hesticht's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Death of parent, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
upgirlcd's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. Didn't love it. The back & forth with character's points of view was sometimes choppy.
The story line was fairly compelling,carrying an underlying note of tragedy- like bagpipes do.
Characters were believable, also with the push-pull of tragedy in their lives.
The story line was fairly compelling,carrying an underlying note of tragedy- like bagpipes do.
Characters were believable, also with the push-pull of tragedy in their lives.
abc_sunshine_823's review against another edition
2.0
I read this in fits and spurts (had to return it to the library and check it out again, even), but it really didn't hold my interest. Definitely not my favorite of Picoult's work. Her work, even when overly sentimental, still somehow seems believable in a "wow, it's crazy how the world sometimes works" way (like _My Sister's Keeper_ or _19 Minutes_), but I just thought "who cares" about this one. The relationship between Hadley and Rebecca seemed particularly unbelievable and undeveloped. Seemed like a boring version of _The Horse Whisperer_. So, yeah, meh.
shayhow's review against another edition
2.0
This is definitely not one of her best works! Pretty boring from start to finish
booklover28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dutchtineke's review against another edition
I haven't finished this book. It bored me. Very soon I found myself looking up reviews to find out if others thought the same. I thought multiple relationships were unhealthy. Now I should expect that from a book by Jodi Picoult, but still... Other books by her were just different and better, I can't really put my finger on it.
I read this was her first book, so maybe it just didn't flow as naturally as her other books or she hadn't yet learnt to make situations or characters more believable. The whale parts were boring. Normally I'd love to learn these kind of tidbits, but I guess writing is an art Jodi Picoult hadn't yet mastered in parts.
I read this was her first book, so maybe it just didn't flow as naturally as her other books or she hadn't yet learnt to make situations or characters more believable. The whale parts were boring. Normally I'd love to learn these kind of tidbits, but I guess writing is an art Jodi Picoult hadn't yet mastered in parts.
hjhenderson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
embrcko's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tabatha_shipley's review against another edition
2.0
What I Did Like:
-Rebecca was an interesting character. She reads as the adult in her family. She’s mature and organized when her mother falls apart. I liked her.
-Sam. I feel like there is so much more of Sam’s story than we got to explore here. I’d read a sequel if it were only about Sam.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you’re looking for a book about a family that falls apart and tries to put themselves back together, you might like this one more than I did.
My Rating: 2 Stars. This one was problematic for me, which I wasn’t expecting from Picoult. I was disappointed.
For full review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/cav6rdwOyZQ
-Rebecca was an interesting character. She reads as the adult in her family. She’s mature and organized when her mother falls apart. I liked her.
-Sam. I feel like there is so much more of Sam’s story than we got to explore here. I’d read a sequel if it were only about Sam.
Who Should Read This One:
-If you’re looking for a book about a family that falls apart and tries to put themselves back together, you might like this one more than I did.
My Rating: 2 Stars. This one was problematic for me, which I wasn’t expecting from Picoult. I was disappointed.
For full review (including what I didn’t like): https://youtu.be/cav6rdwOyZQ
kristy1992's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a little harder for me to get into. The back and forth in time was a little confusing and at times I had to reread portions of the book. The story is good, but not her best.