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michelled13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
bethsbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Sometimes I think Jodi Picoult uses the novel to showcase fun facts she’s learned since writing her last novel. In this case: snorkelling, the Galapagos, art therapy, artwork and of course, Covid. While all of this information is interesting, this novel felt really info-dumpy to me, lacking an original character arc and a wowing plot.
I was gripped at the start and again in the middle, but overall disappointed, especially by the twist that Diana’s time on the island was a dream, and then again by the fact that Jodi experimented with sci-fi only for that to be written off as Diana being “crazy” .
The character development felt lack-lustre to me. Finn was arguably the most interesting character and all we got from him was a couple of emails, a very short paragraph about his spiralling into alcoholism and a lot of Diana’s inner monologue about how horrible he was, only to never be shown that with any concrete facts. That being said, Diana getting Covid and having this wild dream was all a ploy for her to have this epiphany that the white, middle-class, American dream wasn’t for her. How privileged do you have to be to give THAT up for a little bit more independence? Like really? That was the point of the novel?
The whole theme of needing human connection and how living in pandemic isolation is not natural for our species was nice, but again, not original. That’s all everyone has talked about online since the first lockdown. Again, reflects on Jodi’s white privilege a little bit again when other people were struggling to eat, find shelter, survive during Covid. I know that Diana’s storyline getting covid and being isolated on an island isn’t technically very priveleged, and she has bad luck, but she still thrives and to be honest, a lot of that seems to have to do with the fact that her boyfriend is a surgeon, and again, that she’s good-looking enough on this island to get help. Maybe I’m reading into this too much but I just feel like this didn’t showcase a very fair or unique representation of people’s struggles during the pandemic. Finn would have been a much more interesting character to focus on with his PTSD, or Rodney, with the fact that he had to move back home because he lost his job.
Anyway, I feel like I read 350 pages of information just so Diana could have a very slight character arc that wasn’t really rooted in anything tangible or concrete. Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite others and a huge reason I’m a writer today. She even wrote me a wedding card! But this book missed the mark for me, sadly.
I was gripped at the start and again in the middle, but overall disappointed,
The character development felt lack-lustre to me. Finn was arguably the most interesting character and all we got from him was a couple of emails, a very short paragraph about his spiralling into alcoholism and a lot of Diana’s inner monologue about how horrible he was, only to never be shown that with any concrete facts.
The whole theme of needing human connection and how living in pandemic isolation is not natural for our species was nice, but again, not original. That’s all everyone has talked about online since the first lockdown. Again, reflects on Jodi’s white privilege a little bit again when other people were struggling to eat, find shelter, survive during Covid. I know that Diana’s storyline
Anyway, I feel like I read 350 pages of information just so Diana could have a very slight character arc that wasn’t really rooted in anything tangible or concrete. Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite others and a huge reason I’m a writer today. She even wrote me a wedding card! But this book missed the mark for me, sadly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
melaniie's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Alcohol