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A review by jenbsbooks
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
2.75
I know this author has a ton of books out ... I think this is my second. This was just okay for me. I finished Columbine a few months ago, and I guess this novel and the characters/twists just came off as unrealistic, unlikeable, to me. I think I'll remember the story somewhat, but I never got pulled in. There was so much jumping around in time (which happened in the Columbine book too). Just looking at the TOC ... Chapter 1: March 6, 2007 Chapter 2: Seventeen Years Before Chapter 3: Hours Before Chapter 4: Twelve Years Before Chapter 5: The Day After ... and so on. Part One, Part Two shifts to "after" and one "the day of" (as well as some memories of the day of).
The start hits the "nineteen minutes" hard ... but then it doesn't come into play again until the trial. So that felt a little disjointed to me. So many characters we're following (Alex, Lacey, Peter, Josie, Patrick, Jordan ++), again, just jumping around so much. There are discussion questions at the end of the Kindle copy (I listened to audio, but had the Kindle copy as well) ... you would think this would just scream "book club" ... but I really didn't have any sections that I highlighted, any profound quotations, or even any desire to discuss the book. Other reviewers mention the emotional impact ... I don't know if I've read so much that I'm a bit hardened to it all, but this didn't hit me emotionally at all. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters, or really caring about them.
The twist ... that didn't seem at all believable to me. The defense ... did a bit, but still not enough to justify, even with a small peek into Peter's mind (just a tiny one, as we don't really delve deep afterward). I do despise bullying too though. I don't know if I was lucky, or oblivious, but I just don't remember much bullying in my school years. I don't think my kids really saw much either (at least that I was aware of (and one of my kids COULD have been a victim, had some other struggles, but again, luckily seemed to have good kids around him, although we did end up doing high school online).
I think I have more negative than positive feelings about this ... perhaps because of expectations (the author being so well known, hearing rave reviews, finding the book Columbine to be compelling - maybe I just don't judge it as harshly, being non-fiction).
The start hits the "nineteen minutes" hard ... but then it doesn't come into play again until the trial. So that felt a little disjointed to me. So many characters we're following (Alex, Lacey, Peter, Josie, Patrick, Jordan ++), again, just jumping around so much. There are discussion questions at the end of the Kindle copy (I listened to audio, but had the Kindle copy as well) ... you would think this would just scream "book club" ... but I really didn't have any sections that I highlighted, any profound quotations, or even any desire to discuss the book. Other reviewers mention the emotional impact ... I don't know if I've read so much that I'm a bit hardened to it all, but this didn't hit me emotionally at all. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters, or really caring about them.
The twist ... that didn't seem at all believable to me. The defense ... did a bit, but still not enough to justify, even with a small peek into Peter's mind (just a tiny one, as we don't really delve deep afterward). I do despise bullying too though. I don't know if I was lucky, or oblivious, but I just don't remember much bullying in my school years. I don't think my kids really saw much either (at least that I was aware of (and one of my kids COULD have been a victim, had some other struggles, but again, luckily seemed to have good kids around him, although we did end up doing high school online).
I think I have more negative than positive feelings about this ... perhaps because of expectations (the author being so well known, hearing rave reviews, finding the book Columbine to be compelling - maybe I just don't judge it as harshly, being non-fiction).