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fkshg8465's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Just as I cannot disprove the existence of alien life, neither can I disprove God. Personally, concluded a few years ago that I didn’t care one way or the other if God was real but that God wasn’t real for me. Reading this book, I looked at God as a fictitious character, which was the only way I could keep any objectivity. Whether God is real or not it’s irrelevant to the story, but it sure felt like the catalyst. Remove the God angle, and all you’ve got is a custody battle and a side romance. But without the God angle, there’s also no story to be told other than a cheating husband (given this happens in the first chapter, this ought not be considered a spoiler). So the book felt weak to me, but I give it three stars because the author is a very good writer overall, which is why I keep coming back for her books.
Graphic: Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Body horror, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Infidelity, Medical content, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
For an agnostic, this book was an interesting choice. The child in the story, Faith, is caught up in a custody battle all while being spoken to by god. I found the theology of the book fascinating and the way that Picoult handles questions about religion to be incredibly open-minded. I wish the ending didn’t feel as rushed — it would’ve gotten 4 stars if it hadn’t.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
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