false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg 15850 13 "They died instantly." When it comes to first sentences, it's hard to beat the car-crash immediacy of <I>A Theory of Relativity</I>. What follows, alas, is even more wrenching, if not nearly as black and white. Having perished in the wreck, Georgia and Ray McKenna leave behind an orphaned 1-year-old girl named Keefer--and handsome, self-involved Gordon McKenna decides to adopt his adored sister's child. Unfortunately, that's not what his affluent in-laws have in mind. The ensuing custody battle turns into a protracted legalistic horror show: a kind of <I>Bleak House</I> for the Oprah age, complete with appeals, retrials, PR campaigns, and even last-minute legislation.<p> The case is all about what's best for Keefer--right? Actually, it's also about what constitutes a family, how much genes determine our fate, and the precise meaning of <I>blood relative</I>. Author of the gripping family dramas <I>The Deep End of the Ocean</I> and <I>The Most Wanted</I>, Jacquelyn Mitchard is no stranger to this fictional territory. To her credit, she has created a story without heroes or villains--but also one that could have used a little more editorial nip-and-tuck. The narrative is strongly weighted toward monologue and exposition, and as a result, a compelling story ends up hampered by an awareness of its own consequence. (There's also an abundance of dialogue like "no wettie!" and "uckie," which reminds us that fiction is one place where toddlers should be seen and not heard.) Still, Mitchard is a canny student of the human heart, and in the age of cloning, in vitro fertilization, and alternative families, the nature versus nurture debate seems more relevant than ever. The author may be no Dickens, but you could call her sentimental in the same way: unafraid, that is, to appeal to her readers' strongest emotions. <I>--Chloe Byrne</I> 1531071 2001 A Theory of Relativity total:447|5:91|4:157|3:159|2:26|1:14| 447 1626 664 55 6346023 0736670432 9780736670432 3 1 3.64 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6346023-a-theory-of-relativity 3 0 false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 19:32:21 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 08:15:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 4 0 false Fri Mar 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 19:20:30 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 19:21:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1497846 0066210232 9780066210230 12 1 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184290436m/1497846.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1497846.A_Theory_of_Relativity 2 0 false Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 05:40:24 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 16:07:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 5 0 false Wed Feb 11 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 14:29:55 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 25 14:35:49 -0700 2009 Jacquelyn Mitchard revealed to me that all is not lost when your blood family is not a part of your life. more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Mon Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Nov 25 07:52:57 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 25 07:53:33 -0800 2009 more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 4 0 false Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 19:12:15 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 19:14:45 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 4 0 false Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 13:52:31 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 13:55:28 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Thu Aug 27 20:01:57 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 27 20:04:05 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Mon Nov 23 14:51:32 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 14:52:49 -0800 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 1 0 false Sun Nov 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 19 12:52:55 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 23 05:23:23 -0800 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 4 0 false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 20 07:06:47 -0700 2009 Tue May 26 15:13:26 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Tue Jan 20 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 05:29:03 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 05:30:47 -0800 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 0 0 false Wed Apr 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 16:53:26 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 23 16:57:34 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 16:14:30 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 15 16:18:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Sep 01 18:57:50 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 19:04:31 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 4 0 false Tue Jan 20 12:39:49 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 12:40:16 -0800 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Mon Dec 01 09:07:19 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 01 09:08:17 -0800 2008 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 13:23:32 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 11:24:57 -0700 2009 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 0 0 false Tue Jun 10 08:40:32 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 17:38:47 -0700 2008
I can't tell if I am just not into the book because it is moving to slow, or because I am physically over this book. I bought it at a used bookstore and it is the Large Print E...more...]]> 15850 0007139853 9780007139859 413 49 3.64 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166694691m/15850.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15850.A_Theory_of_Relativity 3 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Sun Oct 04 22:46:27 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 22:47:43 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=15850