Mercy

Rating:
Summary: Quite enjoyable
Review: Another good book from this author. Plain Truth was better, but once this book got going, it kept you very interested. I would recommend this book to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Quite enjoyable
Review: Another good book from this author. Plain Truth was better, but once this book got going, it kept you very interested. I would recommend this book to my friends.

Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: As always, Jodi Picoult wrote an amazing book. The characters all develop incredibly, and a story line that could have gone either way ended up being compelling. the description of this book did not intrigue me, but since Picoult wrote it, I had to read it. And as always, I was not sorry I did. I did not like characters as much as I have in her other books -- but I loved it none the less, and could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: A multi-faceted book
Review: At first, it sounded eerily so much like Picoult's "The Pact" that I almost didn't want to read it. After getting into the book, I realized that it was on two different themes ~~ one on "mercy killing" and the other on "betrayal."

Jamie MacDonald's wife was suffering from cancer and he killed her because he claimed that she had asked him to. Cam MacDonald is his cousin who is also the police chief of a Scottish town rich in heritage. Allie is Cam's wife who helps Jamie in his search for justice. And we can't forget Mia, who isn't a central character in this book ~~ but her actions turn Cam and Allie's lives upside down.

Picoult does a thorough job of researching all sides of the euthanisia issue and its lingering after-effects. And she draws her characters with vivid words and actions ~~ the courtroom scene was tense and suspenseful. It is a well-written book ~~ one that I couldn't put down.

But there is also another theme that Picoult explored here in this book ~~ betrayal. Jamie was betrayed by Maggie who asked him to kill her because the cancer was so bad. In doing that, Jamie is scarred for life simply because by his own hands, he killed the best thing that has ever happened to him. And he is full of grief that he doesn't have the courage to join her in death either. If Maggie was brave and selfless, she could have taken a bunch of pills to die instead of asking her husband ~~ a man who would do anything for her because of the depth of his love ~~ to kill her. What an incredibly selfish act.

And don't forget Allie. She was betrayed by Cam and Mia ~~ the two characters you would love to look down upon because of their immaturity and selfishness. Allie comes into her own person throughout Jamie's trial and that changed everything in the MacDonald's marriage.

Please don't hesitate to pick up this book. It's great and an engrossing read. It is one of her better books in her collection. The characters will linger with you for a while after reading this book. So will the issue of "mercy killing." It is something that society needs to explore more on.

Rating:
Summary: A multi-faceted book
Review: At first, it sounded eerily so much like Picoult's "The Pact" that I almost didn't want to read it. After getting into the book, I realized that it was on two different themes ~~ one on "mercy killing" and the other on "betrayal."

Jamie MacDonald's wife was suffering from cancer and he killed her because he claimed that she had asked him to. Cam MacDonald is his cousin who is also the police chief of a Scottish town rich in heritage. Allie is Cam's wife who helps Jamie in his search for justice. And we can't forget Mia, who isn't a central character in this book ~~ but her actions turn Cam and Allie's lives upside down.

Picoult does a thorough job of researching all sides of the euthanisia issue and its lingering after-effects. And she draws her characters with vivid words and actions ~~ the courtroom scene was tense and suspenseful. It is a well-written book ~~ one that I couldn't put down.

But there is also another theme that Picoult explored here in this book ~~ betrayal. Jamie was betrayed by Maggie who asked him to kill her because the cancer was so bad. In doing that, Jamie is scarred for life simply because by his own hands, he killed the best thing that has ever happened to him. And he is full of grief that he doesn't have the courage to join her in death either. If Maggie was brave and selfless, she could have taken a bunch of pills to die instead of asking her husband ~~ a man who would do anything for her because of the depth of his love ~~ to kill her. What an incredibly selfish act.

And don't forget Allie. She was betrayed by Cam and Mia ~~ the two characters you would love to look down upon because of their immaturity and selfishness. Allie comes into her own person throughout Jamie's trial and that changed everything in the MacDonald's marriage.

Please don't hesitate to pick up this book. It's great and an engrossing read. It is one of her better books in her collection. The characters will linger with you for a while after reading this book. So will the issue of "mercy killing." It is something that society needs to explore more on.

Rating:
Summary: If you really love me, you would kill me!
Review: Euthanasia is the subject and it is handled quite well by this author. First I want you to know that there are no spoilers here. The book starts with the act of suffocation and then goes on to explain the circumstances. Jamie MacDonald loves his wife Maggie with a fierce loyalty. When Maggie's cancer ridden body becomes more than she can bear she asks him to kill her. What follows is a journey that there is no coming back from.

Cam MacDonald is the highly respected police chief in a small town and is married to Allie who adores him to the point that she has lost herself in this man she calls her husband. The sun rises in the east due to the light she sees in Cam's eyes. Allie's world is about to come crashing down around her. Hers is also a journey that will take her to a place that there is no coming back from.

Cam is not only the police chief, but by no choice of his own, he has become the respected head of the MacDonald Clan, whose ancestors hail from Scotland. They have settled in Wheelock, Massachusetts over the centuries. Jamie comes to Wheeloch to enjoy his last hours with Maggie and commit his act of love.

The author has created a multifaceted situation and has gone on to superbly blend the stories together. We are dealt a betrayal on two fronts and we watch as the characters wade through the mire that their lives become because of it. This is another great book by Picoult. She was kind enough to chat with my book group on line a few months back and told us this was her personal favorite. I have to admit I'm hooked, and I have now bought every one of her books. I am anxiously awaiting her new book SALEM FALLS that should be out in the first part of the New Year. 12/14/00

Rating:
Summary: Love, Loyalty, Betrayal
Review: From the moment I first picked up Mercy and started reading it, I knew that it was unlike any other book I've read. From the very beginning, which tied in to another part of the book, I found myself reluctant to put the book down.

The story is of Jamie McDonald, the cousin of the Chief of Police in Wheelock, Ma. Cameron McDonald had it all--he was the clan chief, he had a beautiful wife and a good job. He also had a serious wanderlust, which Jodi Picoult touched upon in several places. I think she tied in Cam's wanderlust quite well after Mia came upon the scene. It was interesting that Mia arrived at the same time that Jamie McDonald, Cam's cousin arrived and announced tha the had killed his wife. I was in tears during the courtroom scene, which I found riveting. I didn't want the jury to find him guilty. I felt that after everything he had been through, that just living with the thought that he had lost the one person who meant everything in the world to him by his own hands was going to be punishment enough.

The story delves into how a family's life can be changed by extenuating circumstances. If Jamie hadn't presumed upon his cousin to help him, if Mia hadn't shown up, the story would not have played out so brilliantly.

This book has great potential and Ms. Picoult deserves nothing but praise for the outstanding job that she has done in writing it.

Rating:
Summary: kind of disappointing
Review: I am a tremendous fan of Ms. Picoult's work. I'll admit I have not read every one of them but I have read most. I found this one of the most disappointing. I do like her character development, but I found the plot uninspired and quite obvious in its evolution. I knew exactly how this story was going to shake out before the end of the second chapter. I read this book to its conclusion but was dissatisfied.

Rating:
Summary: A study of human flaws
Review: I can't remember reading a book where all the characters had such undesirable traits that reading any further became an effort. The only character who was somewhat bearable was a cat and that's probably because it spent its time either eating or hidden in someone's backpack serving as a parallel to everything else that's hidden away in this small town of Wheelock, MA.

I'm already a Jodi Picoult fan having read and liked four of her other books -- The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth and Salem Falls -- so when I say that I didn't enjoy this book at all, I have a good basis for comparison. Never before have I read a book where I felt so detached from each and every character. The wife Allie has no backbone, the husband Cam has no loyalty, the mistress Mia has no values, the mercy killer Jamie has no fortitude, his dead wife Maggie was selfish, Cam's mother Ellen is a wacko.....I could go on and on.

The backdrop of the story is one of intense love -- so intense that your emotions take over your senses. There's a case of a mercy killing, another story of a cheating spouse and a courtroom scene where all the scenarios are played out. The events leading up to and after the killing are all impulsive -- sometimes so impulsive that they're hard to believe. There are other parts in the book where reality is suspended and mysticism takes over. I'm always at a loss when an author resorts to this.

Probably the biggest complaint I have is the intense lack of editing. I can't stand when I'm reading a book and two people are having a conversation yet the name you're reading on the typewritten page is NOT the name of the person who is actually doing the talking. This happened on three separate occasions and after awhile, it only added to my overall confusion and lack of continuity of my reading experience. I'm usually not this hard when reviewing a book and it could be the fact that I read it in the midst of our great American tragedy which could have altered my mood considerably. For that reason, I've given it three stars as opposed to the two stars which I had originally intended. Somehow though, I don't think it was my mood...the book just wasn't that enjoyable for me.

Rating:
Summary: MEA CULPA
Review: I can't remember reading a book where all the characters had such undesirable traits that reading any further became an effort. The only character who was somewhat bearable was a cat and that's probably because it spent its time either eating or hidden in someone's backpack serving as a parallel to everything else that's hidden away in this small town of Wheelock, MA.

I'm already a Jodi Picoult fan having read and liked four of her other books -- The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth and Salem Falls -- so when I say that I didn't enjoy this book at all, I have a good basis for comparison. Never before have I read a book where I felt so detached from each and every character. The wife Allie has no backbone, the husband Cam has no loyalty, the mistress Mia has no values, the mercy killer Jamie has no fortitude, his dead wife Maggie was selfish, Cam's mother Ellen is a wacko.....I could go on and on.

The backdrop of the story is one of intense love -- so intense that your emotions take over your senses. There's a case of a mercy killing, another story of a cheating spouse and a courtroom scene where all the scenarios are played out. The events leading up to and after the killing are all impulsive -- sometimes so impulsive that they're hard to believe. There are other parts in the book where reality is suspended and mysticism takes over. I'm always at a loss when an author resorts to this.

Probably the biggest complaint I have is the intense lack of editing. I can't stand when I'm reading a book and two people are having a conversation yet the name you're reading on the typewritten page is NOT the name of the person who is actually doing the talking. This happened on three separate occasions and after awhile, it only added to my overall confusion and lack of continuity of my reading experience. I'm usually not this hard when reviewing a book and it could be the fact that I read it in the midst of our great American tragedy which could have altered my mood considerably. For that reason, I've given it three stars as opposed to the two stars which I had originally intended. Somehow though, I don't think it was my mood...the book just wasn't that enjoyable for me.