with the inclusion of eugenics. It was definitely worth the read.
My first Picoult novel I've ever read. I still remember it. She does this magical realism thing that is awesome. She uses a ghost story to talk about the controversy of eugenics. Wonderfully done.