Helpful Score: 4
Lone Wolf tells the story of Luke and his family from their differing viewpoints. It has five differing narrative character viewpoints that switch from one to the other at different points during the story. The novel centers around an accident that Luke and his daughter Cara has after he picks her up from a friend's house because she is seventeen and has made the unwise choice to go to a teenage party and drink so cannot drive home on her own; on the way home a deer runs in front of their car and Luke is injured badly and sent into a coma where he is considered from then on to be brain dead by doctors and Cara also gets seriously injured.
The storyline after this focuses on the ensuing battle of Cara who wants to keep her Father alive, and her brother Edward who is called back home after six years of living a world away in Thailand, and who comes back to a place he never wanted to return to and since he is legally his Fathers only relative who is of age he says that his Father should be allowed to die in peace and not kept alive by artificial means; The storyline is also filled in with flashbacks of Luke who was not Father of the year material but was someone who lived in the wild with wolves and felt more at home in the woods with them and tried to use their ways and lessons with his own family his narratives include many stories of his living with wild wolf packs in Canada and in captivity. (There are also two other character narratives in the book Luke's ex wife and her new husband but to find out more I suggest reading this great book)
This novel captivated me because you could see all the research that must've gone into writing it; and the detail was amazing, I literally sat down and read it in one night; I found it fascinating partly because my aunt does love wolves herself so this is a particular animal that I have a profound respect for. Also this is an issue that I think should be treated with respect and I think Picoult did a very good job with the topic and with how the characters developed throughout the book. I liked the ending it was not stereotypical or like the end of a lifetime or hallmark movie at all and I appreciated that. It kept my attention; and the characters relationships with one another were very relatable and realistic especially the brother-sister relationship shown between Cara and Luke; being a younger sister I related to moments described between her and Edward.
This is a wonderful read; I will continue reading Picoult and would recommend this book to anyone =) Its one of my new favorites.
The storyline after this focuses on the ensuing battle of Cara who wants to keep her Father alive, and her brother Edward who is called back home after six years of living a world away in Thailand, and who comes back to a place he never wanted to return to and since he is legally his Fathers only relative who is of age he says that his Father should be allowed to die in peace and not kept alive by artificial means; The storyline is also filled in with flashbacks of Luke who was not Father of the year material but was someone who lived in the wild with wolves and felt more at home in the woods with them and tried to use their ways and lessons with his own family his narratives include many stories of his living with wild wolf packs in Canada and in captivity. (There are also two other character narratives in the book Luke's ex wife and her new husband but to find out more I suggest reading this great book)
This novel captivated me because you could see all the research that must've gone into writing it; and the detail was amazing, I literally sat down and read it in one night; I found it fascinating partly because my aunt does love wolves herself so this is a particular animal that I have a profound respect for. Also this is an issue that I think should be treated with respect and I think Picoult did a very good job with the topic and with how the characters developed throughout the book. I liked the ending it was not stereotypical or like the end of a lifetime or hallmark movie at all and I appreciated that. It kept my attention; and the characters relationships with one another were very relatable and realistic especially the brother-sister relationship shown between Cara and Luke; being a younger sister I related to moments described between her and Edward.
This is a wonderful read; I will continue reading Picoult and would recommend this book to anyone =) Its one of my new favorites.
Helpful Score: 3
I have read a few Jodi Picoult books, some that I loved and some that still keep me on a fence. I started on the fence this one, but I slowly but surely moved to liking this one. She used her signature move attacking a serious subject with a court case from each character's perspective. The issue involved in this book is when is a life over medically/spiritually and who has the authority to make that call.
From the beginning you meet Cara, a young 17 year-old who has been in an accident with her father. Throughout the book you discover family secrets that have been hidden for years and the many reasons why this family was torn apart. Underlying it all is the storyline about the father, Luke Warren who was a famous conservationist focusing on the wolf community. The reader learns about how wolves form their packs and what keeps their family units working so well, and even what humans could learn from them.
I enjoyed the many layers to the book and it didn't feel like the rest of her books which made it feel like a fresh and new Jodi Picoult book. I would recommend this book to die-hard fans and newcomers to the Picoult repertoire.
From the beginning you meet Cara, a young 17 year-old who has been in an accident with her father. Throughout the book you discover family secrets that have been hidden for years and the many reasons why this family was torn apart. Underlying it all is the storyline about the father, Luke Warren who was a famous conservationist focusing on the wolf community. The reader learns about how wolves form their packs and what keeps their family units working so well, and even what humans could learn from them.
I enjoyed the many layers to the book and it didn't feel like the rest of her books which made it feel like a fresh and new Jodi Picoult book. I would recommend this book to die-hard fans and newcomers to the Picoult repertoire.
Helpful Score: 3
For the Warrens, secrets have divided their family for so long, that it seems like they will never be able to come back together by their own choice. Then, on an icy winter night, a terrible accident forces them all to come together and make a fateful decision. It's a decision that will ultimately shake all of their lives to the foundations.
Seventeen-year-old Cara has always been her father, Luke's, little princess, protected by him, and confidently shielded by his love. What nobody realizes, however, is that Cara is tormented by a secret that she can't reveal - to anyone. Her older brother, Edward, has secrets of his own...ones that have kept him estranged from his family for the past six years. He has managed to keep them hidden rather well, but now they may come to light, and if they do, Cara will be devastated.
Their mother, Georgie, always felt like she was never able to compete with her ex-husband's life-long obsessions: wild wolves and their pack structure. This was a subject which Luke became completely immersed in; forsaking his own family in order to spend two years alone in the Canadian wilderness, following several wolf packs during that time - and subsequently running a wilderness sanctuary for wolves. And now, Luke's fate hangs in the balance and is held in the hands of her children; as the ex-wife, it seems as if Georgie has no further say in his personal matters.
With conflicting motivations and emotions, what will this family ultimately decide? And will they be able to live with that decision, after the truth has been revealed? What happens when the hope that should sustain a family in crisis, is the very thing tearing it apart?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, it was very well-written, and while I found the discussion of the hierarchies within wolf packs to be incredibly detailed; I appreciated how accurately such discussions described the dynamics within the Warren family. I give Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult an A+! I think Ms. Picoult does a tremendous job of getting the reader to care about these characters and about the difficult situation in which they find themselves.
Seventeen-year-old Cara has always been her father, Luke's, little princess, protected by him, and confidently shielded by his love. What nobody realizes, however, is that Cara is tormented by a secret that she can't reveal - to anyone. Her older brother, Edward, has secrets of his own...ones that have kept him estranged from his family for the past six years. He has managed to keep them hidden rather well, but now they may come to light, and if they do, Cara will be devastated.
Their mother, Georgie, always felt like she was never able to compete with her ex-husband's life-long obsessions: wild wolves and their pack structure. This was a subject which Luke became completely immersed in; forsaking his own family in order to spend two years alone in the Canadian wilderness, following several wolf packs during that time - and subsequently running a wilderness sanctuary for wolves. And now, Luke's fate hangs in the balance and is held in the hands of her children; as the ex-wife, it seems as if Georgie has no further say in his personal matters.
With conflicting motivations and emotions, what will this family ultimately decide? And will they be able to live with that decision, after the truth has been revealed? What happens when the hope that should sustain a family in crisis, is the very thing tearing it apart?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, it was very well-written, and while I found the discussion of the hierarchies within wolf packs to be incredibly detailed; I appreciated how accurately such discussions described the dynamics within the Warren family. I give Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult an A+! I think Ms. Picoult does a tremendous job of getting the reader to care about these characters and about the difficult situation in which they find themselves.
Helpful Score: 2
This is the first book I've read by this author but I found it somewhat disconcerting. There were two sections. Once the crash occurs, the author alternates the story of family members dealing with the tragedy with dialog by the hospitalized father who is unresponsive to medical attempts. The father was a renowned naturalist who studied and lived with wolves. He became a highly sought after authority on wolves and his comments are about his experience with wolves. On the other hand, his son and daughter disagree about whether or not life support should be disconnected because his prognosis is so bleak.
At first the technique of the alternating sections seemed appropriate but as I read more, the more uncomfortable it became. Finally, I felt that there were two books. Each was well written but attempts to link the two seemed awkward.
Was the author attempting to get inside the mind of a man whose surgery would make him forget some memories? Was she trying to link his own book to the tragedy of his children who disagreed about his future? I wasn't certain. And, as I read the author's comments I wondered if the author was just using a technique to write a book that she thought would appeal to readers because she had read one about a man who lived with wolves? I was never quite sure so I rated the book only three stars. Some may find this technique interesting but I did not. However, Picoult writes well and both sections were easy to read. I just wish she had written two different books or had approached the topic in a different way.
At first the technique of the alternating sections seemed appropriate but as I read more, the more uncomfortable it became. Finally, I felt that there were two books. Each was well written but attempts to link the two seemed awkward.
Was the author attempting to get inside the mind of a man whose surgery would make him forget some memories? Was she trying to link his own book to the tragedy of his children who disagreed about his future? I wasn't certain. And, as I read the author's comments I wondered if the author was just using a technique to write a book that she thought would appeal to readers because she had read one about a man who lived with wolves? I was never quite sure so I rated the book only three stars. Some may find this technique interesting but I did not. However, Picoult writes well and both sections were easy to read. I just wish she had written two different books or had approached the topic in a different way.
Helpful Score: 1
Picoult does not disappoint. As with all her stories, this is an emotional one. It is a battle between siblings and ends with a powerful message.
