My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.25 You Save: $7.75 (52%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $2.19 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of My Sister's Keeper: A Novel
Book Review: Outstanding read
Summary: 5 Stars
I, like many others before me, bought this book to fill up the '3 for 2' offer from Waterstones. However, unlike my first two choices ('The American Boy' and 'Snobs: A Novel'), this one managed to captivate me, drawing me into its web of moral dilemmas and familial issues.The plot is doubtless one which has been addressed in many books of medical and legal ethics, and having read it, I can certainly see why. The issue about genetically selecting a child in embryonic form is one which has caused, and will continue to cause many debates surrounding it. However, 'My Sister's Keeper' goes beyond the initial stages of concern (it's morally unfair on the remaining embyros that die a cruel death in a petri dish...), addressing the questions that arise for a thirteen year old girl. Did her parents actually want her? What about the miracle of creation? Things I had never considered, such as the answers a parent would give when their genetically selected child asks "where babies come from".
And then the question of medical emancipation. This novel is based in the USA, where people are not under the obligation to help any other living being (makes you wonder, doesn't it?), and due to this clause in the American constitution, children are allowed to seek medical emancipation from their parents. My first thoughts were that the protagonist was being remarkably selfish in refusing to help her older sister Kate, a sufferer of a severe form of leukemia. That was until Anna's childhood was outlined - the endless donations, starting with her umbilical cord at birth, through bone marrow transplants, and finally, the wish for a kidney from Anna. An intial sceptic, I found myself sympathising more and more with the thirteen year old Anna, who has finally decided to hire an attorney (the amusing Campbell Alexander) and sue her parents.
'My Sister's Keeper' would have to be nominated for some form of literary prize, least of all for the moral questions which it raises. By the end of the book, I was confused, upset (to do with the unusual twist at the end), to some extent angry, yet satisfied that I had read it, as this is going to be one of the books that everyone's talking about before long.
Book Review: WOW!
Summary: 5 Stars
i bought this book at the airport to read on holiday.i read it in 3days.i couldn`t put it down.this book is written in an unusual style,in that you get to know each character in depth, what they are thinking.each chapter is a person in the book.this book to me is like when you watch a film that`s 3 hours long and it only feels like an hour this is what this book is like.it is the best book i read in a long time.i was crying when i had finished it.i can`t wait to read her other books.this book will stay with me along time.Book Review: A powerful book.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book follows the consequences of the descision of a young girl to medically emancipate her self from her parents. She decides that she no longer wants to donate her kidney to the elder sister whose life she has previously saved. This book is a carefully written piece of fiction which allows the reader to see all the perspectives of the moral dilemma that this young woman finds herself in. It is well written and above all thought provoking. Once started it will be hard to put down. It has been compared to Lovely Bones and one can appreciate the comparison if that was a book you enjoyed then My Sister's Keeper is well worth the investment.Book Review: My Sister's Keeper
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing story written with such emotion that you don't want to stop reading. You grow to understand all of the characters in the book and feel especially protective of Anna and her sister. The ending is brilliant and I can guarantee you will not have a dry eye when you finish.Book Review: Fantastic novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Like someone else I bought it to make up 3, having never seen it before. But I thought it was a great read, very thought provoking, but a good story in itself too. Couldn't help crying over the end though, even though I was sitting in a very busy car park.