Books and Writing - Jodi Picoult

CourtneyS416 · 05-24-2005, 11:41 AM

I read My Sister's Keeper a while ago after hearing great reviews. Then I read The Pact, Plain Truth, and Vanishing Acts. I am hooked on this author. Everytime I pick up one of her books I am mesmorized. I can't think of anything else. They are amazing.

Anyone else read any Piccoult?

Here are some B&N reviews:

My Sister's Keeper:

Quote:

Known for writing novels with provocative themes centered on family conflict and difficult moral choices, Jodi Picoult presents the story of a child whose sole reason for existence is to assure a genetic match for her terminally ill sibling.
Conceived in vitro, 13-year-old Anna Fitzgerald has decided to sue her parents to stop them from using her as "spare parts" for her older sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. After years of having her bone marrow and blood used to keep Kate alive, Anna now refuses to donate a kidney and strives for her own personal freedom. She hires lawyer Campbell Alexander to represent her, even as her own mother, a former civil defense attorney, fights her in court.

The complex and emotionally wrenching narrative unfolds from the alternating perspectives of a large cast of intriguing and likable characters. Picoult, who has handled such delicate topics as teen suicide and euthanasia in previous novels, proves equally adept with this sensitive and emotionally charged subject matter. The tragic circumstances of Anna's plight are made all the more poignant because it's clear from the onset how much she loves her family. In My Sister's Keeper, the author has crafted a compelling story that is heartbreaking and literate in equal measure.
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The Pact: This was my absolute favorite.

Quote:

For eighteen years the Hartes and the Golds have lived next door to each other, sharing everything from Chinese food to chicken pox to carpool duty - they've grown so close it seems they have always been a part of each other's lives. Parents and children alike have been best friends - so it's no surprise that in high school Chris and Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They've been soul mates since they were born. So when midnight calls from the hospital come in, no one is ready for the appalling truth: Emily is dead at seventeen from a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet - a bullet that Chris tells police he intended for himself. But a local detective has doubts about the suicide pact that Chris has described. As its chapters unfold, alternating between an idyllic past and an unthinkable present, "The Pact" paints an indelible portrait of families in anguish...culminating in an astonishingly suspenseful courtroom drama as Chris finds himself on trial for murder.

Plain Truth

Quote:

Jodi Picoult has touched readers deeply with her acclaimed novels, such as Keeping Faith and The Pact. Gifted with "a remarkable ability to make us share her characters' feelings" (People), Picoult now explores the complex choices of the heart for a young Amish woman — the compelling journey of discovery for an urban lawyer who befriends and protects her.

The small town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, is a jewel in Lancaster County — known for its picture-postcard landscapes and bucolic lifestyle. But that peace is shattered by the discovery of a dead infant in the barn of an Amish farmer. A police investigation quickly leads to two startling disclosures: the newborn's mother is an unmarried Amish woman, eighteen-year-old Katie Fisher. And the infant did not die of natural causes. Although Katie denies the medical proof that she gave birth to the child, circumstantial evidence leads to her arrest for the murder of her baby.

One hundred miles away, Philadelphia defense attorney Ellie Hathaway has achieved an enviable, high-profile career. But her latest court "victory" has set the sands shifting beneath her. Single at thirty-nine and unsatisfied with her relationship, Ellie doesn't look back when she turns down her chance to make partner and takes off for an open-ended stay at her great-aunt's home in Paradise.

Fate brings her to Katie Fisher. Suddenly, Ellie sees the chance to defend a client who truly needs her, not just one who can afford her. But taking on this case challenges Ellie in more ways than one. She finds herself not only in a clash of wills with a client who does not want to be defended but also in a clash of cultures with apeople whose channels of justice are markedly different from her own.

Immersing herself in Katie Fisher's life — and in a world founded on faith, humility, duty, and honesty — Ellie begins to understand the pressures and sacrifices of those who to live "plain." As she peels away the layers of fact and fantasy, Ellie calls on an old friend for guidance. Now, just as this man from Ellie's past reenters her life, she must uncover the truth about a complex case, a tragic loss, the bonds of love — and her own deepest fears and desires.

Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense, Plain Truth is a triumph of contemporary storytelling. Jodi Picoult presents a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith — and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem, where love meets falsehood, and where relationships grow strong enough to span two worlds.

Vanishing Acts

Quote:

"Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father, Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiance, and her own search-and-rescue bloodhound, which she uses to find missing persons. But as Delia plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can't recall. And then a policeman knocks on her door, revealing a secret that changes the world as she knows it." In shock and confusion, Delia must sift through the truth - even when it jeopardizes her life and the lives of those she loves. What happens when you learn you are not who you thought you were? When the people you've loved and trusted suddenly change before your eyes? When getting your deepest wish means giving up what you've always taken for granted? Vanishing Acts explores how life - as we know it - might not turn out the way we imagined; how doing the right thing could mean doing the wrong thing; how the memory we thought had vanished could return as a threat.

22 Umbrellas · 05-24-2005, 08:41 PM

I loved My Sister's Keeper, too! Really wonderfully heartbreaking plot. I've also read Keeping Faith, and that was pretty good as well. I checked The Pact out from the library but had to return it before I even had time to start it. But I agree she's a really great author. I'll definitely have to try to read The Pact again this summer.

CourtneyS416 · 05-25-2005, 05:41 AM

Read The Pact. It's her best. The love story is so powerful.

celestialstars · 05-27-2005, 03:36 PM

I read the Pact and was just blown away. It went somewhere i didn't think it was going. I loved it. She is a very talented writer.

I'll have to try those other ones pretty soon.

DrewEvangelineFan · 07-01-2005, 08:41 PM

I read My Sister's Keeper and LOVED it.... I need to get more books by Jodi!

SydneySummers · 07-02-2005, 12:27 AM

~*I have read The Pact,My Sister's Keeper and Plain Truth. All really good.

Profaine Angel · 07-05-2005, 07:26 PM

Plain Truth is my favourite, I have...about 6 of her books now? Plus I've read a few more from the library

She's one of my favourites.

CourtneyS416 · 07-05-2005, 08:02 PM

Her books always surprise me. There are tons of twists and turns. I remever reading Vanishing Acts and freaking out. Same with the Pact and Plain Truth. But there is always an ending that I am happy with.

Dawnie_AngelUK · 05-29-2006, 02:09 AM

Is anybody a fan of Jodi Picoults books? I really enjoy her writing style and I'm currently trying to work my way threw them all as fast as I can lay my hands on them! It usually takes me a couple of days to finish the book once I get it, but waiting for them to be free at the library is a pain! If only I could afford to just by them all! lol

I've read The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, My Sisters Keeper, and Vanishing acts (not in that order) And I have to say that Salem Falls was my favourite!

ETA: It was asked that I add a link to a list of all Jodi Picoult's books to this first post - so where it is! Jodi Picoult Books

furry_logic · 05-29-2006, 03:42 AM

Im a HUGE fan of hers, although I havent been able to read that many. I read My sisters keeper and The Pact at the beginning of the year and I found that I couldnt put them down. But then Uni work took over and Im waiting for holidays before I start up again. Ive got the Tenth circle waiting and Im going to get Salem Falls and Keeping Faith as those are the ones Ive been most interested in.

Im also wanting to read my way through all her books, her writing style is amazing and I bacsically fell in love the moment I started My Sisters Keeper!

xenbaby · 05-29-2006, 07:07 AM

I love J.P. as well! I've only read Keeping Faith & Sister's Keeper, but loved both of them. I'm starting Tenth Circle tonight! Can't wait

I'm requesting her other books from the library as well!

laurengraham · 05-29-2006, 08:21 AM

I really like Jodi Picoult..I had to read My Sister's Keeper for summer reading and could not put it down. It was amazing and I was crying at the end.

I was going to read The Pact, but I never got around to getting the book because of school and stuff.

I'm hoping to read a bunch of her books this summer though.

Sarah2000 · 05-29-2006, 09:55 PM

My Sister Keeper is the only book that had me crying. I guess it's because I have two sisters, and couldn't handle it if they died

furry_logic · 05-30-2006, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah2000

My Sister Keeper is the only book that had me crying. I guess it's because I have two sisters, and couldn't handle it if they died

This one had me, I was in tears for half the book. I think she manages to hit close to home with each story she writes. Most people would be able to relate to atleast one of the books, and thats probably what makes her such a great author.

dramaqueen125 · 06-01-2006, 11:06 AM

My Sister's Keeper was her best book yet! I loved it so much and I cried so hard. I read it all in just a few hours because I couldn't put it down.

Just went back and got a few of her other books and I just finished Harvesting the Heart, which I've been trying to read since spring break. I loved it.

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