Mercy Reviews

• If you really love me, you would kill me!

  
  By A3HTKV1AW14EDB on 2000-12-14
  Euthanasia is the subject and it is handled quite well by this author. First I want you to know that there are no spoilers here. The book starts with the act of suffocation and then goes on to explain the circumstances. Jamie MacDonald loves his wife Maggie with a fierce loyalty. When Maggie's cancer ridden body becomes more than she can bear she asks him to kill her. What follows is a journey that there is no coming back from.

  Cam MacDonald is the highly respected police chief in a small town and is married to Allie who adores him to the point that she has lost herself in this man she calls her husband. The sun rises in the east due to the light she sees in Cam's eyes. Allie's world is about to come crashing down around her. Hers is also a journey that will take her to a place that there is no coming back from.

  Cam is not only the police chief, but by no choice of his own, he has become the respected head of the MacDonald Clan, whose ancestors hail from Scotland. They have settled in Wheelock, Massachusetts over the centuries. Jamie comes to Wheeloch to enjoy his last hours with Maggie and commit his act of love.

  The author has created a multifaceted situation and has gone on to superbly blend the stories together. We are dealt a betrayal on two fronts and we watch as the characters wade through the mire that their lives become because of it. This is another great book by Picoult. She was kind enough to chat with my book group on line a few months back and told us this was her personal favorite. I have to admit I'm hooked, and I have now bought every one of her books. I am anxiously awaiting her new book SALEM FALLS that should be out in the first part of the New Year. 12/14/00
  
  

• MEA CULPA

  
  By A8WX6M9VK4EXR on 2001-09-17
  I can't remember reading a book where all the characters had such undesirable traits that reading any further became an effort. The only character who was somewhat bearable was a cat and that's probably because it spent its time either eating or hidden in someone's backpack serving as a parallel to everything else that's hidden away in this small town of Wheelock, MA.

  I'm already a Jodi Picoult fan having read and liked four of her other books -- The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth and Salem Falls -- so when I say that I didn't enjoy this book at all, I have a good basis for comparison. Never before have I read a book where I felt so detached from each and every character. The wife Allie has no backbone, the husband Cam has no loyalty, the mistress Mia has no values, the mercy killer Jamie has no fortitude, his dead wife Maggie was selfish, Cam's mother Ellen is a wacko.....I could go on and on.

  The backdrop of the story is one of intense love -- so intense that your emotions take over your senses. There's a case of a mercy killing, another story of a cheating spouse and a courtroom scene where all the scenarios are played out. The events leading up to and after the killing are all impulsive -- sometimes so impulsive that they're hard to believe. There are other parts in the book where reality is suspended and mysticism takes over. I'm always at a loss when an author resorts to this.

  Probably the biggest complaint I have is the intense lack of editing. I can't stand when I'm reading a book and two people are having a conversation yet the name you're reading on the typewritten page is NOT the name of the person who is actually doing the talking. This happened on three separate occasions and after awhile, it only added to my overall confusion and lack of continuity of my reading experience. I'm usually not this hard when reviewing a book and it could be the fact that I read it in the midst of our great American tragedy which could have altered my mood considerably. For that reason, I've given it three stars as opposed to the two stars which I had originally intended. Somehow though, I don't think it was my mood...the book just wasn't that enjoyable for me.
  
  

• A multi-faceted book

  
  By A1BI8PUEHA5CHW on 2001-05-30
  At first, it sounded eerily so much like Picoult's "The Pact" that I almost didn't want to read it. After getting into the book, I realized that it was on two different themes ~~ one on "mercy killing" and the other on "betrayal."

  Jamie MacDonald's wife was suffering from cancer and he killed her because he claimed that she had asked him to. Cam MacDonald is his cousin who is also the police chief of a Scottish town rich in heritage. Allie is Cam's wife who helps Jamie in his search for justice. And we can't forget Mia, who isn't a central character in this book ~~ but her actions turn Cam and Allie's lives upside down.

  Picoult does a thorough job of researching all sides of the euthanisia issue and its lingering after-effects. And she draws her characters with vivid words and actions ~~ the courtroom scene was tense and suspenseful. It is a well-written book ~~ one that I couldn't put down.

  But there is also another theme that Picoult explored here in this book ~~ betrayal. Jamie was betrayed by Maggie who asked him to kill her because the cancer was so bad. In doing that, Jamie is scarred for life simply because by his own hands, he killed the best thing that has ever happened to him. And he is full of grief that he doesn't have the courage to join her in death either. If Maggie was brave and selfless, she could have taken a bunch of pills to die instead of asking her husband ~~ a man who would do anything for her because of the depth of his love ~~ to kill her. What an incredibly selfish act.

  And don't forget Allie. She was betrayed by Cam and Mia ~~ the two characters you would love to look down upon because of their immaturity and selfishness. Allie comes into her own person throughout Jamie's trial and that changed everything in the MacDonald's marriage.

  Please don't hesitate to pick up this book. It's great and an engrossing read. It is one of her better books in her collection. The characters will linger with you for a while after reading this book. So will the issue of "mercy killing." It is something that society needs to explore more on.
  
  

• Not one of Picoult's best...

  
  By A1YBVBU27AKJ1J on 2006-03-20
  If a book thoroughly angers and frustrates you, does that mean it's a good book or a bad book? In the case of MERCY, I'll have to go with the latter.
  
  I found I could not get past my intense dislike of both Cam and Mia, truly two of the most despicable, selfish characters I've ever read in any book. I've read murder mysteries with killers who had more admirable qualities. Their sole intent were their own wants and needs, regardless of who (Cam's wife Allie) got hurt. Allie was described early on in the book as someone who people walk all over. I never got that impression. She was the owner of her own business, and she was determined to help Cam's cousin Jamie. She also happened to be a woman deeply in love with her husband. It was her love and loyalty that Cam felt totally comfortable in betraying. At one point late in the book, Allie asks Cam if he and Mia had laughed at her. He tells her no. However in a way, they did, considering they had no problem having sex in her flower shop and her bed. I felt for Allie. She deserved far better then Cam
  
  I really wanted this book to be more about mercy killing and euthanasia. Instead it was more about infidelity and how far a person is willing to go for someone they love. Infidelity seems to be a pretty constant story line in most of Picoult's books (I understand her latest book, THE TENTH CIRCLE is no different.) She is without a doubt an excellent writer, but this one just wasn't for me.
  
  

• The quality of mercy leaves a lot to be desired

  
  By A3QY27FQHK453B on 2005-02-28
  I have read most of Jodi Picoult's books and reviewed some, and they were all outstanding. This is the first one in which I was really disappointed. After page 25, I knew a lot about one person's genealogy, another's high school reminiscences, an unknown person who had a tag sale of all her husband's stuff when he was away, and a few notes with no indication who wrote them or to whom they were written or what they had to do with anything. The story seemed to be constantly sidetracking. It took forever to cut to the action and then it would be interrupted by more distractions.
  
  I didn't get the point of having this book set in a town inhabited by an entire Scottish clan that emigrated together two hundred years before. Maybe there actually is a town like this, but it didn't ring true. By page 100, the names of the characters were making me nuts. It reminded me of Brigadoon where there is a song that goes something like MacGregor, MacDougall, Macduff and MacCoy, McKenna MacNeil and MacRae, etc. If she had set the book in Scotland, not everyone would have names like this. It was impossible for me to take seriously anyone named Verona MacBean. There also names like Watchell Spitlick (!)
  
  The plot seems far-fetched and unrealistic. The issue is a good one; there is a controversial case in the Florida courts right now. But smothering your wife and then pulling up in the main square to announce it to the whole town, with the dead body in tow-they didn't even do that in Brigadoon. You're kind of waiting for James to break into song at this point. Allie hiring Mia and inviting her to stay in their house when she knows nothing about her and doesn't even ask is crazy. She could be a fugitive from justice, a serial killer, an illegal immigrant with no Social Security number, who knows. The police chief and his wife never lock their doors. I've never lived in a small town, but come on, this isn't the 1930s, where anyone would invite a passing transient in to have lunch with the family. The police chief secretly pays a lawyer to get his cousin off a murder charge while he participates in the prosecution? Wouldn't the court appoint an attorney?
  
  The book really isn't about euthanasia. It's about marital problems, flower arranging, New Age healing, people seeing ghosts, scenes that are repeated later in the story, and scenes that don't go anywhere. Verona seems like she's going to be a major character, but we hear nothing about her after chapter 1. Why didn't Picoult do some research on the real issue and treat it in depth instead of straying off into all this trivia? Anyone can write about extramarital affairs. It's as if she felt she had to fill 400 pages no matter what.
  
  This is the first time I've had to force myself to finish a book by Jodi Picoult. Neither the plot nor the characters captured my interest, and it didn't get any better. It's too bad, because she could have done so much more with the real subject matter instead of wandering off onto topics that may have interested her, but bored a lot of readers.
  
  
  
• Mercy...Quite a Disappointment
  By A3QOHF5Y8831AI on 2005-06-25
  First off, this is the third book I read of Ms. Picoult's. The first two being My Sister's Keeper and Keeping Faith, I say this because we all have our own preferences,for me those two books were throroughly engrossing and touching, while with Mercy I was literally dreading having to turn each page. It's written with the same grace as all of her books seem to be, but while in the previous novels I appreciated her arcane ability to show the perspective of each party with sense and style, this time I feel she over did it. It seems Ms. Picoult was so intent on showing what every single person was thinking and why they were doing it, that she lost sight of what story exactly she was trying to tell. So many paragraphs end in snazzy one liners that when put together they just make contradiciting thoughts that leave the reader ( or at least me) feeling empty and confused at the end of the story. I loved Keeping Faith and My Sister's Keeper, and I wanted to read more of her works, and since I immediately picked this one up maybe I was ODing on Picoult novels, but I know that after reading this one I will be giving myself a slight break before reading another.
  
  
• Thought Provoking
  By A11NGGHK1FU0XV on 2001-06-06
  Jodi Picoult writes a truly thought provoking story about love and how far the human spirit will go to support that love. The subject of euthanasia is not an easy one. There were times in this book when I felt so very angry at the characters I'd have to stop reading.

  Cameron and Jamie are cousins, family above all else is what they have been brought up to believe. Cameron is the Police Chief while Jamie is the confessed murderer of his own wife. How can Cameron been seen to grant his cousin any favors? Jodi takes us on an indepth look at each man's heart and the love they have for the women in their lives.

  Allie is Cameron's wife who finds herself caught in a triangle that exposes her husband's infidelity. Mia, the third party, brought into the story as Allie's helper in the store, becomes the woman we all want to hate. Allie and Mia both have searched for that perfect life only to find nothing is ever perfect.

  Life, death and infidelity draws the reader into this book and keeps them there. So many unanswered questions..Was Jamie right in helping his wife to die? Whose was the greater love?

  A must read for Jodi Picoult fans.
  
  

• Love, Loyalty, Betrayal
  By A28ZCEM0KKM2CX on 2001-06-26
  From the moment I first picked up Mercy and started reading it, I knew that it was unlike any other book I've read. From the very beginning, which tied in to another part of the book, I found myself reluctant to put the book down.

  The story is of Jamie McDonald, the cousin of the Chief of Police in Wheelock, Ma. Cameron McDonald had it all--he was the clan chief, he had a beautiful wife and a good job. He also had a serious wanderlust, which Jodi Picoult touched upon in several places. I think she tied in Cam's wanderlust quite well after Mia came upon the scene. It was interesting that Mia arrived at the same time that Jamie McDonald, Cam's cousin arrived and announced tha the had killed his wife. I was in tears during the courtroom scene, which I found riveting. I didn't want the jury to find him guilty. I felt that after everything he had been through, that just living with the thought that he had lost the one person who meant everything in the world to him by his own hands was going to be punishment enough.

  The story delves into how a family's life can be changed by extenuating circumstances. If Jamie hadn't presumed upon his cousin to help him, if Mia hadn't shown up, the story would not have played out so brilliantly.

  This book has great potential and Ms. Picoult deserves nothing but praise for the outstanding job that she has done in writing it.
  
  

• Skip it
  By A1KB06BCT5NXYD on 2006-02-04
  This was the 5th book I've read by Jodi Picoult, and the one I liked the least. I was intrigued by the subject of the book, as I have been with all of the subjects she has written about. But, this story did not measure up to my expectations at all.
  
  This book was supposed to focus on the question of mercy killing, and could you/would you kill someone you loved if they asked you to because they were ill and had been suffering for a long time. One of the main characters is Cam MacDonald, who is the sheriff of Wheelock, Mass. Cam's cousin Jamie arrives in town and promptly turns himself in to Cam, citing that he has just murdered his wife. Later, you learn she had been battling cancer for a while and allegedly asked Jamie to kill her. So naturally Jamie has to go on trial.
  
  Well, a majority of the book turns out to be about Cam's adultery, which is annoying in and of itself. It seems like adultery is romanticized in this novel and made to seem 'ok' since, as you discover, Cam is disillusioned with his life and is only sheriff because he inherited the position and it's expected of him. Plus, the person he has the affair with, he has known a day or so, which is ridiculous.
  
  Interspersed throughout all of this, almost seeming like an afterthought, is content dealing with the actual subject the book was supposed to cover.
  
  I was very bored with this book, but continued to read it, thinking it was bound to pick up eventually. It never did. As it turned out, I ended up skimming the last 80 pages. If I were you, I'd pick another novel.
  
  
  
  
• Another excellent book by Jodi Picoult
  By A2L1JGWNNHJVR3 on 1999-05-01
  This is the second book by Jodi Picoult that I have read and the second that has been placed on my shelf of all-time favorites (I have only about 15 on the shelf). Mercy has touched on many topics that make you sit back and question your own beliefs and relationships. The book is well-written and thought provoking.
  
  
• Would You Help Your Loved One Die if They're Terminal?
  By A1IIX764GG3WNZ on 2003-10-05
  This book was really good and hard to put down. I enjoyed the story all the way through.

  The basic plot of the story was Jamie's deep love for his wife Maggie, who became terminally ill and suffered. She wanted Jamie to help her die, and so he did, but not without hardship and a big jury trial in the end.

  Cameron McDonald, a police chief, doesn't agree at all with his wife Allie, and this creates hardship and a betrayal in their marriage. Allie feels that Jamie was in the right, where Cam feels he deserves punishment for his actions even though in his very ill wife's best interests.

  The story reaches a great climax with many surprises at the end.
  
  

• Wonderfully touching novel
  By A1WPQGUYP0XI99 on 2001-08-28
  Picoult won me over with this novel. It is a wonderful tale of several people: a husband and wife (Cam and Allie) whose lives are infiltrated with other characters: Jamie, Maggie, and Mia. I found that the people in this book were real, their thoughts, feelings and actions the same as many of us in our own lives. Throughout this book, I was finding myself feeling for Allie. I imagine many married woman feel and act this way.... however, Mia, I felt, had been an exception to the rule of "the other woman". She had too much insight into who she was, what she wanted. I enjoyed these people very much, despite the things they were doing. One of the things that I found could have been excluded was the bit about Cam being the leader of the present day Carrymuir, the small town of Wheelock. This was a bit corny, but I suppose that the author felt this helped the readers understanding of Cam. I think this book has a little bit for everyone: romance, marital affairs, legal action, murder. You will find yourself staying up late to get to the next parts.... trying to figure out what has happened next.
  
  
• Mercy Killing?
  By A2BCDP4UNI99M3 on 2003-05-21
  This book was the chosen selection for our book club this month. We were all intrigued by the excerpt and it was a unanimous decision. There's the topic of love, deceit, murder, and selfishness. It is a story that will capture your attention and you'll feel for these characters.

  Euthanasia is not something that I've ever thought of before, in relation to my life. In this story, Jamie MacDonald confesses to killing his wife because she asked him to end her life and battle with cancer. The theory is that he loves her so much that he would do anything she asked of him. That really makes you question what you would do if put in the same situation.

  Cameron and Allie MacDonald are married and lead a satisfying life. Cam is the police chief of the town and Allie is his doting wife. When Jamie comes to town it puts a barrier between the two of them. Allie loves Cam so much, and can understand where Jamie is coming from. Cam doesn't see it that way and views his cousin as a murderer. But Cam doesn't have a problem being a liar! Through all of this he cheats on his wife and deceives her...supposedly in the name of love.

  This story really makes you question what you would do for love and how far you would go. I recommend this story, especially to book club groups. I can see it leading to a bunch of discussion.
  
  

• Disappointed
  By AWZRDBV6ORZ1V on 2005-03-24
  I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult but this was a let-down. The premise is interesting and timely. However, Picoult seems to try to intertwine many sidelines that do not directly impact the story and only serve as a distraction. Also, the characters lack the warmth and depth of those in Picoult's other books.
  
  
• A let down after My Sister's Keeper
  By A24S41GUP01P2Q on 2007-04-08
  So, I was really excited to read Mercy because I loved the way she wrote My Sister's Keeper. I thought euthanasia would be terribly interesting, and it was at first. I loved Jamie throughout he novel and the fact he loved enough to kill. Then, I just got frustrated by Cam's unfaithfulness and Allie's reaction to his deception. Frankly, I got more than a little bored (about the whole Scottish heritage thing) and irritated at the same time. The book was not what I expected it to be.I was really disappointed.
  
  
• Couldn't Finish It
  By A2DW6ITKD576FH on 2007-07-30
  I read "My Sister's Keeper" which was excellent and "The Tenth Circle" which was good before picking-up this book. My first reaction was relief because it looked as though there wasn't an overly precocious 14 year old going through some kind of horror.
  
  For 40 years I've had a policy to finish every book I start. I've stuck to that and have read some pretty bad books to the end. I thought the garage sale prologue was a great start to what was going to be an interesting book. How wrong I was. I made it through 90 pages of angst and the ridiculous belief that being the sheriff in a small town in New England somehow related to the legacy of being a lord in Scotland. And then Jamie MacDonald kills his sick wife in Cam MacDonald's territory because? At page 90 wondering if anything was ever going to happen I read the last few pages and decided that it didn't look like it--just 300 more pages of tedium and people I didn't believe or care about. I made the decision to stop reading--which was very difficult. I went on to two excellent books--"Water for Elephants" and "The House on Dream Street" without any regrets.
  
  
• A study of human flaws
  By on 2001-11-28
  Mercy is a thoroughly engrossing novel. One was right to point out that some of the characters have no desirable traits. Perhaps that is what serves this book best. We would like to believe that we could deal with what was set before us if we could distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys. But that's the point. This book paints a very blurry line--do we care about Allie when she's in this completely co-dependent relationship with Cam? And do we at all feel for Cam who is trapped in a small town not being able to fulfill his dreams because of family obligation? And Mia--can we at all sympathize with her based on her family history and watch as she hurts the one person who took care of her, no questions asked? And then there's Jamie--do we at all care of his fate when he seems so complacent and in love with a woman that others see as slightly selfish? In the end, I didn't feel any compassion for any of the characters--but I did feel for their lot in life and the events that shape our actions. And that's why I enjoyed this book so much; it's much easier to love a character and forgive them than to dislike one and understand.
  
  
• Quite Real and Touching
  By A12LIMVXUPR89D on 2005-06-08
  This book is amazingly real in the way the situations play out. I really think the author is right on with the reactions and feelings that every person would feel if going through those same issues. So much so that if you are someone who has experienced cancer or betrayal of a loved one it may become hard to get through. But hopefully it will help you in the same way. Her books are always on the edge of controversy and this one is no different. The only annoying thing of the book are the letters at the beginning of the chapters (?) They are an unanswered detail at the end. But overall I would recommend this book.
  
  
• Definitely Not a Show-Stopper
  By AG2IEP1MJQHFS on 2005-11-12
  Jamie MacDonald drives into the center of Wheelock, MA, and announces that he has killed his wife Maggie, whose body is in the car. Cameron MacDonald is the sheriff of Wheelock, and Jamie's cousin. Nevertheless, Cam arrests Jamie for murder one. Unbeknownst to anyone else in the town, Cam hires Jamie a lawyer when he finds out that Maggie was dying of cancer and that her murder was a mercy-killing.
  
  At the same time, Cam becomes involved with a young woman who works in his wife's flower shop and begins an affair with her that threatens to shatter his reputation as sheriff, clansman, and husband.
  
  I did not find this to be one of Picoult's better works. I was very frustrated by all of the Scottish clan details. It was extranious and unnecessary. I couldn't really connect to these characters, either. Cam just came off as a selfish jackass, and Jamie was an almost non-entity. I know Picoult is capable of much better than this, so I was very disappointed.
  
  
• Not one of my favorites..
  By A20R7259NOEJ8V on 2007-07-25
  It was a good story line but i guess it wasn't what I expected. The story was more focused on Cameron and Allie then Jamie and Maggie. Thats what I had expected. The story was still good, I just felt like it dragged a little. I normally really Love Picoult's books but I definatley wasn't crazy about this one. My friend and I both really love reading Picoult books and she really liked this book and I really liked the Tenth Circle and she didn't. I guess it all depends on what you like. I recommend giving it a shot to see how you like it.
  
  
• Page Turner
  By A2P3IZPG7ZJH6B on 2001-08-15
  As always, Jodi Picoult wrote an amazing book. The characters all develop incredibly, and a story line that could have gone either way ended up being compelling. the description of this book did not intrigue me, but since Picoult wrote it, I had to read it. And as always, I was not sorry I did. I did not like the characters as much as I have in her other books -- but I loved it none the less, and could not put it donwn.
  
  
• Good but not great
  By A1IOJE0W1NXOSE on 2006-02-10
  Jodi Picoult's forte is picking a moral problem with lots of gray areas and writing a novel about it which contains riveting characters. In this book, the main topic is supposed to be euthenasia. The people involved are Jamie, who is deeply in love with his wife Maggie, who has cancer. She persuades him that her life is not worth living and that he should kill her to release her from her misery. He does so, and then admits what he has done to Cam, a police chief who is also his cousin. Soon, Jamie's story is put on the back burner and Cam's infidelity with his wife Allie's employee, Mia, takes center stage. I agree with some of the other reviewers who feel that there are too many distractions in this book which water down the main topic. Cam's connection with the ancient McDonald clan in Scotland seems unnecessary as does the oft-related dreams of the main characters and fleeting appearances of Maggie's ghost. Although the characters are not as appealing and deeply-written as those in some of Picoult's other books, their interactions and feelings are believable enough for this to be a four-star book.
  
  
• Very Good
  By A2O4N9KL4G7FEP on 2006-02-28
  I thought this book was better than "My Sister's Keeper." Good read.
  
  
• Fell short...
  By A1YYEQEIKT8SFN on 2007-02-22
  This one started out great-- very interesting characters with believable lifestyles and situations. (I love the controversial topic.) Then, it seemed to fall apart. Some of characters were merely introduced, not developed. And the ending left too many loose ends for me. I've read most of Picoult's books- this one fell short for me.
  
  
• Life-like
  By A2K42KI1QZW8HQ on 2007-03-06
  When Ms Picoult writes, I fall head first into the story. I can not help it. She paints a picture of words that shows the very real lifes of her characters, as if it is happening before my very eyes. But, this story isn't quick and easy reading. Perhaps on one level it is. But, on the other hand, you must stop and ask yourself some very serious personal questions. I love her writing and this book was no different. I only wish she could write faster!!
  ~d
  
  
• Is this mercy?
  By A146H6A41B26QT on 2007-06-12
  Maggie MacDonald is wasting away from a terrible cancer, with no future except further deterioration and terrible pain. No spoilers here--her husband Jamie accedes to her request to kill her in the first few pages. The rest of the novel follows Jamie through the predicament he now finds himself in, as he is accused of murder.
  
  In "Mercy," Piccoult ostensibly takes on the controversial subject of euthanasia. But the euthanasia issue here is pretty clear cut, in the sense that there is no question that Maggie made a fully conscious and well-informed decision about wanting to die. In real life, it often isn't as clear.
  
  But what Piccoult really explores is love--is it love to be so fused with another person that you will do what they want, with no thought of self-protection, of the consequences afterwards? Is it love to force someone to do something so painful and dangerous? As a counter to the all-consuming relationship of Jamie and Maggie, Piccoult delves into the marriage of Cam, the police chief and Jamie's cousin, and Allie, who I thought was the most sympathetic character in the book. Allie's growth out of personal disaster into an independent person, no longer fully submissive to her husband, rang much much more true than the rest of the story. I thought Allie's husband Cam was self-indulgent, taking the consequences of his poor life decisions out on a very loving wife.
  
  Piccoult is a good writer, but although she takes on controversial subjects she abandons their serious exploration for the sake of plot. I was also disturbed by the similarity of this story to "The Pact," also about a man left to pick up the pieces, a victim of his lover's selfishness. "Mercy" is a good read, but doesn't provoke the kind of soul searching its subject deserves.
  
  
• Quite enjoyable
  By AF1WL2S4UPA2K on 2001-09-04
  Another good book from this author. Plain Truth was better, but once this book got going, it kept you very interested. I would recommend this book to my friends.
  
  
• Ravenous Readers 13th selection
  By A2CVNW7DIVC4D4 on 2002-03-25
  I selected this as our 13th selection and this was the first time we have repeated Authors. We read Keeping Faith last year and my group loved it.

  Wish I could say they appreciated this as much but I cannot.

  Discussion of the book was feisty I must admit, with everyone voting on the traits of the characters more than anything else.

  Logistical things seemed to distract most of us; like the purpose of the Scotland history, the fact that you inherit the Police Chief's job just because your Father passes; you let a complete stranger walk in and take over your Florist shop? Come on this is the twenty first century and Massachusetts!

  I tried to steer the group into the crux of the subject, but it was difficult to stay focused on the Euthanasia. Jamie was the most liked character...what does that tell you???

  I have thoroughly enjoyed the other selections from Jodi I have read so far and will most certainly keep reading her works.

  We did enjoy the parallel drawn between the two couples and how one decision cost one woman her life and the other woman the life she had always known up to that point.
  
  

• Second book read by Picoult is fantastic
  By A2J50PQGTIW29D on 2002-04-12
  I read _Keeping Faith_ and once again liked Picoult's interweaving of magic and normal home life. She's just one of those great writers - no matter what she writes about, she tells a story well.
  
  
• loved it
  By on 2002-11-26
  It took me 200 pages for this book to grab me (which surprised me since her other books grabbed me immediately!). Well worth waiting for! The textures in this novel were so vivid and the thematic passions that were interwoven throughout the passages had me reviewing my own life sporadically and often. How much does my husband love me? What would he do for me? Not do for me? What is the ratio of his love for me to my love for him? Jodi Picoult's grasp of emotions and mindsets are astonishing and I was sorry when the book ended and the characters were no longer part of my daily world.
  
  

• Vanishing Acts
• Por la vida de mi hermana (My Sister's Keeper): Novela
• The Tenth Circle

• Harvesting the Heart: A Novel
• Salem Falls
• Picture Perfect
• Keeping Faith
• Nineteen Minutes