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thebookishlibrarian's review against another edition
This book was REALLY good. I recommend it to anyone.
kkaceykatt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
aejohnson85's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book I've read of Picoult's (not including her YA ARC). While I didn't enjoy it as much as Nineteen Minutes, I did appreciate the topics she chooses to tackle. Picoult really makes me look at both sides of an issue and I often find myself on a side I never expected.
Vanishing Acts is the story of Delia who discovers that her father, Andrew, kidnapped her at the age of four, telling her that her mother had died in a car accident. What follows is how Delia grasps the situation she finds herself in - how she deals with meeting a mother that doesn't fit the idealized version she had created in her head; how she deals with the loving father who kidnapped her out of desperation for her to have a better life than the one her mother could have given her...
I like the multiple points of view that Picoult presented (Delia, Andrew, Elise, Fitz and Eric), although I did find the scenes with Andrew in jail overly graphic and not of great importance to the overall plot of the story. Likewise, I wasn't a huge fan of Ruthann and the Hopi people plot, as I found it detracted from the rest of the story.
Once again, I found that I was able to predict the "twists" that would occur at the end of the novel, one about Delia's past situation that led to her father taking her away, and the last about who Delia would choose to be with in the end (which I was happy with). I was also left wondering what happened at the end, as one of the major plot points was left unsolved. I really wanted to know if Delia's recovered memories were real or not, but I guess Picoult chose to leave that up to the reader.
Regardless, I have a few other Picoult novels lined up on my "to read" shelf.
Vanishing Acts is the story of Delia who discovers that her father, Andrew, kidnapped her at the age of four, telling her that her mother had died in a car accident. What follows is how Delia grasps the situation she finds herself in - how she deals with meeting a mother that doesn't fit the idealized version she had created in her head; how she deals with the loving father who kidnapped her out of desperation for her to have a better life than the one her mother could have given her...
I like the multiple points of view that Picoult presented (Delia, Andrew, Elise, Fitz and Eric), although I did find the scenes with Andrew in jail overly graphic and not of great importance to the overall plot of the story. Likewise, I wasn't a huge fan of Ruthann and the Hopi people plot, as I found it detracted from the rest of the story.
Once again, I found that I was able to predict the "twists" that would occur at the end of the novel, one about Delia's past situation that led to her father taking her away, and the last about who Delia would choose to be with in the end (which I was happy with). I was also left wondering what happened at the end, as one of the major plot points was left unsolved. I really wanted to know if Delia's recovered memories were real or not, but I guess Picoult chose to leave that up to the reader.
Regardless, I have a few other Picoult novels lined up on my "to read" shelf.
pancakesandpaperbacks's review against another edition
Boring, unlikable characters, too long
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Suicide attempt
marlijnc's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 ⭐️. De kern van het verhaal vond ik goed en interesseerde me, maar ik vond het een moeilijk boek om door te komen.
horrorhomebodies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
haylinjen's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
aggyrun's review against another edition
5.0
"If it had been easy for Romeo to get Juliet, nobody would have cared"
craalm's review against another edition
3.0
Jodi Picoult is my favourite author and I've kind of been reading her books over the last few years in the order that I've been able to get hold of them, while continuing to read her new ones. This book is the last of the "old" Picoult books that I own without having read and I'm now left with her three most recent books to read. One thing I've noticed while I've been reading her older books and then, occasionally, a newer one, is that she has certainly improved and that her most recent books diverge from the set format that she had for a lot of the older ones, that being a trial. This book, for me, does not live up to her new ones but that just goes to show how much Picoult has improved from a writer, for this book is still very good compared to others in a similar genre. Her writing is and always has been simply poetic at moments, and I love her little sentences that speak volumes in such a short space - I have to admit, that's one of the main reasons why I've always enjoyed her books. So yes, I liked this book. I didn't love it. But I love her newer ones and I love how she had developed as a writer. There's something about her plots and her writing that will never fail to draw me in and capture my attention.
leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciate this book and read through it quickly - the plot is too disturbing to say I enjoyed it (probably why it didn't get more stars). I enjoyed the changing of the voices with each section, I enjoyed the different prospective. I enjoyed the Hopi traditions and found it appropriate with the setting in Arizona. I felt it was all very realistic, I didn't think 'that wouldn't happen' or 'who acts like that'. I did cringe a few times during graphic descriptions, but I felt like they were a valid part of the story. It wasn't chick-lit so I was expecting it to be deeper and more real - which it is.