Scan barcode
ericareadslibros's review
3.0
Loved it. It started out slow and the main character was annoying me. But the plot twists were good.
booked_on_phonics's review
5.0
I LOVED this book. Was it an easy read? Yes. But it was so captivating I could not put it down. The lengths that a mother will go to protect her child are outstanding, and Danielle took it to the limit to protect Max. The courtroom drama part of the story and the suspense of wanting to know what really happened reminded me very much of a Jodi Picoult novel, and I could not put it down.
ktn2390's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rachelking's review
4.0
Though I was not familiar with this author when I recieved this book, upon reading it I could easily tell that Heugten was well-educated, especially since I actually came across a few words I did not know the meaning of - and I consider myself fairly well-read. Words like eidolon and glistered (both from the same sentence) made me a little intimidated by the book, but I stuck with it anyways. The prose of the text is written excellently and I thoroughly appreciated the book for this alone.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
I was originally drawn to the book because it focuses on a mother's fight for the life and freedom of her son - which I can relate to in some ways. The sub-plots quickly intersect when the mother, Danielle, has to rely on her career as a lawyer to fight for her son while working with another lawyer, who happens to be the man she has a one-night stand with after turning to what she terms as "liquid courage." Some scenes in the plot were quite horrific, especially at the end of the book, but they were necessary to the plot. The psychiatric facility of Maitland where the plot centers at is intended to be the foremost facility of its kind in the country, but I found many of its practices either abysmal or downright terrifying. I found it very satisfying when Max began to take a more active role in his own court case, showing to me that he is indeed in charge of his own faculties (mostly) and not responsible for what he is being accused of. The big revelation that Danielle discovers is incredibly shocking and grotesque and reveals a psychosis I never knew even existed, much less the depths of depravity that it takes a person to. I have no doubt that such individuals exist in real life, though I believe that such people are beyond what psychologists or psychiatrists can fix. These kinds of people either need God or corporal punishment, but that is another soap box for another day.
I found the progression of the plot unpredictable, which is a good thing, but the ending not completely fulfilling, since the author obviously opted to leave one loose thread for a possible sequel. While I normally like book series, in this case I would have much preferred a more rewarding ending.
kmays1107's review
1.0
i read this book quickly (in a day and a half) but that is no indication that it was a good book. this is a book club selection and our meeting it next sunday. i only purchased the book on friday and with current plans for the weekend, i had to cram now.
the characters were so flat. you never really got to know max or danielle or why she was confident, other than being his mother, that he wasn't crazy and did't kill a fellow mental patient. the writing itself was rather tired. if the author used electricity to explain one more thing, i was going to scream. i didn't really get interested until the middle of the book and quickly fell out of interest again when the courtroom work came.
i think the book could've been done better in more skilled hands. i needed more character development and maybe some reorginization of the events in the book to have pulled me in from the beginning.
the characters were so flat. you never really got to know max or danielle or why she was confident, other than being his mother, that he wasn't crazy and did't kill a fellow mental patient. the writing itself was rather tired. if the author used electricity to explain one more thing, i was going to scream. i didn't really get interested until the middle of the book and quickly fell out of interest again when the courtroom work came.
i think the book could've been done better in more skilled hands. i needed more character development and maybe some reorginization of the events in the book to have pulled me in from the beginning.
exmish's review
3.0
I won this book via GoodReads, so here is my brief review (I won't go into plot details and whatnot as that has already been amply covered by other readers).
If I hadn't just read _House Rules_ by Jodi Picoult (which I didn't love, but I liked it enough), I probably would have enjoyed this book more - not because I found the Picoult book to be better, but rather because the two books were so similar (young man with Asperger's finds himself accused of murder) that I felt like I was reading a re-run.
I thought the story was interesting but far-fetched, and I had the "whodunit?" figured out in the first few chapters. I enjoyed seeing the details of the how and why as they played out.
As the mother of a child with bipolar disorder, I really did NOT like how he went from having a diagnosis of Asperger's, to the hospital (mis)diagnosis, to "oh, whew, it's just bipolar disorder and now life is (literally and figuratively) sunny out in Santa Fe." I understand the use as a plot device, but anyone parenting a child with bipolar disorder knows that getting that diagnosis is rarely a relief.
Also, as a parent with a failed adoption in Ghana (West Africa), it also rubbed me the wrong way at the end. It is extremely difficult to adopt, domestic or internationally, as far as the process goes - there is almost no way that Marianne could generate the amount of paperwork necessary to do so (not to mention the fingerprinting, etc.).
If I hadn't just read _House Rules_ by Jodi Picoult (which I didn't love, but I liked it enough), I probably would have enjoyed this book more - not because I found the Picoult book to be better, but rather because the two books were so similar (young man with Asperger's finds himself accused of murder) that I felt like I was reading a re-run.
I thought the story was interesting but far-fetched, and I had the "whodunit?" figured out in the first few chapters. I enjoyed seeing the details of the how and why as they played out.
As the mother of a child with bipolar disorder, I really did NOT like how he went from having a diagnosis of Asperger's, to the hospital (mis)diagnosis, to "oh, whew, it's just bipolar disorder and now life is (literally and figuratively) sunny out in Santa Fe." I understand the use as a plot device, but anyone parenting a child with bipolar disorder knows that getting that diagnosis is rarely a relief.
Also, as a parent with a failed adoption in Ghana (West Africa), it also rubbed me the wrong way at the end. It is extremely difficult to adopt, domestic or internationally, as far as the process goes - there is almost no way that Marianne could generate the amount of paperwork necessary to do so (not to mention the fingerprinting, etc.).
zelbel2016's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book it brought me back to the days where I used to hungrily devour the fiction written by Jodi Picoult. The law side of this book perfectly balances out both the medical and emotional aspects of the story line so that this book could appeal to a very wide audience.
When her son Max is accused of murdering another patient within an Iowan Psychiatric Asylum, Danielle is forced to stretch herself to her limits in order to prove such allegations wrong. She collects a rag tag group in order to aid her in her effort. This group includes an attorney fresh out of a divorce, an old detective, and of course Danielle's own persistent and bold efforts.
This story I believe at its base is not the story of a legal court but rather the story of a mother and her son. It really emphasizes the bond between mother and child and shows exactly what a mother is willing to do to protect her child.
Overall this a beautifully written piece of work. I read it quickly and loved every aspect of it. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to read about the beauty found within all of us as human beings. Great novel, great author. Great Read.
Instant favorite!
When her son Max is accused of murdering another patient within an Iowan Psychiatric Asylum, Danielle is forced to stretch herself to her limits in order to prove such allegations wrong. She collects a rag tag group in order to aid her in her effort. This group includes an attorney fresh out of a divorce, an old detective, and of course Danielle's own persistent and bold efforts.
This story I believe at its base is not the story of a legal court but rather the story of a mother and her son. It really emphasizes the bond between mother and child and shows exactly what a mother is willing to do to protect her child.
Overall this a beautifully written piece of work. I read it quickly and loved every aspect of it. I suggest this book to anyone who wants to read about the beauty found within all of us as human beings. Great novel, great author. Great Read.
Instant favorite!
njlbo1's review
4.0
I ended up staying up till 4 in the morning to finish this because I HAD to know what happened. I thought some of it was a bit melodramatic, but it did keep me turning pages.
p.s. Thanks to my hubby for giving this to me for Christmas. :)
p.s. Thanks to my hubby for giving this to me for Christmas. :)
weezblu's review
1.0
oh no, that was terrible. very predictable. really far fetched. characters were not awesome. i can't believe i made it through. i didn't care for the writing style, so will not be reading any more from this author.
blondebookstagrammer's review
5.0
The beginning of the book was hard to get into, but holy sh*t, the book had me turning every page as fast as I could to see what would happen next. It was an incredible book and I’m extremely pleased with how well written it was!!