Handle with Care in Jodi Picoult Books Reading Group.

May 14, 2009 Lynda Pringle rated it it was amazing

It was another fantastic book by my favorite author, Jodi Picoult. My biggest complaint about her is that she introduces controversial scenerarios which are never resolved by the end of her books. Her endings are usually of the "cop out" nature where resolving the issues become moot. To me, this is a cowardly way of ending a book. A bona fide author would provide a conclusive ending to the controversies presented in the book.

The ending of this book was a bit of the same. The ending did have the ...more

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Nov 09, 2009 Clare rated it really liked it

I have heard Jodi Picoult speak publicly and I am aware that she does a great deal of research before she publishes one of her timely, thought-provoking books. This story of a family with a 5-year old little girl, Willow, who has the disease osteogenesis imperfecta, is obviously well-researched as well as being a top-notch read.

Picoult has the ability to make both her characters and their life situations come alive. In Handle With Care, we learn what it is like to have a child with this rare di ...more

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Mar 29, 2009 Kathy McC rated it really liked it

Oh My!!! This book has been at the top of the NYT best seller list for three weeks. As a mother of two healthy children this plot could have been hard for me to relate to, but Picoult is a master at fostering emotional connections between the reader and the characters. The emotional upheaval and impossibility of the choices for some of the characters was overwhelming at times. While there is some sameness to this novel and My Sister's Keeper, unlike other reviewers, this did not hinder my enjoym ...more

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Apr 17, 2009 Sfdreams rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed

Like all of Jodi Picoult's books, this one was emotionally agonizing, yet riveting at the same time.

This book was about a little girl named Willow who was born with Osteogenia Imperfecta or O.I. (I may actually have the name wrong, because I had to take the book back to the library.)The disease is also known as brittle-bone disease, because the bones break very easily.

This book made me laugh and made me cry. (Sometimes at the same time!)

Some of the issues touched upon in this story are:

**Adopti ...more

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May 23, 2009 Britta rated it liked it

"I wish you could know what it feels like to find the missing piece of you, the thing that makes you stronger. [Your mother's:] that, for me."

"She told me that, when she baked, she could feel herself coming back to center, that everything else fell away, and she remembered who she was supposed to be."

"[She:] had always smelled of sugar cookies - later I learned that it was vanilla, which she would rub on her wrists and behind her ears, perfume for a pastry chef. It was part of why I loved her. H "I wish you could know what it feels like to find the missing piece of you, the thing that makes you stronger. [Your mother's:] that, for me."

"She told me that, when she baked, she could feel herself coming back to center, that everything else fell away, and she remembered who she was supposed to be."

"[She:] had always smelled of sugar cookies - later I learned that it was vanilla, which she would rub on her wrists and behind her ears, perfume for a pastry chef. It was part of why I loved her. Here's a news flash ladies: for every one of you who thinks we all want a girl like Angelina Jolie, all skinny elbows and angles, the truth is, we'd rather curl up with someone like [your mom:] - a woman who's soft when a guy wraps his arms around her; a woman who might have a smear of flour on her shirt the whole day and not notice or care...; a woman who doesn't feel like an exotic vacation but is the home we can't wait to come back to."

"Being a parent wasn't just about bearing a child. It was about bearing witness to its life."

"When you love someone, you say their name different. Like it's safe inside your mouth."

"A dutiful mother is someone who follows every step her child makes... and a good mother is someone whose child wants to follow her."

"It was a little like telling someone, after she'd seen the color green, to completely forget its existence. I could never erase the mark of your hand holding mine, or your voice in my ear. I couldn't imagine life without you. If I'd never known you, the tale would be different; it would not be the story of you and me."

"People always say that, when you love someone, nothing in the world matters. But that's not true, is it? You know, and I know, that when you love someone, everything in the world matters a little bit more."

"...Love wasn't about sacrifice, and it wasn't about falling short of someone's expectations. By definition, love made you better than good enough; it redefined perfection to include your traits, instead of excluding them. All any of us wanted, really, was to know that we counted. That someone's life would not have been as rich without us here." ...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Sherri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book, like all of Jodi Picoult's books that I have read, but this was the first one in which I was disappointed in the ending. I will not give it away, but I didn't like it.

One thing about Ms. Picoult's books, she always makes the reader think about controversial subjects in new ways. When I think that I know something, when I believe that my mind is made up, after reading one of her novels I usually have a new perspective...this was no different. I especially liked the way ...more

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Jun 05, 2009 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2009

Yet another amazing Jodi book!!! This one was absolutely fantastic. I loved reading about Willow and her families journey through a wrongful birth lawsuit. It was extremely captivating and I had a lot of trouble putting it down. I really enjoyed all the different perspectives the story was told by, however, I wish we could have heard more from Willow. This is definitely a book I'd be interested in purchasing and reading over and over again! ...more

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Jun 06, 2009 Stephanie rated it really liked it

A very quick read. I can't tell the difference between being predictable and foreshadowing, but one or the other was happening. Written in Picoult's multiple perspectives style. Don't read this if you are pregnant. ...more

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Jun 09, 2009 Teresa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

JP certainly back on form with this - a consummate storyteller with her finger always on the pulse, finding subjects/themes to make us question ourselves and each other - great stuff!

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Mar 22, 2009 Amy rated it liked it

i'm not sure i like this book yet. the ending made me angry, and i don't know if i like that. ...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Kerry rated it liked it

Not as uplifting as her other books. My mother wouldn't even finish her copy! ...more

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May 28, 2009 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: borrowed

I did enjoy this book, but am not sure how I felt about the main character throughout the story. I feel the ending did change my opinion of her, but overall, I had a difficult time empathizing with her.

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Jul 06, 2009 Jen Manning rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction

Little girl with OI and who is responsible for her existence.

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Mar 22, 2009 alisonwonderland (Alison) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2009-publication-date

you can read my review here. ...more

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Apr 09, 2009 Leslie rated it liked it

Shelves: jodi-picoult

This book was just okay. You can't read too many Picoult novels in a row b/c they are so heavy. Not really thrilled with the ending although I saw it coming...I wasn't really satisfied with where the plot ended up. ...more

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