Reviews
Read it or don't read it is the question. It was a quick read on the weekend. I'd say read it if you're looking for a quick, satisfying read.
I enjoy Jodi Picoult and enjoyed this latest offering from her. Although I have read a fair amount about autism and Asperger's, I thought she brought some new insights into this condition and how families are affected by having a family member with the condition. [return][return]I thought there were a few stumbles in the details of the trial, but otherwise the story was well told. I had thought that the truth of the situation was probably too simple to be the correct story, and it's hard to believe it would have taken so long for it to be revealed, but I still found it an enjoyable read.
It was good, but I absolutely hated the ending. It’s an older book with some outdated physiological terms… nonetheless enjoyable.
As the mother of an autistic child, I was absolutely appalled at the way autistic people were characterized and talked about in this book. I cannot keep this book in my house - in fact I don’t even want to give it away - the trash can is the best place for it. I can’t imagine how my son would feel if he read it.
Jodi Picoult is now officially one of my new favorite authors. Her stories always have a way of hooking and pulling readers into the story and I loved how she used this in order to raise awareness for Asperger’s and autism. I also loved how raw the emotions were in the perspectives of Emma and Theo. At first, I thought it would be Rich and Emma that would be endgame yet Oliver and Emma’s chemistry was impeccable! Jacob and Jess’ relationship (especially the way he had a crush on her) reminded me of Sam and Julia from Atypical.
The only thing I disliked about this is where we’re kept in the dark about the verdict. Since aside from finding out what really happened to Jess, we were also anticipating on how the jury and the justice system would deal with someone with Jacob’s condition on trial.
Again, a good read from Picoult. The only problem I had with this novel was that the main character draws from both extreme ends of the autism/aspi spectrum (a combination that I am yet to meet in my work within this area).
This book was pretty hard for me to rate. I loved the Autism rep in it, being a parent of a child with autism I found it to be a 5-star book! it ripped at my heart strings and I thought it was so powerful. But I can also see the faults. I don't think that this is Jodi's best book she has ever done. I am a HUGE Picoult fan! But I seen the ending very early on, I found some of the characters stories strange ie. We got a lot of information and time with the main investigator but he then disappeared for most of the book, popped up in the end with no real purpose or help with the polt.. anyways! I still loved it and don't regret ever reading any of her stuff. I may put my rating at a solid 3.5
I had heard that this was a good writer but I was unprepared for how good. Every character has strong defined motivations which make them seem real and fragile and flawed and good. Although I figured out how it was going to be done pretty quickly--the title of the novel was a bit of a giveaway--I still thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Seeing the world through all of their eyes was delightful and agonizing and frustrating and I'm sad to have finished it because I really loved all of their individual quirks. She has a wonderful way of setting up and ending her chapters that is really skillful and I look forward to reading more of her work.
My favorite Jodi Picoult book so far. I love how we had a glimpse at what it's like from Jacob's point of view. So far, it seems like usually we don't get a glimpse from the child's POV until the end. I love that his was throughout the entire novel. I also love how I could really see the struggle and feel what was being described. I would highly recommend this book.
