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Rating:  Summary: Not as good as her previous novels Review: I bought this book because I greatly enjoyed the author's two previous novels, "The Deep End of the Ocean" and "The Most Wanted". Her latest book was a little disappointing, mainly because the characters seemed much less "real" than in the other two books. This may have been because this book has so many characters you can hardly keep them straight (and it doesn't help that they are so poorly rendered). The basic story was intriguing (a couple dies in car crash, both families want custody of the toddler they left behind), but it didn't "grab" me and make me race through the book to find out what happened the way "Deep End" and "Most Wanted" did.
Rating:  Summary: As someone who has been through a custody battle, Review: I couldn't put this one down. I'm not adopted but when my parents divorced, the whole family wanted to adopt me, and it split my family to this very day, 10 plus years later. The emotions that Gordon felt were very real. You want the best for the child, but if nothing's working in bringing the child to your home, you give up. I love Mitchards writing, and I think this one to be one of her best. Yes there is alot of background information, but as with anything to get a clear picture of a story you need that clarity. She has to detail everything. I couldn't put this book down, and enjoyed it. The ending was quite interesting and unexpected which is a pleasure when you get to the point that you think you could guess the ending to every book when they get formulaic. Pick this one up, with "The Most Wanted" and I guarantee you'll have a weekend worth of excellent reading.
Rating:  Summary: Eye opening Review: I read Deep End of the Ocean by Ms Mitchard and absolutely loved it! So when I heard about this book, I picked it up without knowing too much about it. It is a wonderful read! The story is so real and the characters fascinating. I am recommending it to my sister-in-law who is an adopted child and to friends who recently adopted. If you are adopted, adopting or thinking about adoption, it is a MUST read!
Rating:  Summary: depressing Review: This book is entirly to sad. I really enjoyed the style of writing, also the plot, story line, character development. But it is entirely to depressing. I want gritty reality, but I don't want to have to take prozac afterward. When I started crying on the treadmill, I knew it was time to quit.
Rating:  Summary: Compelling and Captivating Review: This is a story of love for the family, and the sacrifices and heartaches that come with it.A young couple died, leaving behind the 1-yr old baby girl. She was presumed to be taken care of by the maternal grandparents, only to be challenged by the other set of grandparents. It later focuses on the uncle, Gordon, who was made to fight for the adoption of baby Keefer, whom he felt like his own anyway. Legal turns took place and for all the struggles and fights, the bruises and triumphs, he came to realize that Keefer's interest was the most important thing. It exemplifies how a baby can change people's lives - physically, mentally, and emotionally; and how a family stand together for each other. This book made me feel for the characters - their sorrow, anger, gratitute, relief, happiness and everything in between. The details are the essence. It also made me see many aspects of adoption from inside. Family stories can be too familiar sometimes, but the storyline of this book is compelling and captivating. The author's play with words is interesting too, I couldn't help enjoying the read.
Rating:  Summary: good potential Review: This was a book with so much potential, it's too bad it didn't get some editorial help to make it a great book. The strong points were that the characters felt so real to me, and I really felt attached to them. But other than that, reading it was painful. First, the author unfortunately tries to give us points of view of too many characters, making the reader not know any one character in depth, and reading too many details. Also, I didn't like the way the reader was kept in torturing suspense as to the fate of Keefer's custody. I finally figured it out within a completely new context at the very end - the author knew we would all want to know, so why write about it 'by the way'? The book just took too many different directions, taking me off the original path of caring and feeling for the characters.
Rating:  Summary: could not finish Review: trite adj. trit·er, trit·est Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed. Archaic. Frayed or worn out by use.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting dilemma Review: Very worthwhile read. It is frustrating to consider that the law might not recognize adopted children's rights as part of their family. This book is different from Mitchard's first, but I couldn't put it down until I found out who wound up with custody of the child.
Rating:  Summary: Not my favorite of hers Review: Well, I really enjoyed Deep end of the Ocean and The Most Wanted. This was not my favorite of Mitchard's. I am an avid reader with a large vocabulary and I had a hard time following certain things that were happening. There were conversations that seemed to leave the reader hanging, descriptions of things that didn't make sense to me... I liked the basis of the story though. Wondering what would happen was what kept me reading. However, I often found myself wondering what the characters were thinking though... Worth a read I suppose.
Rating:  Summary: Heart rendering -- Highly recommended Review: When the unthinkable occurs, hearts are put on the line. Georgia and Ray die in a tragic car accident, leaving behind their one-year-old daughter Keefer. Georgia's adopted brother Gordon McKenna wants to adopt Keefer, believing it would fulfill his sister's dying wishes. Unfortunately, his wealthy in-laws also wish to adopt Keefer. Legal wrangling raise the issues of what constitutes a "blood relative" when Gordon's adoption request is initially dismissed because he is an adopted relative rather than a blood relative. When Keefer goes to life with her father's family, the typical differences in culture, religion and parenting style will echo the nightmares of any parent who lost custody of their child. Tragically, the best interest of the child becomes secondary to the letter of the law, and the needs of the survivors. Readers expecting a dramatic fight complete with courtroom drama will be disappointed. But readers expecting a carefully crafted, character-driven drama that reveals the foibles, challenges and fears related to changing family dynamics will find their expectations richly rewarded. Life-like details reveal the devastation left by grief and desperation, as young Keefer becomes the symbol of survival for two families. Selfish need replaces the best interests of the child in a poignantly tragic way even as love struggles for supremacy. The themes of judgments made based upon the letter of the law rather than its spirit will strike the heart of any parent caught in a custody battle as well as those that concern adoption issues. A remarkably heart rendering novel, A THEORY OF RELATIVITY comes highly recommended.
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