Customer Reviews: Read 294 more reviews...
 Another winner from Jodi November 4, 2008
Finished the book last night and very glad I wasnt on the bus because I cried my eyes out! This is the third Jodi Piccoult novel I have read and although I enjoyed the ongoing suspense of Nineteen Minutes more, this had a far more impactful end to it, and the constant emotional tussle of who to side with was thought-provoking.
 Moral dilemma on a large scale October 15, 2008
Another gripping and well-written novel from Picoult. Having read some of her more recent works, I went back to read this, probably her most popular earlier work? It tells of a family who make the decision to have a third child to enable them to better-treat their second child who is very ill, and of the ensuing court battle when the youngest daughter decides, in her teenage years, that she no longer wants to be told she must donate this body tissue or that organ to save her sister Kate. But is that all there is to it? Once again the arguments for and against are well presented by Picoult, her research into the subjects concerned is thorough, and the outcome has quite an interesting and unexpected twist for the reader.
 Too much courtroom drama for my liking! October 9, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It was the premise that intrigued me to pick up this book and the easy-reading prose that kept me reading. This book is rife with ethical debate and when it got to the root of the argument, I have to admit, I couldn't decide what I would do if I were in that situation. Is it right or wrong to `design' a baby ? Should you do everything and anything to save the one you love? Where is that line?
It is most defiantly a thought-provoking topic, but with the morale debate swept aside, however, the story is more or less your typical courtroom drama - complete with clichés, clichés and yet more clichés!
- Spoilers Ahead! -
The most blatant one is the I-hate-you-no-I-love-you romance between Campbell (the cliché embittered yet heart-of-gold attorney) and Julia (once punk, now ad liduem, who once had her heart broken by Campbell but now has to put all that aside as they work together on the case for Anna).
This was a subplot that could have easily been removed and not detracted from the story at all. It just seemed to prolong the novel to an uncomfortable length that just made me impatient to finish. And the, `Jesus Christ, will you just shut up already?' moment, complete with a passionate kiss from Campbell that sweeps Julia off her feet and into his bed, made me cringe.
And then if the character wasn't a cliché, they didn't have a character at all...
The mother had absolutely no personality. All the reader knew was that she was just obsessed by her desire to cure Kate. The father became a workaholic (another cliché) because he simply couldn't deal with it emotionally.
And Kate - she has no voice! The whole point of this story was that Anna should have the choice to decide what she wants for her body, but what about Kate? Everyone ignores what Kate wants. She says she's had enough and has asked Anna not to donate her kidney, but we are never given Kate's point of view until the very end.
It was the ending that was the greatest disappointment. I could get passed some of the cliché, the flat characters, and all the cringe-worthy metaphors, but the ending was just a deus ex machina if ever I saw one - in comes the hand of God and makes the decision for them! And Campbell, who is calm and quite rational for someone who has just killed someone and been in such a traumatic accident, states, `there is a girl upstairs who needs that Kidney.'
It appears to me that Picoult didn't know what the right decision was and the accident was not only a ploy to avoid making a decision, but yet more drama. A plot twist - they never saw that coming! It just doesn't make very good reading. When you commit yourself to making a decision and then wimp out at the very last moment, the reader ends up feeling cheated. I can only assume that Anna decides to give up her kidney when her last comment is, `ten years from now I want to be Kate's sister.'
- End of Spoilers -
I have given this book 2 stars. Who would I recommend it to? Although the book deals with some controversial topics it deals with them in a comfortable and familiar way, so I would recommend it to anyone who was looking for an easy read. It is the sort of book for those rainy Sundays or the bath.
Great Read September 19, 2008
This book was quite unlike anything else I have read, it is completely gripping and had me close to tears on more than one occasion. The style of writing is brill each chapter is the perspective of a different character. Definitely recommend to anyone.
An emotional tale well told.... September 18, 2008
My first Jodi Picoult - having just finished this book and am hungry for more reading experiences like it! A tear-jerker with a surprising finale. Its well written and is hard to put down as each page makes you want to find out more - you feel that you really get to know all the characters as the story unfolds. A serious emotional journey with the odd splash of humour to bring it all to life. Highly recommended!
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