Pre-numbered label used for registration.

25 April 2006

My first Jodi Picoult book.

Wow! Really enjoyed it although the plot was predictable. I love courtroom dramas / legal thrillers. I'm also a great John Grisham fan.

This book is on my list for the 5 books, 5 countries, 5 continents Reading Challenge 2006 set by Sheepseeker

Review below copied from Amazon

From Publishers Weekly
Though it begins as the quietly electrifying story of an unmarried Amish teenager who gives birth to a baby she is accused of then smothering, Picoult's latest (after Keeping Faith) settles into an ordinary trial epic, albeit one centered intriguingly on an Amish dairy farm near Lancaster, Pa. Katie Fisher, 18, denies not only having committed the murder but even having borne the baby, whose body is found in the Fishers' calving pen, and she sticks to her story, even when she is quizzed by Ellie Hathaway, the high-powered Philadelphia attorney who undertakes Katie's defense as a favor to Leda, an aunt she and the young woman share. Ellie, who has retreated to Leda's farm in Paradise to reconsider her life--she successfully defends guilty clients--embarks on the case reluctantly: at 39, she wants nothing more than to have a child. However, to meet bail stipulations, she volunteers as Katie's guardian (since Kate's strict parents reject her) and moves in with the Fishers. Living with the Amish necessitates some adjustments for both parties, but Katie and Ellie become fast friends in spite of their differences. Very little action occurs beyond the initial setup, though the questions remain: Who was the father of Katie's child? And did she smother the newborn? Told from both third-person omniscient and first-person (Ellie's) vantages, the story rolls leisurely through the trial preparations, the results of which are repeated, tediously, in the courtroom. Perhaps the story's quietude is appropriate, given its magnificently painted backdrop and distinctive characters, but one can't help wishing that the spark igniting the book's opening pages had built into a full-fledged blaze.

Going off into the world as a bookray with the following participants:

Frangipani04 - Portugal (Mailed 15/05/2006)
Hellie - UK
IWISHIWAS - UK
Breeze144 - Canada
Mamikaem - USA
Awakeagain - USA
vzfamily - USA
hshah - India

Note: Bookray order is subject to change

It was a only short journey, but the postal service was extremely efficient - the book arrived safely today!

I can't wait to start reading it. It will be my first Jodi Picoult book and my expectations are quite high, after hearing so many good things about her books.

Well, I admit that when I read the summary of the book on the back cover I was a bit disappointed... It didn’t seem very interesting. However, as soon as I started reading it, my opinion changed completely. I kept turning page after page, with my curiosity growing exponentially as new information was disclosed… The characters are very well built and they became my “friends” during the days I was reading the book. Nevertheless, I was a bit disappointed when I got to the trial part… It started to sound a bit like those typical American movies set in courtrooms. However, I was still hooked until the last pages of the book. The hint was there all along (I can’t say more, or it will be a spoiler for those who come next!).

Thanks a lot for sharing this book, Bookmanu!

I already have Hellie’s address, so it will be in the mail next week.

19/06 - sent today!

sorry thought I;d journalled this.....

read it this week...loved portayal of Amish life...having seen a couple of Amish communities on our travels through the USA.
Ending was a little unresolved though...

pming iwishiwas

sorry thought I;d journalled this.....

read it this week...loved portayal of Amish life...having seen a couple of Amish communities on our travels through the USA.
Ending was a little unresolved though...

pming iwishiwas...hang on has the pm them option been removed???

sorry thought I;d journalled this.....

read it this week...loved portayal of Amish life...having seen a couple of Amish communities on our travels through the USA.
Ending was a little unresolved though...

pming iwishiwas...hang on has the pm them option been removed???

sorry that was me...I wasn't signed in...