Jodi Picoult
10 years ago
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10 years ago- 10 years ago
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a change of heart by jodi picoult.
Comments (4)We read all sorts here. I read many of the early Jodi Picoult novels, but I was very disappointed in the ending of My Sister's Keeper (I thought she took the easy way out) and then the next one I read felt to me that the author had written down a list of topics she wanted to cover and made the book fit around them. I haven't read any since then, but I work in a bookshop and my immediate boss thought this her best one for a while. Welcome!...See MoreHave you ever been insulted about reading?
Comments (54)When I was in my 20's, single and working in an office, a co-worker picked up the book (Oscar Lewis' La Vida)I was currently reading, looked at the price, and asked in a loud voice "You paid $-- for THAT?) She had announced earlier that she and her husband had just purchased an expensive new car with all the bells and whistles. Differenct strokes. . . When my boys were young I would read aloud to them during dinner. Great for the diet! I would stop in the middle of a exciting passage, and leave the book on the table while I cleaned up the kitchen. It was fun to see which boy got to the book first to take up to his room and finish that chapter. I've never worried that my boys, now 38 and 40, would not be readers. They're both still single and have very active lives, and I was pleased that on one weekend day each called me from the city they happened to be visiting, one to tell me he had met an author of a book we both loved, and the other to announce he had found an old book I had been looking for. Reading aloud has so many benefits. Years ago my late brother, who was 15 years older than I enjoyed reading each other passages from Robert Paul Smith's Where Did You Go? Out. What Did You Do? Nothing. For those that may not remember this lovely little book there are passages about how a child spends his idle time, including the wonders of the empty lot nextdoor. This book sparked conversations about how my brother and I each looked at our childhood experiences from different angles, and without a doubt, brought us much closer together. I certainly will treasure those times. I see I've strayed from the original topic of being insulted about reading, to more speaking in defense of reading. Sorry about that, but I guess defense of an action naturally comes after an insult....See MoreMy Sister's Keeper
Comments (27)I would imagine she was a good speaker-even though I do not enjoy her style, she does seem to be thorough, and she has certainly covered the gambit in her topics. There must have been many funny moments along the way. However, I know she lived with an Amish family, and her treatment of the Amish teenager "split personality" was well-portrayed, but she made some howlers about Lancaster County in general in the book Plain Truth-no one who doesn't live in the area would notice, but my bookclub did! Granted, it's petty, but the thing that bothered us was that none of the "poetic licenses" she took were necessary to advance the story, which we would have understood-so it came across to us as sloppy writing. We found it distracting to be brought up short by what we saw as a "mistake" while trying to get into the story. But as I said, I know that was just a local thing. And I disagree a bit with her statement that "she was one of the very few who have ever been allowed to live with the Amish while researching a book"...any serious writer who can demonstrate that their culture will be treated with respect will be welcomed into the Amish community for research. I was given every facility when I was researching a simple short story about an Amish wedding years ago, and "English" are regularly invited into Amish homes and lives. They are not nearly as isolated as they once were. I have to wonder, though, what the family she lived with made of the book when it was published....See MoreChick Lit vs. Contemporary Fiction
Comments (20)Hi Timallan - Sorry, I didn't know you were ONLY referring to fiction writers. (Also, I noticed I spelled his name wrong -- it's Coupland, not Copeland.) I never had contact w/the publishing industry except a couple of office temping assignments; so I wasn't privy to any of their deep, dark secrets ! Your post just above has opened my eyes. There's so much openness about sexual identity now adays, that I took it for granted that there wasn't any prejudice by publishers re gay novelists (as long as they're good writers, of course!). But, saying that, I just remembered --- what about the popularity of Alan Hollinghurst, the British novelist? He writes wonderful, serious novels about gay men, gets very good reviews from top critics. Even though not gay myself, I like his books. "The Line of Beauty" was the first one I read, and have read another one since. Both good, and definitely NOT funny. Re "chick-lit." -- I agree w/one of the posters way above in this thread ... to me it's light, frothy stories about -- usually -- young women looking for love and designer clothes! Some of these writers are more deep -- at times -- and, also, may feature one or two "older women" besides the young ones. Cathy Kelly is one of the few of these genre that I've really liked. Her stories are exciting, with depth of thought and feeling -- she makes me care what happens to the characters. To me that's the sign of a good writer, whether of the "Literary" or "Chick-lit." genre....See More- 10 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
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