House Rules in Around the World in 80 Books

Jun 25, 2010 Tanya rated it liked it

Shelves: 2010

I enjoyed reading this book to explore the impact of autism on one family who ends up enmeshed in the legal system. The other reviews are much more specific about the storyline and characters, but I'll leave you with some of the quotes that I enjoyed from this book because she makes statements that seem to hit home with me, particularly as a mom.

p. 78 "Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There's only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you ar I enjoyed reading this book to explore the impact of autism on one family who ends up enmeshed in the legal system. The other reviews are much more specific about the storyline and characters, but I'll leave you with some of the quotes that I enjoyed from this book because she makes statements that seem to hit home with me, particularly as a mom.

p. 78 "Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There's only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you are left to pick up the pieces."

P. 144 "When someone dies, it feels like the hole in your gum when a tooth falls out. You can chew, you can eat, you have plenty of other teeth, but your tongue keeps going back to that empty place, where all the nerves are still a little raw."

P. 157 "Real mothers know admit that it is easier to fail at this job than to succeed. If parenting is the box of raisin bran, then real mothers know that the ratio of flakes to fun is severely imbalanced. For every moment that your child confides in you, or tells you he loves you, or does something unprompted to protect his brother that you happen to witness, there are many more moments of chaos, error, and self-doubt. Real mothers may not speak the heresy, but they sometimes secretly wish they'd chosen something for breakfast other than this endless cereal. Real mothers worry that other mothers swill find that magic ring, whereas they'll still be looking for ages. Rest easy, real mothers. The very fact that you worry about being a good mom means that you already are one."

One character inconsistency that bugged me when I read it was about Jacob recalling not having a notebook on the day of an open book test, so his teacher allowed him to take the exam the next day. If he had the amazing photographic memory that was described earlier, he really wouldn't have needed his notebook and it seems he would have had a tantrum about the routine/expectation not being met--but it didn't. Not a real big deal as it's not central to the book or understanding Jacob's character, but still it bugged me.

The ending was not a surprise, especially keeping in mind the book's title, but it was a quick and enjoyable read.

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Nov 07, 2012 Andy Plonka rated it liked it

This is not one of her better efforts. It is too "preachy". Picoult gets on her soapbox way too often on how people with Asperger's syndrome should be treated. I agree with her in principle but in practice it is asking a lot of the general populace to be understanding when each member of the population probably also has his own cross to bear. The ending was a bit disappointing. ...more

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Mar 03, 2010 Erin (NY) rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2010

I liked this book. It is in true Picoult style, but I liked the perspective into the mind of an autistic child and those around him.

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Aug 23, 2011 Jana rated it really liked it

I listened to this mp3 in my car. It was very engaging.

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Apr 02, 2012 Astrid Lim rated it it was ok

Shelves: thriller-mystery, special-needs, law

didn't get this book. weak characters. great premises, poor execution. but i rarely get ms.picoult anyway. so it's not a huge surprise. sorry! ...more

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