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Dec 17, 2009

Jackie rated it:

I am probably the only person in the world who HATED this book with such a white hot hate that you almost wonder if it was just the opposite. I'm reviewing it for the sake of Lorelle since it is the book that drew me into the lovely book club that I survived (or survived me) for several fun years.

To sum up, I wanted to tell the main character's girlfriend (I've forgotten all of their names, mercifully), to "get over yourself!!" I'm not giving anything away when I reveal tha More...

20 comments like (44 people liked it)

Apr 28, 2008

Katherine rated it:

This is the first Jodi Picoult book that I have read. I admit that she is a good writer and I found myself unable to put the book down; however, I felt that there was a lot lacking to make this a solid GOOD book. In my opinion, though this book was supposed to be a drama/love story, it severely lacked drama. I felt it was worthy of three stars rather than two solely because I completely fell in love with the main character, Chris Harte. He was the only character that I felt was well-developed an More...

4 comments like (26 people liked it)

Jun 11, 2008

Stacey rated it:

I liked this better than My Sister's Keeper as a whole, although I have some of the same complaints about it. This author is a master of making you believe in a story that makes exactly no sense and making you care about characters who behave like retards. If I thought about any of it for very long, it was all mind-numbingly stupid. But I have to admit that the story is engrossing and satisfying in the end.
PS--this is not a book for the bashful; there's a lot of sex in it, of the awkwa More...

0 comments like (26 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Khaya rated it:

How did three of my friends end up reviewing this book on the same day, especially when at least two of them didn't read it that recently? Did I miss a review contest or something?

Anyway, I couldn't resist adding my opinion to the pile. This was my first Jodi Picoult book, and as I read it, I was captivated. She chooses good topics, and her writing really pulls you in. At the time, reading her can feel intellectually stimulating as her books raise interesting psychological questi More...

1 comment like (13 people liked it)

Apr 11, 2008

Donna rated it:

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1 comment like (13 people liked it)

Dec 14, 2007

Britta rated it:

"He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it."

"To say there had been a loss was ludicrous; one lost a shoe or a set of keys. You did not suffer the death of a child and say there was a loss. There was a catastrophe. A devestation. A hell."

"[He] closed his eyes. How could he convey to someone who'd never even met her the way she always smelled liek rain, or how his stomach knotted up every time he saw he shake loose her hair from it More...

0 comments like (26 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2009

Brad rated it:

***Not sure about spoilers here. I think I danced around things pretty well, but you may want reconsider your decision to read further in case I messed up.***

I am a bit disappointed. I was so close to loving this novel and its author, and I really did want to love them, but the denouement really let me down.

In the two books I've read now, Jodi Picoult sets out to deliver a big twist that will knock us on our asses. But she telegraphs the big twist in a way that removes a More...

6 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Vanessa rated it:

Great book about the struggles of being a teenager. I read this with my youth book club. They loved it, but you know teens, they like the dark stuff.

The Pact: A Love Story, by Jodi Picoult

We read this book as a part of our high school book club. By far, it was one of the student’s favorite books. They really related to the content. I had about 8 students, 7 girls and one boy read this book with my co-sponsor and I. My co-sponsor finished the book first More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Nov 30, 2007

Lain rated it:

After you've read a few Jodi Picoult books, you come to expect certain things. A compelling, flashpoint topic (teen suicide, stigmata, school shootings, sexual abuse, etc.) that rips a small New England community apart. Courtroom drama. Finely wrought family dynamics. A maverick lawyer, a quirky judge, and a lot of angst. Tons of plot twists and turns.

All of the above were present in "The Pact," a story of the death of a teenage golden girl, with her longtime boyfriend acc More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 07, 2008

Tony rated it:

Often times as readers we feel "set" in our ways when it comes to reading. I have patrons that come into the library and will take one look at a book and say, "I don't read books with violence in them" or "Women authors aren't really my thing". I can't blame them, but, as a librarian, I can encourage them to explore. Also, I have to encourage myself to explore. This is how I came upon the works of Jodi Picoult.

From a glance at the cover you would alm More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2010

Rose Ann rated it:

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2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 09, 2007

Sonya rated it:

I picked up this book based on recommendations from friends. I already loved Jodi Picoult from My Sister's Keeper, The Tenth Circle, and Nineteen Minutes. Yet again, she did not disappoint.

I don't know what to say about the book without sounding hokey...it is a great story about teen love and commitment.

I am always amazed at how deeply I feel I know Jodi's characters. Right now Chris is sticking in my mind and how often I just wanted to shake him and say "Tell More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

May 28, 2008

Sarah rated it:

This book, as my favorite of Jodi's, stands in for the whole Picoult oeuvre, which I read mostly over the course of one summer and which is the proving ground for the split in my reading personality -- snob vs. storylover. Picoult is sentimental, always takes on at least one Issue, and pretty much smacks you at the end of each chapter, if not each section, with pithy Theme Sentences, but she manages to avoid after-school specialiness almost totally (no, I don't know how that's possible). She a More...

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 06, 2010

Jule rated it:

Gosh, I want to hate her for writing books like this...

Throughout the whole book, I was thinking about what rating to give it, because there were parts that blew my mind and others that were just very slow, yet significant for the storyline. I even caught myself thinking: "Ha, she forgot to mention that" but then it happens on the last page. ;)
The end of "The Pact" convinced me again though that I can't give this book less than 5 stars. There aren't many boo More...

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2009

Elin rated it:

I'll admit that Picoult can tell a story and keep me interested, but she has some seriously annoying writing tics that almost made me stop reading. Some examples: "...,' he said softly"; "...,' she said thickly"; and (my favorite) "...,' he said, his eyes shining." Blech. Spare me! If only I had a dollar for every time I had to read one of these trite phrases. Is there not some other way to convey that someone is speaking softly than by saying "softly"? More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

May 21, 2008

Erik rated it:

This book had a few moments I enjoyed, mostly end-of-chapter character introspection, but overall I didn't care for it. It seemed that all of the big, dramatic scenes involved circumstances that were too convenient. Actually, a lot of things seemed too convenient and not always consistent with the characters. I skimmed that last 100 pages (I don't enjoy courtroom dramas and this one rehashed a lot of things I'd already read). Nothing surprised me, and I suppose that had a lot to do with why I di More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 28, 2008

Andrea rated it:

Not my favorite JP book, but still an interesting read. I picked it up at EdMcKay without even reading the back, that’s how much I like Jodi’s writing, but this one is a little different than her others that I’ve read so far. It’s about a pair of teenage lovers, and what starts out looking like a failed suicide pact and turns into something much more complicated. Worth reading, but not one I’ll probably read again.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 12, 2009

Brandie rated it:

Wow. This story was intense. Had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. I'm gonna say this is my favorite Picoult book so far. And a great book club choice - can't wait to discuss at our meeting!

14 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 29, 2010

Emily rated it:

I bought this book merely because a girl in a bookstore approach me and asked me if I would like to buy her copy off her. She said she loved the book and she wanted money to buy another one of Jodi Picoult's books. I hadn't ever read anything of Picoult's before, I'd only heard that if you read My Sisters Keeper you should keep a box of tissues handy. I said yes, because hey its not every day that someone approaches me in a bookstore and I like a bit of spontaneity.

It took me a whil More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 16, 2008

Laura-Jane rated it:

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0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 09, 2008

Mrs. Bowers rated it:

The only reason I'm giving this book three stars instead of two is because I fell in love with the main character, Chris Harte. He was well-adjusted, loyal, and genuinely in love with his girlfriend Emily. Within the first few pages of the novel (or if you take the time to skim the blurb on the back), you discover that Emily dies as a result of an apparent suicide. The book spends the rest of its time detailing the absolute devastation Chris has to ensue -- it isn't enough that he has lost th More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 25, 2008

Erin rated it:

I hated this book. I was especially angry that I couldn't find it at the library and had to go all over looking for it, and all that effort was wasted. I'm not sure exactly why we read it for book club, because the main female character was the complete opposite of strong. She was mealy-mouthed and pathetic, but I got the feeling that we, the readers, were supposed to sympathize with her anyway. As opposed to the author implying, "here is a despicable example of a woman, one who gets pr More...

6 comments like (6 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2008

Sara rated it:

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2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 04, 2007

Brandi rated it:

I just finished this book and I read it over the course of 3 days. I couldn't put it down, I HAD to find out the ending. I even found myself occasionally skipping a paragraph or two at a time just so I could read it faster. I'd realize what I'd done, stop, and go back and read the paragraphs that I'd skipped. Needless to say... it was a page turner.

It followed the story of a boy and girl, lifelong loves since the day they were born. I must say, I was hooked from page 1. Here is an e More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 15, 2008

Kate rated it:

When I searched for the book on Goodreads, I was surprised it had a subtitle of "A love story," and had to go look at my copy to see if it was there. But it's there, though in very small (and light-colored) print. I'm not sure if it would have changed how I felt about the story if I'd thought of the subtitle when I was reading it.

Jodi Picoult has a way of getting under my skin with her writing, and this book is no exception. It's a story of "true love" and teenage More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Nov 20, 2011

Beverly.reid rated it:

The Pact was the first Jodi Picoult book that I have read, and I have to say that I was impressed. It touched subjects which are difficult to say the least. The Pact is a Romeo and Juliet type love story in which next door neihbours/best friends Chris and Emily eventually become lovers. Emily is killed in an alleged suicide pact, leaving Chris (as expected) accused of murdering her. The remainder of the book describes Chris's experiences in jail while awaiting trial, as well as the trial itself. More...

0 comments like

Feb 04, 2009

Lois rated it:

The Pact is definitely a love story. It tells the compelling tale of 2 families-neighbors for 18 yrs, 2 kids so close that when Emily was born Christopher was placed in her bassinet at the hospital-in essence she shared her bed with him before her parents. As they grow up the ideal best friends-inseparable, able to finish each others sentences, almost siblings-as that changes partially due to the pressure of hormones, partially due to the familiarity of sexual experiments explored with your best More...

0 comments like

Jan 28, 2009

Lauren rated it:

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 14, 2009

Martha added it

I find myself viewing my own small town in New York with a completely different perspective after engaging myself in Jodi Picoult’s novel The Pact. The Gold and the Harte families have been intertwined through their journey of parenthood in rural New Hampshire for the past eighteen years and their children, Chris Harte and Emily Gold, seem to have developed an inseparable relation of their own that is more than friendship. It seems to be the perfect tapestry of generations coming together, but w More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2008

Judy rated it:

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4 comments like

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