Reviews tagging 'Blood'

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

27 reviews

elias_b's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I've always found that there exists some form of beauty in tragedy—that books which deal with inevitable tragedies are life lessons to us all, in some way or the other.

However, "My Sister's Keeper" was a let-down. Let me explain why:

1. Shifting narration: First-person POVs do a great job of bringing out a character's innermost thoughts, but it becomes a problem when there are too many POVs. Anna, Kate, Jesse, Brian, Sara, Julia, and Campbell are all interesting characters in their own right, but the shifting POVs were jarring at times and completely unnecessary.

2. The subplots: The crux of the issue is Anna's decision to go ahead with the lawsuit, so that she will not have to donate her kidney. However, the more you read, the more this fades into the background. Instead, we see glimpses of Campbell and Julia's shared history together, Jesse's troubled life, and etc.

You could argue that these subplots exist to make the characters seem more human—to establish that not everything is black-or-white, but all they did was distract me from Anna's case.

3. The ending: Hardly anything works out in our favour in the real world, and no matter what the outcome was, I expected a lose-lose situation. However, the ending made me wonder what point the author was trying to make here.

Anna lives in the shadow of her sister, and she spends her whole life making sacrifices for Kate. If not, her mother is convincing her to give in and do "one more thing" for Kate. As I read, I felt as though Anna was never able to become her own person. From her conception to the end, she's this safety plan just in case something happens to Kate.

And, this is where I spoil the ending:
It was a massive disservice to Anna as well as us readers when she was declared braindead from a car accident. Which, by the way, is Campbell's second one—so the man suffers from seizures ever since the first accident. Above all, it broke my heart that, just as Anna had begun to envision a future for herself, it was just ripped from her. 

So, because of this, Kate receives her kidney and miraculously survives. The family moves on. I can't put my finger on it, but this ending certainly feels rushed.


It disappoints me to rate this 3.0 stars, especially since I looked forward to having a morality debate in my mind. After completing the book, all I feel is pity for Anna and a greater love for Campbell. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

stephhamp's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Books make me emotional regularly. There are many times when I have to just sit and decompress after it's finished. But rarely, does a book evoke such a visual reaction, in this case, actual tears. Not surprisingly, Jodi Picoult evokes that emotion in me. This is the third book I've read by this author, and I consistently fly through each page. Jodi always impresses me with her extensive research, and as always her research in cancer and medical studies are clearly shown in this book. That shows, to me, that this author truly cares about basing her books on reality. 
This book flashes through viewpoints in each chapter, and each character is right and justified in all of their actions. I am very close to my sister. She's the most important person in my life. Sisterhood and love are some major themes in this book. My heart was broken at the end of this book. Truly broken. I cannot wait to get angry at the film adaptation.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

hannah_beth_charles's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I found myself skipping paragraphs because some of the metaphors were so boring and unnecessary that I found it was a waste of time. I also hated Picoult's writing style and the way she made the men's POVs full of vulgar language or shallow thoughts, like "boys will be boys".
I think that Anna's death was Jesse's punishment for starting fires and putting other's lives at risk. It's not fair for him to just be let off without punishment. The ending was quite surprising but and almost lazy. There's no way that Anna would have an unstrained relationship with her parents after she tried to sue them, and Kate's death would be blamed on Anna. Anna needed to die for the story to conclude. Kate becoming a ballet teacher is unrealistic and I know it was her dream, but she hadn't done ballet before, and ballet isn't a sport you can just do. It takes years of training.  
I couldn't care less Campbell and Julia's relationship. They're both toxic and Julia is desperate to be different. Julias losing her virginity on a gravestone was just odd.
I hated that throughout the novel, Sara was trying to be redeemed as a good mother or at least trying her best in a complicated situation. She had Anna just to save Kate. She probably wouldn't have had Anna if Kate wasn't sick. What irked me most was at the end when she said that she would send her one child in a fire to save the other child and she was willing to risk losing them both. That is so selfish because Sara sacrificing their lives. That's not fair and is plain wrong. She is not put in any danger.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sarahbroccoli's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Correct ending would have been either 1) Kate dies naturally without kidney donation and Anna lives her best, independent life or 2) Anna donates her kidney with her own consent and cherishes the extra time with her sister. Anna deserves so much better than this ending!!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

ceraunomancy's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kaz_brekkerrr's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

caseylovett's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

zoejjj's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Okay obviously I cried like a baby I have three sisters and if I was put in a position like this I have no clue what I would’ve done!! The part where Anna is in the shower and Kate is talking to her, saying I can lose you as a sister but I couldn’t handle losing you as a friend? I was trying to do chores while listening this and was cryinggg!! 

Nobody in this book is hateable. Not even Sara. She is written as an incredibly driven woman who will stop at nothing to save her daughter. Unfortunately her other kids get forgotten in the process but she regrets, she makes it right. “This is her pond but my lily pads”? Shaving her head for Kate? Honestly Jesse got the wayyyy short end of the straw but he also almost killed someone.

The ending is… so so.
I wish Jodi would’ve committed to Kate dying. In the end, Anna’s choice was taken away from her AGAIN. Was the whole lawsuit pointless? Maybe! Sure it’s (possibly) realistic bc life does not care but this book isn’t meant to be realistic like that. The ending is out of left field for the topics this book is dealing with.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

obsessor_of_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emileesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings