Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Jodi Picoult's research into the history of the eugenics movement in the United States made for very interesting reading. Unfortunately, the plot which surrounds this research lacks believability, depth and emotion. The characters are very difficult to keep straight, and the love story is just too rushed to have much impact. Finishing the book felt like a chore.
Rating:
Summary: Well crafted, but contrived.
Review: Jodi's books have good plots, a twist, a nice legal battle and enough emotion thrown in to make for a great beach read. It aint literature, however, nor will it change your life. Second Glance was just that--good, but not great, it didn't flow that well (I could pinpoint structure and plot changes and character set-ups, sometimes it was like reading an example from an eleventh grade writing class) and the predictable love story was unbelievable and boring and just 'ugh' inducing. (Like most of her novels, including her latest 'my sister's keeper) I recommend it for a beach read, and to rent out of the library, but don't spend good money on it.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth a second glance.
Review: Not Jodi Picoult's usual book. I have read most and she gets better all the time. I liked the historical aspect regarding the elimination off a whole people by weeding of non desirable traits. The information horrified me. This novel will breed a whole new group of Jodi Picoult's fans.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this one
Review: Not only was it a great chance to escape from reality for a while it also kept touching on and teaching about a little known (well, at least I didn't know about it) piece of our history. I had never even heard of an eugenics project until I read this but it has me searching for more information. The story itself was fascinating. At first, each character seemed so disconnected from the other that I couldn't even imagine where we were being taken. By the end of the book their lives are so intertwined...amazing. What a wonderful way to tell a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect rainy day book
Review: Of all Jodi's books this far, Second Glance is my favorite. Granted, it's not her usual issue-driven story culminating in a courtroom scene--which her readers have come to love--this book takes a page from the past to tell its story. I love how she tells parallel stories--love affairs gone wrong, a child with a strange illness, the ties of family--and gently explores the psychic connections that are there if we will only believe. Second Glance is the perfect curl up in your comfiest chair, cover yourself with a quilt, have a cup of cocoa (and Kleenex) nearby, and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Hauntingly beautiful
Review: One of the best by Jodi! I couldn't put it down...It had a little bit of everything. It was part ghost story, romance, history and mystery...I highly recommend this book!... I didn't want it to end...
Rating:
Summary: People Magazine Book Review.....APRIL 2, 2003 ISSUE
Review: People Magazine Book Review
April 3, 2003
Second Glance
by Jodi Picoult Reviewed by Amy Waldman
In the eight years since he saw his fiancée die in a car accident, Ross Wakeman has tried repeatedly to join her. But after a failed suicide attempt and several accidents that should have been fatal, Ross begins to take an interest in hunting ghosts instead of trying to become one. In rural Comtosook, Vt., he spends time with his sister and nephew and starts investigating a piece of land that may or may not have been an Indian burial ground. Rose petals rain down and a house in the process of being demolished rebuilds itself. Meanwhile, Ross meets Lia, a mysterious young woman who also tracks spirits. Picoult ingeniously ties the ghost story to a true one about eugenics. In the 1920s and '30s, Vermont and other states sanctioned involuntary sterilization for supposedly "inferior" people such as the mentally and physically disabled, convicted criminals and New England's Abenaki Indians. The history lesson makes for chilling, even shocking, reading, and Picoult (Plain Truth) comes up with many unforgettable characters. This is a fast-paced, densely layered exploration of love, the pull of family and the power of both to transcend time. BOTTOM LINE: Great ghost story
Rating:
Summary: People Magazine Book Review.....APRIL 2, 2003 ISSUE
Review: People Magazine Book Review
April 3, 2003
Second Glance
by Jodi Picoult Reviewed by Amy Waldman
In the eight years since he saw his fiancée die in a car accident, Ross Wakeman has tried repeatedly to join her. But after a failed suicide attempt and several accidents that should have been fatal, Ross begins to take an interest in hunting ghosts instead of trying to become one. In rural Comtosook, Vt., he spends time with his sister and nephew and starts investigating a piece of land that may or may not have been an Indian burial ground. Rose petals rain down and a house in the process of being demolished rebuilds itself. Meanwhile, Ross meets Lia, a mysterious young woman who also tracks spirits. Picoult ingeniously ties the ghost story to a true one about eugenics. In the 1920s and '30s, Vermont and other states sanctioned involuntary sterilization for supposedly "inferior" people such as the mentally and physically disabled, convicted criminals and New England's Abenaki Indians. The history lesson makes for chilling, even shocking, reading, and Picoult (Plain Truth) comes up with many unforgettable characters. This is a fast-paced, densely layered exploration of love, the pull of family and the power of both to transcend time. BOTTOM LINE: Great ghost story
Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: Second Glance is an amazing novel, which careens across genre boundaries so energetically that it's difficult to describe (or design a cover for, judging by the results). It is undeniably a ghost story, and a murder mystery with strong police procedural elements, as well as a romance or two, plus a fascinating slab of historical novel about one of the lesser-known real horrors of 1930s America. Even if you don't normally enjoy any of these types of book, you may want to read this just for Picoult's skill at creating fascinating characters. Beginning with a great first line - "Ross Wakeman succeeded the first time he killed himself, but not the second or third." - Second Glance introduces so many characters so quickly that you may find yourself having to take notes before the first chapter is done. Ross is an investigator of alleged hauntings, who has given up suicide because he suspects he's invincible. An ancient professor hears a baby crying in an old people's home. A cop rousts teenagers from a cemetery as it snows rose petals. Ghostly flies spell out a Native American word for 'baby'. A mother with a nine-year-old son fatally allergic to ultraviolet light has exchanged day for night, and has nightmares while she's awake. Slowly, these threads and others begin to weave themselves into an intricate tapestry. As a supernatural thriller, Second Glance is on a par with The Sixth Sense or The Others, or one of Stephen King's novels without the more visceral elements. Running parallel to the ghost story is an equally well constructed scientific detective story, complete with coroner's reports and detailed DNA charts. The real strength, though, is the troubled but likeable characters - Ross, Ethan, Shelby, Eli, Cecilia, and others. Second Glance is not without flaws. The plot occasionally hinges on coincidences which verge on the miraculous. Some of the clues might as well have neon signs attached, so some of the 'surprises' aren't particularly surprising. Picoult's children seem too mature for their age - much less convincing than those in Stephen King's It or The Body. There are inconsistencies in the timeline, such as a character in 2001 having newspaper clippings from 2002. And the romance subplots and writing become a little mawkish in places, especially near the end. On the whole, though, this is a thoroughly intriguing novel which should appeal to a wide variety of reading tastes.
Rating:
Summary: A highly readable page turner.
Review: Second Glance is my first novel by Jodi Picoult and based on her storytelling abilites, certainly will not be my last. The author takes such unlikely topics as eugenics and Native American history and weaves them into a compelling story of love, murder, mystery and ghosts. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly readable this one is worthy of a look.
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