3rd out of 64 books
—
22 voters
Change of Heart
by
Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author)
The acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author presents a spellbinding tale of a mother's tragic loss and one man's last chance at gaining salvation.
Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth?
One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she wa...more
Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth?
One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she wa...more
Paperback, 447 pages
Published
December 2nd 2008
by Washington Square Press
(first published March 4th 2008)
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OK, I generally like Jodi Picoult. I think she's usually a thinking person's beach read. But this was CRAP. First, she owes Stephen King part of her royalties from this book, because the first quarter or so is a shameless ripoff of THE GREEN MILE (what, she couldn't have picked a more obscure text? Because, I mean, hardly ANYONE has read THE GREEN MILE, right?). Second, she also owes at least a small debt to John Grisham's THE CHAMBER, in that they are both incredibly heavy-handed indictments of...more
This is the fourth Jodi Picoult novel I've read and they all follow pretty much the same formula : A vunerable child/teenager. Loving parents/parent. Concerned professionals i.e. cops, doctors, lawyer,and or teachers. And a kind stranger.
And while Jodi uses a basic formula, her novels are anything but simple or predictable. The other novels I've read have covered stem cell research, teenage date rape, and school shootings.
What makes me such a fan of Jodi's novels is that rather than use an om...more
And while Jodi uses a basic formula, her novels are anything but simple or predictable. The other novels I've read have covered stem cell research, teenage date rape, and school shootings.
What makes me such a fan of Jodi's novels is that rather than use an om...more
"...I knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. You didn't get past something like that, you got through it..."
"In the space between yes and no, there's a lifetime. It's the difference between the path you walk and one you leave behind; it's the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are;"
"When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the one person who doesn't."
"I imagine the touch of someone...more
"In the space between yes and no, there's a lifetime. It's the difference between the path you walk and one you leave behind; it's the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are;"
"When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the one person who doesn't."
"I imagine the touch of someone...more
I read this book in less than 48 hours. It was so good I could only put it down when it was time to go to bed. It is told from the viewpoints of 4 people: A Catholic priest, a mother who has lost her daughter and husband, a convicted murderer, and an ACLU lawyer. I usually don't like that style but it was really nice and this story kind of needed it.
A mother's 7 year old daughter and husband are killed and the man who was convicted of their murders is now on death row. He wants to donate his he...more
A mother's 7 year old daughter and husband are killed and the man who was convicted of their murders is now on death row. He wants to donate his he...more
Well, I gave it a valiant try, but...no go. If you like to follow stories about things like images of Jesus Christ showing up on grilled cheese sandwiches or someone claiming to have seen a statue of Mary cry real tears, or those healer/dealer people that desperate suffering people flock to with their hearts full of hope and anticipation, then you'll probably like Change of Heart. I'll just say I couldn't take the idea of the protagonist in this book for one more page.
I'm a Christian and I beli...more
I'm a Christian and I beli...more
This book was a little on the disappointing side for me. I eagerly awaited it's released but I was very let down. I had a really hard time getting into this book which is very unusual for me when I read any book written by Jodi Picoult. I had a hard time connecting with it because I thought that it was just a little too far fethced. There was a lot of talk of Shane Bourne being the messiah and all sorts of stuff and I thouhgt it was a little too closely related to Keeping Faith (which she did ha...more
Mar 31, 2008
Nicole
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone. Especially Jodi Picoult fans!
This book was incredible. I knew before reading it that it dealt with religion (one of the many subject matters that Picoult handles with grace) but I had no idea how and to what surprising extent. It amazes me (as always) that Picoult can handle a myriad of topics and characters, that require such care and research, so deftly. You read it and believe it without it ever seeming forced. It made me question my beliefs about life itself. This book encompasses the following topics- the death penalty...more
Thought provoking to say the least. What if God is incarnate in each of us? What if there is no God? What if there is only a hope that there is a God? What if there is no heaven or hell? What if this life on Earth is both heaven and hell? Why does religion serve to divide us rather than unite us? Why does life have to be such a conundrum? Or is it really simple? Do we make it more difficult than it is because we are blessed with freedom of choice? Is it a blessing or a curse? After I finished re...more
Oh how I love this author. But not this book! It seems that Jodi is getting a little too political in recent novels and spending too much time focusing on her own religious and political questions instead of an actual story. Don't get me wrong... a little of that stuff is essential to make a book smart and worth reading but I found myself wishing to be to the end of a chapter and hoping for a better one in this book. The idea was great, but I could see where it was headed from the start and it s...more
I couldn't even finish this book! I gave it 150 pages to get me hooked, and it just didn't... It had way too much political crap in it - one of the main characters is a lawyer who works for the ACLU and is against the death penalty, so the author goes on about that... In addition, there was a lot of religion that I didn't necessarily agree with. All in all, I really just didn't like the book. I wanted to finish it because I feel like once I start something I should finish it. But I just couldn't...more
It's sad for me to have to give a Picoult book 1 star, but I was heartily disappointed with this read. The plot was so thin to accommodate the anti-Christian and anti-religion propaganda. Picoult has definitely shot arrows at religion in the past, but this book went beyond that. In the past, I was always able to say that it was fiction, not necessarily the author's viewpoint or something she was trying to make us believe in, but I don't know how you couldn't believe some of the notions in this b...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I read this in a day and a half. I could not put this book down for ANYTHING, even knowing how badly I didnt want it to end. The torture of Jodi Piccolt's signature character changing chapters was torture waiting to get back to a person's chapter again. It was thought provoking as all her topical issues are, and seeing this situation through all her characters perspectives truly demands consideration and stayed with me for days afterwards. Absolutely gripping. Another smash hit for Jodi Piccolt-...more
Change of Heart is about Shay Bourne, a man who is on death row for murdering a young girl named Elizabeth Nealon and her stepfather Kurt Nealon. Kurt's husband and Elizabeth's mom June, has been left behind with eleven year old Claire now, who is in desperate need of a heart. Other characters in this novel are Michael, a priest who is becoming confused and questioning his own faith, and Maggie, a somewhat big-boned ACLU lawyer who is determined to take on her case, and her own family person lif...more
Jodi Picoult is an interesting author. For some reason she writes books where I struggle with the characters, don't really like the book yet read the whole thing and then pick up another one of hers, hoping it will be better.
Right away I had problems with Change of Heart. Can a person who is currently serving time in prison even be an organ donor? Somehow, the environment they live in makes me think that they cannot due to being exposed to so many blood-borne diseases and questionable behaviors...more
Right away I had problems with Change of Heart. Can a person who is currently serving time in prison even be an organ donor? Somehow, the environment they live in makes me think that they cannot due to being exposed to so many blood-borne diseases and questionable behaviors...more
Jun 11, 2008
Sezin Koehler
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Recommended to Sezin by:
Marty
Shelves:
spirituality,
favorites
This was, quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read and the first time I have seen someone take a Stephen King idea and make it so much better than the original. I honestly haven't cried so much over a book since reading Alice Hoffman's "Blue Diary" years and years ago. I was completely overcome.
The story is beautifully crafted, and Jodi Picault has an amazing way of weaving different lives together to describe the moments in which they intersect. It also got me thinking about forgive...more
The story is beautifully crafted, and Jodi Picault has an amazing way of weaving different lives together to describe the moments in which they intersect. It also got me thinking about forgive...more
This reminded me a lot of another Picoult book, "Keeping Faith," the ending of which disappointed me. So I was wary as I listened, wondering where the author would take this. I saw the plot twist coming long before it happened. Although the USA Today reviewer called it contrived, the twist did not bother me, probably because of the way it was handled. (It's hard to write about this without spoilers!) Meaning that I thought this end was more as it should have been than "Keeping Faith"'s ending ha...more
Mar 16, 2008
Lisa Jameson
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes thought provoking novels.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
"I believe a good person can do bad things, Father Michael had said. Like make the wrong decision for the right reasons. Sign your daughter's life away, because she can't have a murderer's heart."
Jodi Picoult's most recent novel, like many of her books, explores a profound ethical dilemma. After her husband and daughter are murdered by a man hired to do work in their home, June is left alone to care for her second child, Claire. Claire is in desperate need of a heart transplant due to an enlarg...more
Jodi Picoult's most recent novel, like many of her books, explores a profound ethical dilemma. After her husband and daughter are murdered by a man hired to do work in their home, June is left alone to care for her second child, Claire. Claire is in desperate need of a heart transplant due to an enlarg...more
Mar 17, 2008
Liv.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who like a good novel.
Recommended to Liv. by:
reviews. <3
-from flap-
Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?
One moment June Nelson was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to...more
Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?
One moment June Nelson was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to...more
Welp,let me start by saying that I'm a huge Jodi Piccoult fan. She's an excellent writer and has captures the voice of her characters beautifully. Her device is to stir the pot, make you think, and examine difficult situations where you find yourself sympathizing with people you'd never believe was possible.
But it appears that Piccoult has gone the way of mega popular writers that bang out books once a year for the sake of, well, banging out books once a year. The formula she always uses (and t...more
But it appears that Piccoult has gone the way of mega popular writers that bang out books once a year for the sake of, well, banging out books once a year. The formula she always uses (and t...more
I actually *read* this book, despite the fact that for some reason the above title is listed as an MP3 type thing.
I'm up and down with Jodi Picoult and this latest novel certainly reminded me why I sometimes can't stand her writing. It's very stereotypical (almost offensively so). Let's be serious Jodi, you are just not meant to write about life on 'death row' in prison in a serious manner. The characters were very one sided and if she was trying to make a point about religion, the death penalty...more
I'm up and down with Jodi Picoult and this latest novel certainly reminded me why I sometimes can't stand her writing. It's very stereotypical (almost offensively so). Let's be serious Jodi, you are just not meant to write about life on 'death row' in prison in a serious manner. The characters were very one sided and if she was trying to make a point about religion, the death penalty...more
Feb 05, 2013
Neide Parafitas
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
own,
leituras-2012
"Em troca de um coração" foi a minha estreia com a escritora Jodi Picoult.
Iniciei este livro com altas expectativas e de facto acabaram por ser correspondidas.
O livro conta a história de June, uma mãe a quem morre a filha (Elizabeth) e o marido (Kurt) às mãos de um assassino que é condenado à morte.
Contudo, Shay, o assassino, tem apenas um único desejo antes de morrer: doar o seu coração a Claire (irmã de Elizabeth) que precisa urgentemente de um transplante de coração.
Será June capaz de por de...more
Iniciei este livro com altas expectativas e de facto acabaram por ser correspondidas.
O livro conta a história de June, uma mãe a quem morre a filha (Elizabeth) e o marido (Kurt) às mãos de um assassino que é condenado à morte.
Contudo, Shay, o assassino, tem apenas um único desejo antes de morrer: doar o seu coração a Claire (irmã de Elizabeth) que precisa urgentemente de um transplante de coração.
Será June capaz de por de...more
Jodi Picoult has become known for writing books on controversial issues, and Change of Heart is no exception. This time, she brilliantly builds her story around Shay Bourne, who is convicted of murdering a police officer and a young girl, and is sentenced to death. Picoult tears back the curtains of mystery and secrecy that surround the death penalty, and intertwines this major topic with the equally powerful topic of religion, exploring what religion means to different people and raising the qu...more
If I could have given this book more stars, I would have. I don't know how Jodi Picoult continues to come up with moral dilemmas that are so heart-wrenching, and how she so beautifully crafts both sides of every dilemma so that the reader is as baffled as the characters about what is "the right thing" to do. I admire Picoult for the amount of research she does into the worlds of her characters. She manages to weave in a great deal of educational detail without it becoming tedious.
Fans of Jodi Picoult will want to read this just because she wrote it. I had to stop at page 125 after the death row inmate reanimated a bird, healed another inmate's AIDS and made his desire to donate his heart to the half-sister of the girl and the daughter of the man that he was convicted of killing. I'm pretty sure that I know what the denouement/surprise ending will be but I wasn't curious enough to actually wade through another 400 pages to find out if I was right.
Every Sunday we went to the church to attend a mass or sometimes we do contemplate ourselves to communicate with God through prayers. Even you are hiding in the dark or in deep spiritual unconsciousness; God will show you the way and give you strength to overcome darkness by his pure light. Nobody knows when or where we will be disappear in this world or how far can our faith help us to conquer evil, it is ourselves who can choose what path we will take it's either the path of evil or the goodne...more
Jun 21, 2011
Amy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2009,
read-in-2011
I've read a lot of Jodi Picoult (although not all of them... yet) and I've recommended her to people, too, but in a casual way. Although her books are incredibly well researched and not exactly badly written, I still think of them as junk food for the brain. It's not literary, it tries too hard to make you feel emotional and it can get a bit too happy ending for my liking.
This book was fine and fun, but I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone as a starting point for Jodi Picoult. It's not one...more
This book was fine and fun, but I don't think I'd recommend this to anyone as a starting point for Jodi Picoult. It's not one...more
As much as I liked this book and have always enjoyed everything Jodi has written, I found some flaws in Change of Heart. The premise was good: man (Shay Bourne) convicted of murdering a little girl and her cop father is on death row and wants to redeem himself by donating his heart to the victim’s ailing sister eleven years later. However, I found many of the characters unsympathetic. I liked the perspective of Shay’s fellow inmate Lucius, who chronicled the miracles that Shay allegedly performe...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Was Shay Bourne the messiah? Was he resurrected in Clara's dog? | 4 | 37 | Jan 24, 2013 09:20pm | |
| Change of Heart | 21 | 202 | May 30, 2012 03:19pm | |
| book report | 2 | 34 | May 31, 2011 03:33pm | |
| Double Entendre | 1 | 32 | Jan 30, 2009 02:11pm |
Picoult was born and raised in Nesconset on Long Island, New York. Her first story, at age 5 was "The Lobster Which Misunderstood." She studied writing at Princeton University, graduating in 1987, and had two short stories published by Seventeen magazine while still in college. Immediately after graduation, she took on a series of miscellaneous jobs, from editing at a textbook publishing company t...more
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“There's always going to be bad stuff out there. But here's the amazing thing -- light trumps darkness, every time. You stick a candle into the dark, but you can't stick the dark into the light.”
—
1,324 people liked it
“When you're different, sometimes you don't see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn't.”
—
964 people liked it
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Dec 05, 2012 11:56pm
Mar 24, 2013 07:52pm