Denise C. (dscrawford) reviewed on + 175 more book reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars No more Picoult novels for me..., December 31, 2009
By Denise
This was a total disappointment and it's the last Picoult novel I ever plan to read. I slogged through every other book by this author, hoping for a repeat of my favorite, MY SISTER'S KEEPER (incidentally also sat through a totally awful movie masquerading as the same story) or perhaps even as good as Salem Falls. I had predicted the complete plot and story lines of all her other recent books, but I was naively hopeful about this one. Well, my hopes were dashed.
The plot: mother of child born with osteogenesis imperfecta sues for "wrongful birth" because she wants money to raise her daughter. Meanwhile, as in Picoult's other books, the family falls apart since the focus is on this daughter with the special needs. I really didn't like reading the story from all points of view and it was annoying as it moved back and forth in time. The only honestly sympathetic characters turned out to be stereotypes -- the wrongfully accused physician who was once the best friend, the zealous lawyer with a tragic secret, and the bumbling but ethically correct husband and father.
This was another ridiculous attempt to disguise originality with banality -- the completely unbelievable verdict in the court case (WHO were those jury people anyway??) to the last chapter that basically repeated from previous books what was supposed to be a shocker of an ending. Jodi Picoult's formulaic writing is a recipe for boredom and I won't read another.
Skip it.
By Denise
This was a total disappointment and it's the last Picoult novel I ever plan to read. I slogged through every other book by this author, hoping for a repeat of my favorite, MY SISTER'S KEEPER (incidentally also sat through a totally awful movie masquerading as the same story) or perhaps even as good as Salem Falls. I had predicted the complete plot and story lines of all her other recent books, but I was naively hopeful about this one. Well, my hopes were dashed.
The plot: mother of child born with osteogenesis imperfecta sues for "wrongful birth" because she wants money to raise her daughter. Meanwhile, as in Picoult's other books, the family falls apart since the focus is on this daughter with the special needs. I really didn't like reading the story from all points of view and it was annoying as it moved back and forth in time. The only honestly sympathetic characters turned out to be stereotypes -- the wrongfully accused physician who was once the best friend, the zealous lawyer with a tragic secret, and the bumbling but ethically correct husband and father.
This was another ridiculous attempt to disguise originality with banality -- the completely unbelievable verdict in the court case (WHO were those jury people anyway??) to the last chapter that basically repeated from previous books what was supposed to be a shocker of an ending. Jodi Picoult's formulaic writing is a recipe for boredom and I won't read another.
Skip it.
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