63
Finished Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult for the Pub Challenge.
Jodi Picoult is one of those authors you love or hate. She's my second favorite author, so it's probably no surprise that I fall firmly in the "love!" category.
What I like is that (especially in her later books) she presents an issue and no matter what you think going in, you'll probably be in a different place after you read the book. (Or, if not I'd be willing to bet that you at least had to think long and hard before staying in the same camp.)
This book is about Willow, a young girl (five when the book starts) who has osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic abnormality that means that she breaks bones very easily. As in she could break a bone by tripping and falling, being hugged the wrong way, turning over in bed and, once, sneezing.
Because of this, Charlotte (Willow's mom) can't work, because she always has to be with Willow. Even when Willow's in school, she'd have to be able to leave at any given time in case she got hurt--which, naturally, makes it hard to hold down a job. So they're surviving on her husband's salary (Sean's a cop) so they don't have a ton of money. And since insurance doesn't cover everything, that means they DO have a ton of debt. (And older daughter Amelia's not doing too well either.)
So then they hear that they can sue the OB/GYN for wrongful birth, because she should've been able to tell earlier than she did that Willow had OI, and then they could've been counseled to not go through with the pregnancy.
Unfortunately, the OB/GYN is Charlotte's best friend, Piper.
Anyway. So Sean is absolutely horrified that Charlotte would even consider basically saying that they wish Willow had never been born. Yes, it's exhausting and yes, it's incredibly hard, but she's also Willow, this incredibly smart, sweet girl who knows all this stuff (apparently OI kids are generally smarter than their peers; Willow, for example, reads on a sixth grade level) like, for example, that your thumb is the length of your nose.
But Charlotte feels differently. It's not so much that she wishes Willow hadn't been born, it's that she's incredibly worried about what will happen to Willow once she (Charlotte) isn't around anymore. Willow will need to have a ton of money, and the way things are now, there's no way that that will happen. But Charlotte's convinced that if she can win this lawsuit, then Willow will be set and it won't matter what insurance will or won't pay for or how many bones she breaks--she'll have enough money and she'll always be okay. And she knows that even though she loves her best friend, she'll do whatever she needs to do to make sure her daughter's okay--even if that means hurting her daughter at first by saying that she was a mistake.
So yeah, it's a pretty complicated thing but I totally get where Charlotte is coming from. How could you not do whatever it took to take care of your kid?
I really liked this book (way more than her last one, Change of Heart). Although it sucks that there won't be another new one until next March.
Somebody else needs to read this, now, so we can discuss. :)
Comments
I saw it when it first was released to theaters, but I don't remember it at all.
The Sixth Sense is the only one of his that I liked. I didn't see the last two though--The Village killed it for me. :)
I came across your review through the Pub Challenge entries.
Have you read the book yet? Did you like it?
I think we're doing a lot of the same challenges this year. :)
Hi Kelly: Yes we sure are doing the same challenges. I've read your reviews before in the past :D
I did finish Handle With Care and loved it. Here's a link to my review:
http://bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/2009/03/handle-with-care-by-jodi-piccoult.html
Is this your first year doing challenges? It's mine and I've gone a little overboard.
It's funny--now that you mention it (well, in your review), the ending was VERY My Sister's Keeper although I also don't think that it's a remake (or remake-ish) like you'd heard.
I'm glad you liked the LJ Smith book you read. I love her Secret Circle and Vampire Diaries series. Guilty pleasures but really fun. :)
Yes, I am abosolutely in over my head with the challenges and as I complete some I just keep joining more and more. It is also my first year. :)
I did find some similarities to My Sister's Keeper but I thought it had it's own storyline and the twists and turns always kept me surprise... and gasping "Oh no he/she didn't!" kinda thing.
As for LJ Smith that was the only book I've read so far and I did like it. I need to get my hands on more.
I've barely completed any. I basically just keep throwing more books into each challenge. My "New Author Challenge" is getting insane. I need to work on finishing some; I only have a handful of books left in a couple of challenges.
I think I preferred Handle With Care to My Sister's Keeper, but it's close. I definitely liked both more than I liked last year's book, the one about the heart transplant.
I'm involved with about 30 challenges and so far I've finished about 6 of them - LOL. They're a work in progress. But luckily the one's that have had deadlines that have ended already I've been able to meet so, so far I'm right on track.
I didn't read that one. I've only read Sister's Keeper, Handle With Care and Second Glance (ghost story) and I recently purchased 19 minutes (which I've heard is really good too) but haven't gotten around to it.
I loved 19 Minutes. I've read all of hers. Second Glances wasn't one of my favorites, but I still prefer her bad books to most other authors' books.
I've signed up for 21 challenges and have completed three of them. I haven't even started two of the remaining ones. Ack. But on the plus side, the closest deadline is in August, and I only have two books left for that one (although both of those aren't coming out until next month).
Oh awesome. So once I read 19 Minutes I'll let you know so that we can discuss that one as well. :) I was introdued to Picoult a few months back and she is surely becoming one of my favorite authors.
Good luck with the challenges. It looks like we're in the same boat. ;)
Please do. She's one of my favorites, too. You should try Plain Truth, too; that was the first one of hers that I read.
Good luck to you, too. :) I'm thinking now I need to hit the lottery; I could get so much more reading done if I didn't have to worry about working to pay the bills. ;)
Tell me about it. I'm a paralegal by day. Mommy to two little one's by night. And avid reader in between! :)
Plain Truth is now in my TBR list. Thanks for the suggestion.
You are my hero; I only have to take care of a dog. (And a sweet one who doesn't care how much I read, provided he can curl up in my lap while I do it.)
I hope you like Plain Truth :)