Lone Wolf in Around the World in 80 Books

May 20, 2013 Mary rated it liked it

When Cara Warren, age 17, calls her father, Luke to pick her up after being out with friends who have had a bit too much to drink, father and daughter are involved in a serious automobile accident. Where Cara recovers from her injuries after surgery, her father is not so lucky. Luke has suffered a TMI (traumatic brain injury) and has only a 10% chance of recovery. He is being kept alive by life support -- a ventilator and feeding tube.

Luke is divorced from Cara's mom Georgie, and has been estran When Cara Warren, age 17, calls her father, Luke to pick her up after being out with friends who have had a bit too much to drink, father and daughter are involved in a serious automobile accident. Where Cara recovers from her injuries after surgery, her father is not so lucky. Luke has suffered a TMI (traumatic brain injury) and has only a 10% chance of recovery. He is being kept alive by life support -- a ventilator and feeding tube.

Luke is divorced from Cara's mom Georgie, and has been estranged from their son Edward for the last six years. Edward, left home at age 18, after an incident involving his father Luke. He left a note for his mother, but never bothered to said goodbye to his father. When Edward receives a frantic call from his mother, Georgie, informing him about his sister and father's accident, Edward takes a 24 hour flight home from Bangkok, Thailand where he has been living and teaching.

With no legal advance directives in place for Luke, the siblings find themselves at odds over whether or not to end their father's life, and a legal battle ensues. To complicate matters, Edward locates a handwritten note of his fathers, giving him the authority to make decisions for him if he were ever unable to make them for himself. Edward was just 15 at the time that both parties signed the note. It was signed at a time when Luke, a man with a Zoology degree who loved the great outdoors, had decided to leave his family to spend (2) years in the Canadian forest living among the wolves and studying wolf migration. The same man who use to tell his children that if he could have chosen to never interact with humans again he would have. --- According to Luke, "animals don't disappoint as humans do."

----"A wolf pack is like the Mafia, everyone has a position in it; everyone is expected to pull it's own weight."

----"My father taught me wolves can read emotion and illnesses the way humans read headlines."

The story is told in alternating chapters by the characters. Luke, Georgie, Cara, Edward, and Georgie's new husband Joe, an attorney. All of the characters were developed, most were sympathetic, and each interesting and complex in their own way. Some of the characters have baggage and secrets, each has a story to tell. I enjoyed all of their stories however, in my opinion, it was with Luke's character that the author outdid herself with some powerful characterization -- simply fantastic.

As I read the chapters from Luke's POV, I was moved by all that I read about the world of wolves, and interesting dynamics between pack behaviors, and human behavior. Throughout the story Luke compares how wolves versus humans might have reacted in a particular situation. It is obvious that Picoult did her homework while researching the behaviors of wolves with experts in the field. Luke's childhood and young adulthood, his life as a husband and father, is ever-so-interesting, as is the in-depth account about his life spent among the wolves. A man who many people thought of as a genius, while others thought of as insane. The writing in this area is riveting! I loved how the author was able to demonstrate Luke's less than perfect parenting skills, but yet his unquestionable love for his children.

---"People assumed that the reason I walked away from the pack that day was because of the harsh conditions had finally become overwhelming -- the weather, the cold, the near starvation, the constant threat of predators. But the real reason I came back is much simpler. -- If I hadn't left at that moment, I know I would have stayed forever". ...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Katie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: female-author

This book is about a man who loves wolves and lives with them in the wild. When he is in a serious car accident, and is in a vegetative state, his family has to figure out how to make medical decisions for him. Of course drama ensues as all these dirty little family secrets emerge. I kept reading because there seemed to be some great climax coming. But alas, it never came. The cheesy plot twists just had me rolling my eyes. The writing was dull and juvenile, the characters were flat and unlikeab ...more

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May 18, 2014 Andy Plonka rated it really liked it

I read mot of Picoult's earlier books, but the later ones began to seen a bit contrived until a friend sang the praises of Lone Wolf. As a dog lover, I was interested to learn about wolf behavior. Assuming that the author has done her homework and what she relates is supported by experts, the animal component of this story was fascinating. ...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I would recommend this book to friends. The topic is heavy and if you ask yourself in each difficult situation, "what would I do?" then it will make for quite a thought-provoking read. I dealt with end of life decision-making a lot, having worked in ICU. It was an interesting perspective to have the situation as it played out between brother and sister.

One quote I liked about family was: "I wonder if what makes a family a family isn't doing everything right all the time but, instead, giving a se ...more

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May 21, 2013 Erin (NY) rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2013

I liked this book. I liked the issue discussed in it (who has the right to terminate someone's life on life support). I thought the two main characters were very interesting and have a very conflicting relationship. I did think that although the ongoing wolf theme was interesting, it did not provide as good of a tie-in as she was hoping to. ...more

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Jan 19, 2014 Ashley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jodi-picoult-books, 2014-book-challenge

A great and intense novel about a situation that can be difficult for any family , terminating life support . In the beginning, Cara was my least favorite character. I thought she was selfish and immature . By the end of the book it was Luke who I disliked. He's the one that broke this family apart in every way.

This book has to be favorite because there is an extra element to the story which is wolves. How the wolves function and work as a pack . Gives the readers something to compare to . ...more

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