My Book Reviews

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had to admit.. it was a little hard for me to latch on to the story at the beginning. Similar to what I thought of The Descendants, I found it a bit hard to read. The only reason I kept at it was so I could finish it as soon as possible and get on to the next book I had in my stash.

If I was truthful, the only thing I looked forward to was how Ellie was going to present her defense. I know Jodi (Picoult)is acclaimed for her detailed court scenes and her extensive knowledge of law (in my opinion, anyways). But I have to say, it was a little disappointing. Not in the sense of the trial, though. Jodi never ceases to amaze with her knowledge. I didn't really get the story, but then again, it might just be me.

The thing that DID make an impact on me, though, was the description of the Amish life. As I was reading the book, I got interested in their way of life; how family is of utmost importance, and how unique their idea of blending in (as opposed to 'our world' where everyone wants to stand out). I felt eager to try and live the Amish life myself. Being the social network freak that I am, I think it would be good for me and a good break from it, as much as I'm literally on Facebook almost the whole day. Another thing I know I would take some times getting used to was waking up so early and have literally the entire day filled with doing chores, under the hot sun, with no air conditioning. Coming from a person who perspires like a freaking pig. (I'm not even kidding. >< ) But I DO realise how good that would be for me; a change in lifestyle.

Anyways..

Story-wise, I'm just glad I finished the book. It's definitely one I wouldn't re-read again, though. I've even decided that I'd take a break from Picoult books for a good long while. But who knows? I may just purchase another Picoult series in the future.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the main things I LOVE about Jodi is the way she describes the situations in her story, especially the court cases. You can definitely tell that she's done her research and knows her stuff; it's almost as if she had practiced law herself!

My Sister's Keeper is a touching novel that puts forth the question: How far would you go for the ones you love? And how much would be too much?

Throughout the entire book, I imagined myself in Anna's shoes. Somehow, though, Sara rubbed me off the wrong way a bit. I mean, I understand that she wants to keep Kate alive, but it seems as if she's being very biased. Sometimes, it even feels like Sara only thinks that Anna is conceived to keep Kate alive, nothing more. But that could just be my brain thinking.

I admired how Kate held it together all these years; what with transplants and operations and whatnot. The ending is a twist, a twist that I NEVER saw coming at all.

After finishing the book, I asked myself again what I would do if I was in Anna's position.

Would I be willing to be a scapegoat to keep my sister alive? Would I be willing to go through painful bone marrow transplants and blood transfusions; knowing the fact that I have a low threshold for pain, for as long as I had to to keep my sister alive?

The answer comes almost immediately and without a doubt:

YES.

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This one was a hard book to put down. I was so hooked on the drama that I always end up being late for something because I was too engrossed! I knew this book would have quite a few arguments regarding religion in it, so I was very curious to see what diagnosis they'd come up with for Faith's 'condition'.

However for me, some of the outcomes were predictable, like the relationship between Mariah and Ian. But other than that, it's a good read!