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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
This book was passed along to me by my mother-in-law. She really loved this book. Me, not so much. I appreciate the significance of having a child with Aspergers as one of the main characters, and the plot was clever enough. If we could give half stars, this would get a 2 and 1/2 from me. That said, the parts from Jacob's point of view did not always ring true to me. The pacing started to annoy me during the last third of the book, especially because I had a hard time believing that nobody had bothered to get the accurate story from Jacob. The conclusion was not satisfying enough to justify the slow trek to get there.
I think Picoult did a nice job portraying a teen who has Aspberger's. As a special ed. teacher I could relate and enjoyed the book! Another good one from Picoult!!
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is not my favorite Picoult novel. The characters were frustrating at best. Many things were left unexplained, and I was disappointed in the ending (or lack thereof). It was mentioned several times how Emma tried to have Jacob be a part of normal society, but that was continually contradicted by all the ways she catered to him, made excuses for him, and expected others to make exceptions for him. She is an enabler. Meanwhile, she completely neglected Theo.
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bah, this was going to be a five star book for so long but what is this ending? Not satisfactory at all after all that build up. Still-- One of the better Picoult books I've read. I usually find them trite and cliche but I genuinely couldn't put this one down. Maybe I'll re-give her a try.
Unlike some of her other stories, Ms. Piccoult told this story in such a way that kept you involved despite knowing what happened. Very thought-provoking, as usual!
By far one of Jodi's best thus far - have read all... A Must Read! "
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read many Picoult books, and this one is by far the most disappointing for me. I really struggled to finish it (it took me an entire month to read), and I felt like so much of the plot was just repeated over and over... a weak "mystery" and weak characters. Also, honestly, the information regarding autism was pretty sketchy (published in 2010) and the crux of the plot (Asperger's) isn't really a diagnosis anymore. This one just didn't seem well edited at all... at one point, she referred to a "Wii game cartridge" (not a thing - the Wii used discs), and there were other small erroneous details that took me out of the story. Anyway, moving on. She has some really great books (Small Great Things comes to mind), so not hating on Picoult, but I wish this one had been more developed overall.
Interesting look into the world of the Autism spectrum; the challenges for families, the lack of community support and the incredible isolation.