kcoccia's review against another edition
3.0
First let me say that I LOVE Jodi Picoult! I think she's amazing.
This book had some issues though. One... The timeline/back and forth did not make sense. It would have been more effective if it was done following the actual timeline of events with a flashback every now and then.
Second, the characters were not relatable. All of them were insufferable.
With that said I still enjoyed it. And at the end I was so incredibly frustrated that I ranted to my boyfriend about it even though he had no idea what I was talking about.
This book had some issues though. One... The timeline/back and forth did not make sense. It would have been more effective if it was done following the actual timeline of events with a flashback every now and then.
Second, the characters were not relatable. All of them were insufferable.
With that said I still enjoyed it. And at the end I was so incredibly frustrated that I ranted to my boyfriend about it even though he had no idea what I was talking about.
Spoiler
I really hate Jane. What a selfish bitch!? You tell Sam he has to fire Hadley and then you will stay with him. Well Hadley leaves, then dies, then you leave him anyways! Now Sam has lost his best friend and the woman he loves and is completely alone. On top of that she goes back to her piece of shit husband that has cheated on her multiple times and could really give no shits about their marriage or their daughter all because you think it's best for your 15 year old who knows just how terrible your marriage really is.jnlletrry's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know if it's because I haven't read a J. Picoult book in a while, and I had forgotten her genius, but I found the way this book was written was ingenious. The way Picoult set up the timeline to go back and forth in time until it met in the middle and was then a continuation of the story I had been reading the whole time. It just kind of blew my mind.
Picoult never ceases to amaze me. I was a little bored at the beginning with Oliver talking about his whales, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The prose of all Picoult's books are written so beautifully and so vividly; her writing transports you into the novel.
This book, like all her others, was fantastic--a book about self-discovery and love knowing no boundaries . . . I just wish it would have ended differently, but I can always count on the conclusion's of Picoult's books to upset me. :)
Picoult never ceases to amaze me. I was a little bored at the beginning with Oliver talking about his whales, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The prose of all Picoult's books are written so beautifully and so vividly; her writing transports you into the novel.
This book, like all her others, was fantastic--a book about self-discovery and love knowing no boundaries . . . I just wish it would have ended differently, but I can always count on the conclusion's of Picoult's books to upset me. :)
jan_gaunt's review against another edition
I read this after reading lots of other Jodi Picoult books, only to find that she has done what many other successful authors have done, and re-released their first novels, in what I can only think of as a desire to make money without producing new work. It was disappointing, with little character development and meandering plot. I couldn't even pass this book on to friends, as I found it such a waste of time to read.
kriste's review against another edition
3.0
When I started reading this (Dec 2020), I realized I had already read it. Likely before I used Goodreads. Shrug. Mediocre.
fkshg8465's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
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
2.0
Parts were great. Other parts were awful. Some big misses too - like how Jane’s characters needed to be fleshed out even more given the very specific kind of childhood trauma she had - some of the classic symptoms were missing. Felt like the author researched whales more than the psychology of this trauma. Also hated the ending 100%.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual violence
jenmat1197's review against another edition
2.0
Ah Jodi. I am giving her a break because this was her first book. It was written in 1992. At least I can only hope because it was all over the place. Characters developed too quickly, the ideas in the book seemed completely unrealistic. She told the story in a style she still uses today - many voices - and normally I love that about her. But this one - nope. I rolled my eyes about 500 times during the reading of the book. The ending was blah. I won't hold it against her, though. She has written some amazing books. This just wasn't one of them.
abyreadsalot's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75