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lmc_phd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
itzreibrary's review against another edition
5.0
so far this is the greatest book Jodi Picoult has wrote in my opinion. Everything's fit, including Jack St Bride foolishness to make him get into trouble with those girls lol
jessica_philli's review against another edition
3.0
4/7. I was RIGHT about the final twist (though I wish I wasn't)! This was a solid classic Jodi. Nothing super wow-factor about it and some of the flashback chapters to Jack's life didn't add much for me, but I was consistently interested throughout. The premise gave me a bit of the ick, but reading more about Megan's Law gave me a better sense of WHY she chose this story and how it was probably more timely/appropriate for 2000. I still enjoyed it, but given...everything in the last 22 years, I'm not sure if this one aged quite as well as some of her other backlist books. But again, solidly entertaining and a good mix of subplots!
fireflyhollow's review against another edition
4.0
Salem Falls is not exactly what I initially thought the book would be about from reading the synopsis on the back cover; however, it was a very interesting and mostly enjoyable read. Jack St. Bride was a history teacher at a private school who was falsely accused of statutory rape. Jack accepted a plea bargain when his lawyer advised him of all the circumstantial evidence against him and spent eight months in prison for a crime he did not commit. Upon his release, Jack knows that he cannot return to the town where he once lived and randomly chooses a new town when he sees a 'help needed' sign in a local diner. The owner, Addie Peabody, has a broken past of her own and has shut out every man who has dared to try to crack the tough exterior wall that protects her heart... that is until Jack walks into her life. The secret of Jack's former imprisonment doesn't stay a secret for long, however, and before Jack can fully realize what is happening, a modern day witch hunt has bloomed in Salem Falls with Jack the center of everyone's suspicion. When the daughter of a local wealthy business owner accuses Jack of rape, the townspeople immediately assume he is guilty, but Jack is determined to not once again take the fall for something he claims he did not do.
Pros:
• Jodi Picoult is an amazing storyteller who is able to spin tales that keep me wanting to turn the page to see what happens. This is my fourth read from her, and she has never disappointed me.
• The story is told from multiple characters which allows the reader to see how different perceptions are and why people can see the same story in so many different ways.
• Jodi Picoult did a very good job of showing the hurt rape causes while at the same time showing that everyone who is accused isn't always guilty and how those lives can be destroyed as well.
• In typical Picoult style, there is a twist at the end that you don't see coming but makes perfect sense when you think about all the hints she drops along the way.
Cons:
• I really wasn't a fan of all the witchcraft in the book. This was the detail the cover synopsis was missing; however, I should have assumed it from the title of the book. Witchcraft was portrayed as something that is more or less harmless and is a simple connecting of oneself with nature (even though the characters keep referring to gods and goddesses).
• The 'g-d' word is used a lot in this book from just about every character.
Pros:
• Jodi Picoult is an amazing storyteller who is able to spin tales that keep me wanting to turn the page to see what happens. This is my fourth read from her, and she has never disappointed me.
• The story is told from multiple characters which allows the reader to see how different perceptions are and why people can see the same story in so many different ways.
• Jodi Picoult did a very good job of showing the hurt rape causes while at the same time showing that everyone who is accused isn't always guilty and how those lives can be destroyed as well.
• In typical Picoult style, there is a twist at the end that you don't see coming but makes perfect sense when you think about all the hints she drops along the way.
Cons:
• I really wasn't a fan of all the witchcraft in the book. This was the detail the cover synopsis was missing; however, I should have assumed it from the title of the book. Witchcraft was portrayed as something that is more or less harmless and is a simple connecting of oneself with nature (even though the characters keep referring to gods and goddesses).
• The 'g-d' word is used a lot in this book from just about every character.
Spoiler
• When Jack and Addie are in the graveyard looking at Addie's daughter's headstone, it reads with the dates 1979 - 1989. When Addie is testifying at Jack's trial in 2000, Addie states that her daughter died seven years ago. I'm not sure if this editorial mishap was ever corrected in later editions.smderitis's review against another edition
5.0
One of Picoult's best, by far... gripping and traumatic all the way through, with a good mix of hope and despair at the end. Still not sure why it took me so long to read this one!
booksandbikes17's review against another edition
1.0
Abandoned this one about 20% through. Shame, as I enjoy Picoult's books, but I just couldn't get into this one.
cmichaela's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
amandah86's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
erika_is_reading's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Her stuff is just beach reading, and this was worse than normal.
tlwd's review against another edition
3.0
CW for this book:
You know those feel-good books that make you feel warm and fuzzy and like everything is going to be all right? This was not one of them. In fact, it was distinctly a feel-bad book: everything is terrible, the world is ending, and when you think you've hit bottom, things go from bad to worse. But I kept reading it.
There was something captivating about the writing. You can't fault that. I just wasn't the biggest fan of the contents of that writing. I felt there was some bad science, the investigation wasn't as tightly woven as I'd like (I read a lot of mysteries), and I didn't like how the author focused a lot of the message on the girls who falsely claimed to be sexually assaulted for the attention. She did mention that most women don't report cases of sexual assault and that it's quite difficult to prosecute (in that the evidence often isn't there, and that it's easy to get away with a relatively short sentence) but those were really in passing. The main message that stood out was that girls will claim assault for the attention, and that ruins innocent men's lives. Some of my friends have been victims of sexual assault (and their assailants got away with it), so that left a sour taste in my mouth that no amount of good writing and cool storyline weaving can take away.
Spoiler
sexual assault, pedophilia, incestYou know those feel-good books that make you feel warm and fuzzy and like everything is going to be all right? This was not one of them. In fact, it was distinctly a feel-bad book: everything is terrible, the world is ending, and when you think you've hit bottom, things go from bad to worse. But I kept reading it.
There was something captivating about the writing. You can't fault that. I just wasn't the biggest fan of the contents of that writing. I felt there was some bad science, the investigation wasn't as tightly woven as I'd like (I read a lot of mysteries), and I didn't like how the author focused a lot of the message on the girls who falsely claimed to be sexually assaulted for the attention. She did mention that most women don't report cases of sexual assault and that it's quite difficult to prosecute (in that the evidence often isn't there, and that it's easy to get away with a relatively short sentence) but those were really in passing. The main message that stood out was that girls will claim assault for the attention, and that ruins innocent men's lives. Some of my friends have been victims of sexual assault (and their assailants got away with it), so that left a sour taste in my mouth that no amount of good writing and cool storyline weaving can take away.