Mercy

Rating:
Summary: Would You Help Your Loved One Die if They're Terminal?
Review: This book was really good and hard to put down. I enjoyed the story all the way through.

The basic plot of the story was Jamie's deep love for his wife Maggie, who became terminally ill and suffered. She wanted Jamie to help her die, and so he did, but not without hardship and a big jury trial in the end.

Cameron McDonald, a police chief, doesn't agree at all with his wife Allie, and this creates hardship and a betrayal in their marriage. Allie feels that Jamie was in the right, where Cam feels he deserves punishment for his actions even though in his very ill wife's best interests.

The story reaches a great climax with many surprises at the end.

Rating:
Summary: Mercy Killing?
Review: This book was the chosen selection for our book club this month. We were all intrigued by the excerpt and it was a unanimous decision. There's the topic of love, deceit, murder, and selfishness. It is a story that will capture your attention and you'll feel for these characters.

Euthanasia is not something that I've ever thought of before, in relation to my life. In this story, Jamie MacDonald confesses to killing his wife because she asked him to end her life and battle with cancer. The theory is that he loves her so much that he would do anything she asked of him. That really makes you question what you would do if put in the same situation.

Cameron and Allie MacDonald are married and lead a satisfying life. Cam is the police chief of the town and Allie is his doting wife. When Jamie comes to town it puts a barrier between the two of them. Allie loves Cam so much, and can understand where Jamie is coming from. Cam doesn't see it that way and views his cousin as a murderer. But Cam doesn't have a problem being a liar! Through all of this he cheats on his wife and deceives her...supposedly in the name of love.

This story really makes you question what you would do for love and how far you would go. I recommend this story, especially to book club groups. I can see it leading to a bunch of discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Mercy Killing?
Review: This book was the chosen selection for our book club this month. We were all intrigued by the excerpt and it was a unanimous decision. There's the topic of love, deceit, murder, and selfishness. It is a story that will capture your attention and you'll feel for these characters.

Euthanasia is not something that I've ever thought of before, in relation to my life. In this story, Jamie MacDonald confesses to killing his wife because she asked him to end her life and battle with cancer. The theory is that he loves her so much that he would do anything she asked of him. That really makes you question what you would do if put in the same situation.

Cameron and Allie MacDonald are married and lead a satisfying life. Cam is the police chief of the town and Allie is his doting wife. When Jamie comes to town it puts a barrier between the two of them. Allie loves Cam so much, and can understand where Jamie is coming from. Cam doesn't see it that way and views his cousin as a murderer. But Cam doesn't have a problem being a liar! Through all of this he cheats on his wife and deceives her...supposedly in the name of love.

This story really makes you question what you would do for love and how far you would go. I recommend this story, especially to book club groups. I can see it leading to a bunch of discussion.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary...you won't be able to put it down.
Review: This is the fifth book by Jodi Picoult that I've read and I've yet to be disappointed. Her writing is descriptive and heartfelt, you just love the characters and you absolutely have to find out how it all turns out in the end.

The opening moments in the book give the reader the first insight into what is going to happen. The prologue opens with a woman packing up her husband's things and selling them off. The second part is the euthanasia aspect or mercy killing that is a central theme in the novel. Mercy, love, betrayal and angst are all intregal parts of the book and Jodi weaves a story that you simply cannot resist.

Cam McDonald is the Chief of Police in Wheelock, Massachusetts. He has come to live and work there as part of his family history. It's a part of his identity that he cannot walk away from. Unfortunately, he wishes that his life had turned out differently. He has a sense of wanderlust, he has always wanted to travel and write. He knows that this is something that is missing from his life. He needs this sense of adventure. As a result of this void Cam looks to another woman for his happiness.

We meet Allie, Cam's devoted wife. She is head over heels in love with her husband and will do anything to please him. Consequently, she loses a big part of herself because of this. Her entire world revolves around Cameron and his moods. Both husband and wife are on a journey in this book to find themselves and each other. We follow their joys and sorrows and the bumpy road they have to travel to complete this journey.

Jamie McDonald is Cameron's cousin who comes to town after killing his wife. She has been sick with cancer and she is no longer able to continue the struggle. She asks Jamie to end her life...he cannot refuse the woman he loves. The aftermath of this causes Jamie to face a murder trial in Cameron's hometown. The entire town is divided on the issue of mercy killing and we, as readers, begin to form our own opinion on such a moral issue.

Mia also enters the picture at the same time as Jamie. She is a lost soul looking for a place to call her own, a place she can call home. Although she is the character we're supposed to hate in the book, I still felt for this woman. She fell in love with someone she knew she could never have but in the end she made the right decision. In a way, for me, she redeemed herself.

Jodi has again spun her magic. The characters are all easy to relate to and hard to forget. Once the book is closed, the ethical questions of right and wrong will still gnaw at you. Could you forgive the way that Allie must learn to? Could you love the way that Jamie did? Only you can decide.

Rating:
Summary: Another excellent book by Jodi Picoult
Review: This is the second book by Jodi Picoult that I have read and the second that has been placed on my shelf of all-time favorites (I have only about 15 on the shelf). Mercy has touched on many topics that make you sit back and question your own beliefs and relationships. The book is well-written and thought provoking.