My Sister's Keeper: A Novel
Author(s):
Jodi Picoult
Label: Washington Square Press
Publisher(s):
Washington Square Press
Studio: Washington Square Press
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
Binding: Paperback
Format(s): Bargain Price
List Price: $14.00
Similar Items:
Nineteen Minutes
The Pact: A Love Story
Plain Truth
Harvesting the Heart: A Novel
The Tenth Circle: A Novel
Keeping Faith
Vanishing Acts: A Novel
Mercy
Salem Falls
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
"A major decision about me is being made, and no one's bothered to ask the one person who most deserves it to speak her opinion." The only reason Anna was born was to donate her cord blood cells to her older sister. And though Anna is not sick, she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since she was a child. Anna was born for this purpose, her parents tell her, which is why they love her even more. But now that she has reached an age of physical awareness, she can't help but long for control over her own body and respite from the constant flow of her own blood seeping into her sister's veins. And so she makes a decision that for most would be too difficult to bear, at any time and at any age. She decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body.
Customer Reviews
AMAZING book, but the ending RUINS it
Like so many other reviewers, I would like to reiterate that this book is wonderful. Jodi weaves a web of conflict that is both beautiful and terrible, where the answers are never right and never wrong. I applaud her for her characters that come to live inside of you, characters you learn to love and hate. When it comes down to it, the book teaches so many lessons about the human condition. I cried a few times and stayed up most of the night trying to get to the end.
That being said, the ending was so bad that I want my night back. I wish I had never read this book and would discourage anyone from reading it. The ending to this book is like in a soap opera when they bring dead characters back to life. It's just plain terrible and I will not ruin it for anyone whose curiosity has been piqued by this review.
Please, for your own sake though, do not read this book. I say this with the best intentions. You will come to hate the author and I'm sure she has other great books.
By the way, it says in an included interview with Picoult at the back of the book that her twelve-year-old son read this book and was crying at the end. He incredulously asked her why it had to end that way. She responded it was the only ending that really made sense. I definitely disagree.
Read it
Having not read any of Joid Picoults other books and hearing all the hype i was a bit sceptical. But the book has really made me question some of my beliefs that I thought were so obviously well founded. Definately a tear jerker for me, but that could have been due to the impact on my thinking. The end is slightly disapointing but surprising. It would have been great to have a happily ever after ending.
Riveting yes, but.....
Picoult is a marvelous story teller with an incredible knack for pulling you over to her own prejudices on an issue. The book was a page turner. I started it late Friday night and completed it by 4:30pm on Sunday. I needed to know what would happen to Anna's court case while strongly leaning towards her right to her own body. I alternated between anger and understanding of a mother caught in the trap between the life of one daughter and the right to a normal life for the other. I was angry that the parents allowed their son to go so far over the edge without really even noticing. Yes I was totally caught up in the plot and wanted Anna to win her case.
What was irritating was Picoult's inability to speak with different voices while using this method of story telling. Each chapter was told through the voice of a different person involved in the unfolding drama; a great technique if you can pull it off. While she threw in a few vulgarities that might be expected of a delinquent boy; she still came across as Jodie Picoult telling the story and pretending to be a boy.
Anna's lawyer, though coming across as a callous, self centered individual in the narrative, I instinctively knew was not the 'monster without feelings' that was being portrayed and waited for the time when his true character would be exposed. This was done in a very contrived manner complete with the drama of a grand mal seizure on the court room floor; and finally revealing the reason for his faithful service dog, Judge. As a reader you knew that this was coming and I wish that the author had got it out of the way to begin with. It was not an essential part of the plot, and came close to upstaging the vital parts of the story. I don't believe that every character in a book has to equally share the stage with the others. I would have liked to have spent more time exploring the son, Jesse's psyche than the lawyer's.
Having got that criticism out of the way; would I recommend this book?
Yes indeed. The subject matter that it covers is vital in today's society of shifting values and cutting edge technology. It certainly kept me reading when I had other things to do. I'm taking it to my neighbor right now.
More than I had hoped for!
This book is written beautifully. It started with a single story line (a family conceives another child to be a donor match for a sick one - but have no fear...this is no plot spoiler!) so I wondered how a whole book could be written on this one theme. It is to this author's credit that it did indeed take a whole book to explore this theme and others that were intertwined. I found it sensitive and thought provoking, and unlike another reviewer, enjoyed almost every page. It has inspired me to read more from this author- she deserves all the kudos she has gotten for this!
She Lost Me
I enjoyed nearly the entire book. Until I got to the end. (This next part contains spoilers..) Okay, this was where she lost me. It turns out the lawyer has epilepsy and has a seizure in the courtroom. Then, he drives Anna home and they get in a car accident because he gets hit by a drunk driver and she gets killed. All right, that would never happen. Why? BECAUSE IT'S AGAINST THE LAW FOR AN EPILEPTIC TO DRIVE AFTER HE HAD A SEIZURE!!!!Anna's father was the Fire Chief. He would certainly have known that. The lawyer would have known that-a seizure equals an automatic revoking of your driver's license. The judge would have known that-and anyway, even if that wasn't the case (which it is) whose parents are stupid enough to let them get in the car with an epileptic who just seized driving? Sorry, but Picoult and her editor dropped the ball on this one. A little more research, please.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT SOME OF THE CONTENT THAT WE MAKE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH THIS APPLICATION COMES FROM AMAZON WEB SERVICES. ALL SUCH CONTENT IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS IS." THIS CONTENT AND YOUR USE OF IT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND/OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.
Powered by PNAmazon © 2003-2007 ttgapers.com
