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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
As usual, Jodi Picoult brings the best in mindless stories...great summer reading, just ashame it's too heavy to carry to the beach!
Good book, but a little drawn out. I was intrigued and kept reading for a while because I was itching to find out what happened. But I figured it out long before the book was over, and it got a bit painful at the end when the characters had these limited conversations where they very pointedly asked only enough to elicit responses that didn't shed any more light on what had happened. If you ask someone who you know was at a crime scene whether they killed the person, and they say no, wouldn't you then ask, "Well, then, what DID happen?"
The ending, on the other hand, was a bit too pat. If, after the trial that is portrayed in the book, the brother of the man on trial suddenly says, "Oh, wait. I know what happened," the court is not going to just accept it, especially after the attorney for the defendant basically admitted his client was a killer.
Overall, it was a good read, with plenty to keep the story going and emotionally engaging characters.
The ending, on the other hand, was a bit too pat. If, after the trial that is portrayed in the book, the brother of the man on trial suddenly says, "Oh, wait. I know what happened," the court is not going to just accept it, especially after the attorney for the defendant basically admitted his client was a killer.
Overall, it was a good read, with plenty to keep the story going and emotionally engaging characters.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The "surprise ending" was easily predicted half way through the book, but still an interesting read.
I thought the idea was interesting, I just think she could have written the same story in about half the pages. It felt very repetitive to me after a while.
Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. Her style of writing is immediately engaging and suspenseful. She creates believable characters that the reader cares to learn more about. House Rules was no exception. I had difficulty putting it down once I started and finished in a matter of days. However, as it compared to many of her other great books, it wasn't my favorite. Possibly the subject matter hit too close to home (being the mother of a toddler, experiencing my own anxiety over vaccine side effects) but I think it was more about feeling like I had guessed the ending of the story a third of the way through the book. Picoult's writing is such that I wanted to finish the book anyway as it was that enjoyable of a read, but I felt a little bit of let down when the ending was revealed to be what I had guessed. Still, it was an enjoyable book and I will be anxiously awaiting her next one.
This was a wonderful book. I did not know what the outcome would be until it was finally revealed.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Good book but took off a star because of the anti-vaccine stuff. Major eye roll.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A