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Dec 16, 2009

Wormie rated it:

Jodi Picoult is a fabulous story teller. She has a gift for sharing compelling stories, and for weaving intricate plot lines and interesting characters into a rich literary tapestry. In Second Glance Ms. Picoult has reached new highs. She introduces us to many different characters and story lines; she intertwines those characters to tell one fascinating fictional story; and she throws in a lesson about American history that is quite disturbing and educational. In Second Glance Picoult writes wit More...

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Jan 14, 2009

Shannon rated it:

I really like Jodi Picoult, but the problem with reading many books by one author is that you start to recognize certain patterns and be able to predict the outcome of any given situation. I knew very early on what happened to Cecilia's baby, as I'm sure most readers did. I was also pretty sure I knew how Cecilia died because of a riddle I learned in elementary school. When the truth was revealed and I found I was right, I wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. I'm not proud of knowing these th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2009

Deanna rated it:

Again, another book for me where you have to suspend your belief now and again. But a good story if you are easily amused. The end was the hardest to swallow.

Ross Wakeman has repeatedly puts his life at risk after the love of his life dies. When nothing works, and a job with a paranormal investigator brings him no closer to his former love, he moves in with his sister. As chance would have it, strange phenomena are plaguing the town, and Ross is drawn into an investigation of a pie More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 11, 2011

Marie rated it:

As much as Picoult is a storyteller...she is also very good at writing history. She was able to intertwine so many important subjects into this book- that I had to remind myself that I was really only reading one novel and not twelve short stories.

AHHH...This book was so good with so many twists and turns. There are so many characters in this book that I had a difficult time keeping up--but eventually they all intertwine for a purpose.

It was eerie, scandalish, poetic, More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 10, 2008

Hirondelle rated it:

I used to read a lot of mystery novels, specially those which are plot dependent, when I was a kid so maybe that caused me to treat any given dates and little details as CLUES on which the mystery can turn, to always try to guess what could possibly happen. And I tend to do the math instinctively of ages and dates. It´s hard to stop that terrierlike reading mode. This book did not survive the terrier attack, way the plot turns just does not work with the dates and ages given. Maybe it was a bug More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 01, 2012

Marleen rated it:

This was an amazing read! Reading this story re-confirms why Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors.
I believe it's one of her finest. Not only do I sincerely enjoy her prose and expressive style, but I also love the fact that every time I read a Jodi Picoult book I learn something new and interesting. In this case she weaves the issues of eugenics and genetics into an original story of a love lost.
There are so many layers to this book, that’s what's so fascinating. The fact that More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2009

Valerie rated it:

I had trouble getting into this, at first. I found the changing pov choppy. But about halfway through the book I found myself caught up in the story. As usual her work is frightening in how it describes the myriad positive and negative emotions involved in motherhood.

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2008

Tira rated it:

This was another one of my attempts at listening to a book on cd while in the car. Unfortunately this one was a flop. I'm used to Jodi Picoult using lots of characters in her stories because I have read two of her other books. However this one just never seemed to gel in anyway. I have to admit that I only made it about 2 chapters into the book before I completely lost interest. The characters did not seem like that needed to have any connection to each other what so ever. I felt like I nee More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 25, 2009

Sage rated it:

This book is Picoult's personal favourite of her novels, and I can see why. It embodies the main elements of her style which make them appealing to her readership. Having an appreciation for her style, and being a good sport about the daliances into chick lit or cheesy scifi territory, I found the story quite enjoyable.
That said in the abstract, this is clearly not world rocking literature. The ghost story, in the historical and paranormal aspects, was very interesting and well done. I ev More...

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Aug 27, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Second Glance is my most recent Jodi Picoult novel, as I am making an effort to read her books in order for the purpose of seeing her progression. As always, there are several characters that seem to be completely unrelated, but as the plot unfolds, the connections become revealed. Full of many plot twists, Second Glance not only educates about the issue of genetics, but offers a unique experience with the paranormal. Upon stumbling upon this book, I was unsure of how I should perceive it becaus More...

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Jun 25, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

One of the better Picoult books that I have read lately. Took a while to get into it, as it like starts off with a trillion characters and going one direction, but then right before it reaches the end of "Book One" it twists and the rest of the book makes itself clear. "Book Two" was fantastic and my favourite part of the book while "Book Three" ("Part"?) just kind of wraps everything up.

It starts off a ghost story, which was kind of lame, but t More...

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Mar 06, 2011

Dawn rated it:

Before I go on, I just want to make it clear, I am not a fan of ghost stories. I don't mind suspense films or books, but ghosts? It's not that I do not believe in them, I can't disprove they don't exist so I am willing to keep an open mind. I don't watch the endless amounts of 'ghost hunter' programmes that litter the TV channels, nor do I wish to. I would rather not go messing around in that world thank you very much.

Having said all that, this is a Jodi Picoult book, and regardless More...

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Nov 20, 2010

Nancy rated it:

Anyone who knows me knows that I have this love/hate relationship with Jodi Picoult. (Well, it's sort of a one-way thing, really.) I think she is a wonderful, fluid writer with a powerful gift for altering her voice to suit each character. So when she screws something up, I get madder at her than I do at other, less talented writers.

Second Glance indulges in a typical Picoult conceit: it is told from a number of perspectives, and many of them seem unrelated at first; as the novel pr More...

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Oct 23, 2010

Amy rated it:

I do love Jodi Picoult books, even if I occasionally feel guilty for reading what sometimes feel like junk food literature. Even if it is empty calories, I can't deny that I love her writing and her pop psychology insights into the human mind. She is a writer with a witty turn of phrase and although there is a strong tendency to desperately make you emotional, it's often worth persevering. It's escapism, after all.

If you have read any of her other well researched and sentimental book More...

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Aug 08, 2010

Angela rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Jul 20, 2010

Tifnie rated it:

I was told I wouldn't be able to sleep during and after reading Dante's Inferno. However, no one prepared me for the sleepless nights while reading Picoult's Second Glance.

Second Glance is about the paranormal, scientific genetic testing, fate, destiny, and love.

Jodi Picoult takes a unique piece of Vermont history and weaves it into a gripping tale. One of her more complex novels, it takes a while for the reader to understand and keep track of the many characters. Once More...

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Sep 01, 2009

Beth rated it:

Strange things are happening in Comtosook, Vermont. It's August and temperature is fluctuating wildly, rose petals are falling like snow, and large chunks of land are freezing. We meet Ross, a young man devastated by the death of his fiancé, who has attempted suicide numerous times in hopes of reuniting with her. He takes a job with a company that investigates paranormal activities, hoping to be able to reconnect with her. The company is hired to investigate a controversial building site, wh More...

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May 03, 2010

Bryanna rated it:

By the title, it's not that hard to guess and/or assume that paranormal activity will be involved. And sure enough, starting at like, page 9, Ross Wakeman is trying to hunt down a ghost that is huanting a couple's bedroom. Anywho, this book is... I don't know, the plot is kind of everywhere. Okay, let's see if I can draw up some sort of review, everything is so muddled right now...

What if... *thinking* you wanted death, and badly, if only it meant being with the one person that mea More...

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Apr 19, 2010

Ronda rated it:

ASTONISHING!!!! This book was sooooo amazing. It made me laugh and cry and sit dumbfounded at moments. It very intense the level of grief she was able to reveal in different ways in so many of the characters. I loved the twists and turn this story took as well. This story had so many levels both in the present, the past, and the distant past covering 4 different generations and somehow Picoult keeps it all together and spins a tale that truly touches the heart and reminds you how strong and More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Ernest rated it:

This novel explores the ideas of ghosts, love and eugenics in a story involving many characters who are, as is to be expected in a Picoult novel, eventually interact and are linked. It is difficult to give a brief summary of the plot as Picoult’s novels invariably have several intertwined narrative threads that are not easily summarised. Crudely put, a local Native American tribe oppose development on a plot of land and strange things, including potentially ghosts, occur.

Of all Picou More...

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Jul 04, 2010

Liisa rated it:

Jodi Picoult is a rare one-of-a-kind author - I was completely blown away the very first time I picked up one of her books.

The "problem" (for lack of a better word) with devouring everything you can by an exceptional author, there comes a point where those twists and turns that left you stunned can be easily predicted. So the 3 stars I give "Second Glance" comes with a caveat that perhaps it was more down to Jodi Picoult saturation than any major flaw in the book - More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 06, 2010

Bowerbird rated it:

Ross is devastated by the death of his wife and has tried to contact her again by working along-side a TV ghosthunter. Disillusioned he walks away only to encounter a real ghost at a development site, although it is not the one he is looking for.
While the storyline is rather too fanciful it is well-told. Among the local characters there are those whose lives have been deeply affected by the past; some who still encounter prejudice because they are of Indian descent; single mothers whose l More...

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Aug 14, 2011

Aly rated it:

Took me a while to get started... In fact I had picked it up in June, read about 50 pages, and never finished till now. The ghost premise was certainly interesting. Lia's murder story was a very intriguing basis for the story. Shelby & Eli's romance was sweet.

It seemed like she threw in a lot of issues to one story. A 70 year old murder case, plus ghost hunting, plus the debate on genetic research and use, plus old Vermont laws that haven't changed, plus suicidal love.... I'm not More...

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Oct 08, 2010

Nancy rated it:

Spencer Pike has sold his property in Comtosook, Vermont to a real estate development company, property that the local Abenaki tribe claims is actually an Indian burial ground, and shouldn't be built upon. No one takes them seriously until strange things start to happen, such as a snowstorm of rose petals. Second Glance is the story of a haunting, and how it impacts the lives of people connected to the town, including Ross, a paranormal investigator with a death wish; Eli, a local, part-Abenaki More...

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Feb 03, 2010

Thomas rated it:

Ross Wakeman became a ghost hunter after he lost his fiancee, Aimee, in a terrible car accident. He has never really believed in the paranormal, but he forces himself to take on the career so that one day he could be reunited with his lost love. He moves in with his motherly older sister Shelby, along with her son Ethan who is suffering from XP (xeroderma pigmentosum), in Comtosook, Vermont. There have been rumors floating around of supernatural activity in Comtosook. Several people believe it i More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2009

Elena rated it:

I grabbed this novel because I am a Picoult fan, and while I heard mixed reviews from others, I found I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. There is twisting, winding plot- there is a ghost story, love stories of different kinds of love, an exposure of a dark secret in American History, and since it is a Picoult novel it touches on a sensitive topic- this time stem cell research. The dark secret has to do with something called Eugenics, developing perfect people and the sterilizing of those deeme More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 01, 2012

Jay rated it:

I was incredibly hesitant to start reading this book. I want to like Jodi Picoult. She has fascinating ideas, and I really like the plots she writes. I love the way she sets up characters to have their heart ripped out. I'm always left unsatisfied, though. My Sister's Keeper, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Mercy... they all felt as though Picoult had done what she'd wanted to do, and then she had no idea how to finish. It's like she got sick of writing the novel and wanted to move onto the next idea t More...

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Jul 28, 2011

Courtney rated it:

another great novel by jodi picoult! she is absolutely my favorite modern author.
i love how much research she does for each unique issue for her novels. it makes her stories that much more interesting because you read something and you can trust that, you know, that's probably the actual way it is done or that's probably exactly what they really call that. i can get into her stories and her characters because, even though it's fiction and it's all definitely imaginative, it's based in rea More...

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Jun 28, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

Unlike with most of the Picoult titles I've read, I never felt connected to the characters in Second Glance. Ms. Picoult's books usually feature characters dealing with really tough issues - mental health, physical diseases or disorders, divorce, etc. or even a combination of all of these complex matters. Second Glance has this, too, sort-of, there's Ethan, a young boy with XP, a genetic disorder that leaves him unable to withstand the sun. Because his body can't repair sun damage he and his sin More...

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Jul 21, 2009

Kaycee rated it:

Summary: In Comtosook strange things start happening to the town; the ground freezes, it is raining roses... Ross has come to Comtosook to stay with his sister, after leaving his paranormal investigation job and trying to kill himself, again. He is searching for proof of ghosts to believe that there is hope he might see his wife again, who died in an accident. In the mean time, Ross ends up investigating a possible Indian burial ground for a developer. This is where he meets Lia and when everyth More...

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