[Different cover]

Picked this up in the library cupboard at Cape Town Hollow Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa. Fascinating premise - about a man who loves his terminally-ill wife so much that he kills her - but I found the Scottish background didn't really add much to the novel and in fact was something of a distraction. Made me think about the ratio of my love to my husband's and how far I'd go.

Passing on to herrgirl today. As this book has already travelled several thousand miles I hope it carries on going!

Received from chelseagirl today. Hadn't heard of this JP novel before, but I've enjoyed several of hers, so I'm looking forward to it, and have promoted it to No. 2 on Mt TBR!

Jodi Picoult's forte is picking a moral problem with lots of grey areas and writing a novel about it which contains riveting characters. In this book, the main topic is supposed to be euthanasia. Instead it was more about infidelity and how far a person is willing to go for someone they love.
I felt an intense dislike of both Cam and Mia, who were completely selfish characters. Their sole intent was their own wants and needs, regardless of who got hurt. Allie was described early on in the book as someone who people walk all over but I felt she was a strong character. She owned her own business, and was determined to help Jamie, who was on trial for killing his beloved wife. She was also a woman deeply in love with her husband, and it was her love and loyalty that Cam felt totally comfortable in betraying. I cheered when she took her revenge on him!

I agree with chelseagirl that the Scottish theme didn't add anything, in fact it annoyed me intensely at times.

Not one of Picoult's best books but all the same it was very thought-provoking.

This is going out on a ray.

cats-eye
sunflowergirl
mellowdaisy
flanners
hellie

Last person can do whatever they choose with it.

Usual rules: Journal on receipt and when you've read it. PM the next person to get their address for forwarding.

received safely today - it's number 3 on Mt. TBR, and I'll journal it as soon as I've finished. Looking forward to it, as I love JP's stuff :)

I have to pretty much agree with herrgirl's review of this one. As much as I enjoy Picoult's writings, this one just didn't do it for me.
I despised Cam and Mia, found Allie annoyingly wimpy for the most part (and her quick and easy loyalty to Jamie completely unbelievable), and the (stereotypical) Scottish uncle was pointless and distracting.
And after saying all that - I am glad I read it, LOL! I DO like Picoult's choice of subject matter for the most part, and it was an entertaining story that read quickly and easily. And oddly enough, I attended Wheelock College in Massachusetts, so I enjoyed the New England references ;-)

Thank you for sharing this one herrgirl - I have PM'ed sunflowergirl for her address, and will post it on as soon as I hear back!

Posted to sunflowergirl :-)

The book arrived this morning, thank you. I really can't wait to read it, I love Jodi Picoult books. Unfortunately though I have six ring book to read first, which all arrived ahead of it. Plus I'm right in the middle of exams (for the next three weeks) and to cap it all off I have a sickness bug. :o( So I may be a little while getting to this. I am a fast reader usually though, it's just that at the moment I don't have much time to actually sit down to read, but once my exams finish I expect to get through all the rings and rays I have here pretty quickly. I shouldn't have the book here too long.

Just letting everyone know that this book is still with me. My exams have taken up so much time that I haven't had much left over for reading. Then over the weekend I've had a very upsetting situation happen to me and reading is on the backburner just now. If you want me to pass this book on soon I am happy to do so, please just let me know. Otherwise I will pass it on as soon as I can and will try not to be too much longer with it.

Firstly I'm sorry for being slow to read this book, life has gotten in the way of reading a bit recently. Anyway, once I got into this book I found I couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed reading it. It was quite different to other Jodi Picoult books and not really as good. I much prefer her books when they have much more of a dilema about them, whereas this one was more of a story with a more predictable ending. I agree with herrgirl that it was more about infidelity than euthanasia, which was a bit disappointing but still interesting. As I said though I did enjoy this book and can't wait to read more by this author.

I've already PM'd mellowdaisy and received her address back so the book will be in the post soon (perhaps even today if I can get myself organised!).

My mum has just offered to take this book to the Post Office for me this afternoon so it will be on its way very soon.

This arrived this morning, thank you sunflowergirl for sending it to me and thank you to herrgirl for starting the ring. I have a few rings before this one but I will try and get through them and pass this on as soon as I can.

Firstly, I have to say I'm really sorry too for keeping this for a while! I've had a mad influx of rings and rays but have been working my way through them steadily.

I have to say that I agree with most of the journal entries already posted and this didn't really grip me as much as other Jodi Picoult's books that I have read. I too found Cam and Mia very selfish and to be honest there was a lot in the book that I didn't see the point of. I found the ending predictable and inconclusive at the same time. I am still glad that I've read it though and there had to be one of her books that I didn't absolutely love!

I have got flanners' address and will post this on Monday.

Arrived safely this morning, thanks - can't wait!

Well, I certainly agree that the Scottish thing rang completely false; I couldn't really believe that in this day and age a man would automatically become police chief just because he was the laird. I thought the uncle's transplant to Massachusetts at such an advanced age was ludicrous, and couldn't understand why it was insisted upon. And the relationship with the NT back in Scotland was most peculiar. I also found hard to believe the level of familiarity with the ancestral home, and in fact all of Cam's travels seemed delusional to me.

But of course it was still a page-turner! With all of JP's novels, the bits I like best are the court room scenes which I think she renders fabulously well; no 'your witness!' flouncing about, no dramatic revelations, just a systematic process with an outcome that could go either way. [I was amused to read an intreview with her about one of her other books, in which she said she felt the jury were wrong to return the verdict they did!] I felt for a long time that Jamie's counsel was suddenly going to change his plea and go all out for the mercy killing angle, and was impressed when he didn't! NB, In assume that this story was set in 1995 as there have been landmark cases since on this topic.

Thanks very much for the opportunity to read this. Off to hellie as soon as I get her address.

Finally got hold of Hellie's address so it's off today . . .