Jodi Piccoult

[Brigid ✩]

Which one was that?

[Chandani]

Vanishing acts. It was greatly written and had a good plot and was very suspenseful, but
SHE LEFT ERIC?!?!?!

HE SLIPPED UP ONE TIME! AND HE SAVED YOUR FATHER FROM GOING TO PRISON FOR LIFE, OF COURSE HE WAS STRESSED!!!!! YOU HEARTLESS INGRATE!!! AND YOU LEFT HIM FOR FITZ?? FITZ?? HIS NAME IS FITWILLIAM!!!! THATS RETARDED!!!! I CANT BELIEVE SHE DID THAT!!

THAT SUCKED!!!

But besides that it was really good.

[Ruth]

I read one or two that I thought were interesting, but then I picked up My Sister's Keeper and would not read another book by her for a long time. Recently I picked one of her more recent books. I read it to see if I was wrong to be so disappointed. It wasn's too bad, but certainly not of really good quality.

[[deleted user]]

Well, I did quit finally! I did like two of her books: My Sisters Keeper and Second Glances so I thought she would do more good stuff. But she got stuck in a rut. Back to the neverending quiz. Send me your questions. Addicted to it,
Alice

[Emily]

I liked My Sister's Keeper, but that may be because I was in high school and really liked the brother's character. He was a lonely angsty teenager, and so was I. So I thought it was good at the time, but I realize now that it really wasn't that great. Both of the sisters were pretty annoying. And of course the ending sucked. It seemed really contrived.

As for the rest of her books, of which I've either read reviews or started and not finished, I have only one thing to say: lifetime movie. Really. All of it seems so fake. It's like she's trying to write a touching, meaningful novel and she sacrifices everything else (plot, characters, realism) in favor of that. It's all very Hollywood, and just really unrealistic. I can understand if you want a quick and easy summer read and can't find anything better, but I don't understand why people actually like her.

Also, on a side note, I hate authors that have their name bigger than the title on the spine of the book. I know that's probably not even her fault, but it just reminds me of what kind of author she is. She sells by her name, not by the actual quality of the book.

[Mandy]

I read My sister keeper. Horrible ending. Thats pretty much all I reamber of it.

Although, I admitt, the book did interst me enough that I will probaly go see the movie.

[Rebecca]

I am so glad to find this string! I always feel like the snobbiest person when someone starts talking about what an amazing writer she is-- honestly? Have you ever read a descriptive sentence? Or a book where every character was more than a one-dimensional cliche?

[Stuart]

Rebecca wrote: "I am so glad to find this string! I always feel like the snobbiest person when someone starts talking about what an amazing writer she is-- honestly? Have you ever read a descriptive sentence? Or a..." I think you have a point though based on 19 minutes I might gift her two dimensions for her characters. To be fair I am not sure I loath her writing, I am more indifferent to it. As a result that may be the only novel of hers I read.

[[deleted user]]

Disliking an author's writing doesn't make you a snob Rebecca, but it is a bit self-absorbed to think everyone else's tastes should conform with your own. I have not found your description of Picoult's characters to be true in all of her books. Some yes, but not all. And, not everyone enjoys page after page of flowery description. I detest overwritten description; for me less is more, but others really get into it. To each their own.

I love to hear other people's opinions of books they've read. It's interesting to me how differently the same book can affect different people. There's nothing wrong with disliking a book or an author's style.

However, I have a degree in English Literature and there were always one or two people in nearly every class at my university who thought it made them appear morally superior to bash any author that more than three people have read. If a book is a best-seller it is automatically bad on principal. I find that kind of pretentious behavior just makes them appear ridiculous. Like it or don't like it, but don't pretend to have superior taste.

[Stuart]

Kristin wrote: "Disliking an author's writing doesn't make you a snob Rebecca, but it is a bit self-absorbed to think everyone else's tastes should conform with your own. I have not found your description of Picou..."

Do you think I should give one of her other books a chance? To be honest I had to attempt "His dark Materials" trilogy twice, as I just couldn't get into the first book on the first reading. When I did complete the trilogy I was virtually in tears.

[Mavis]

Kristin wrote: "Like it or don't like it, but don't pretend to have superior taste. "

I'm ok with superior taste so long as you can back it up. I don't generally like bestsellers and think my taste is better. But I don't hate on them. And periodically a bestseller that's really worth something will creep in i.e. Pillars of the Earth, Poisonwood Bible, I Know This Much is True. I don't hate anything completely but I do generally shy away from the first few shelves at Barnes and Noble. Does that make my taste better... I think it does. It's like drinking French Roast or Folgers. You're more than welcome to your Folgers but I'm not going to tell you we're on equal footing while I sip my French Roast.

[Rebecca]

I think I misjudged the "Books I Loathed" site. Sometimes its just fun to rant about books with people who feel the same way! I guess "Books I Loathed-- Jodi Piccoult" is not the place to do so.

[Maria]

Stuart, I do think you should give one of her other books a chance. They are VERY different both in style, plot and quality (although all of them seem to have a twist in the end... must be something she loves doing, so if that's what you disliked, it's probably not worth it.

I've read a number of her books, absolutely LOVED some, HATED others, and most fell in the "in between" slot.

Books I loved: "My Sister's Keeper", "Change of Heart", "Nineteen Minutes"

Books I liked: "Plain Truth", "Keeping Faith", "Vanishing Acts".

Books I hated: "The Pact", "Second Glance", "Salem Falls".

[[deleted user]]

Stuart, that isn't really for me to say. I haven't read 19 Minutes yet and I don't know exactly what about it you didn't like. For example, if you really, really dislike twist endings in the last one or two pages, you may as well skip them since all of them have that characteristic.

There are lots of popular authors whose work I don't connect to--and many that I think are just plain bad writers. There's no reason to torture yourself if you didn't like her books. There are too many books out there to read anything you don't like.

Jean Marie, you just demonstrated my point perfectly when you said, "You're more than welcome to your Folgers but I'm not going to tell you we're on equal footing while I sip my French Roast." (emphasis mine)

That is exactly the attitude I am talking about. I can't imagine how anyone can go through life thinking they are somehow superior to others simply because they suck down cup after cup of an overpriced, over-hyped socially acceptable drug. If you enjoy it, that's great; drink all you want. But please don't pretend it makes you superior.

[Stuart]

Kiwiria wrote: "Stuart, I do think you should give one of her other books a chance. They are VERY different both in style, plot and quality (although all of them seem to have a twist in the end... must be somethin..."

I think I will give her another chance. I must confess in the past it has usually happened the other way round. I have read a book, noted the author, maybe even read one or two more and then I have stumbled on a novel that either looks like a cut and paste from previous novels or is so wildly different and uninspiring I have been surprised. Iris Murdoch comes to mind in the cut and paste. I read one of her last novels and it was so derivative that i gave up after about 50 pages of a novel that spanned about 300.

[Stuart]

Kristin wrote: "Stuart, that isn't really for me to say. I haven't read 19 Minutes yet and I don't know exactly what about it you didn't like. For example, if you really, really dislike twist endings in the last o..."

I hope this does not seem to contradict what I just read as I am prepared to give an author another chance. What i am doing for the next few months unless things change is trying to experiment with authors. One of the genres I hope to find my perfect author in is urban fantasy. As yet I not found that author, if it happens it happens. So far the darkly comic writing of Kate Atkinson satisfies my taste, so I might look for fiction in that vein.

What I am looking to do is capture the thrill I had as a teenage boy reading Michael Moorcock novels or as a young boy reading the novels of Willard Price.

[Gail]

If my taste is different, it doesn't make me feel superior. It would be very dull world if we all liked vanilla ice cream.

I don't care for Piccoult's works because I think they are manipulative and preachy. I think twist endings, used repeatedly, indicate a lack of talent in plot design. That's why I don't like her work. Others might love her work. That's fine too.

[Stuart]

Gail wrote: "If my taste is different, it doesn't make me feel superior. It would be very dull world if we all liked vanilla ice cream.

I don't care for Piccoult's works because I think they are manipulative..."

I like the vanilla ice cream analogy. I must admit I have real problems with literary criticisms as I come from a philosophy background, so ultimately I see all comments as subjective. Years ago people used to say Iris Murdoch was superior to Alistair Mclean. In a way I could see what they were getting at, but ultimately there is no yardstick to measure them by. When people used to frown down on my love of sci fi books I used to think, really is it different to them saying they don't like curry, whilst I do. I agree ultimately you must enjoy what you read, though for the sake of studying it is debatable whether you need enjoy all your texts.

[[deleted user]]

Great analogy, Gail! That's how I look at it, too. There are lots of books, genres and authors I dislike, but it doesn't make my taste better or worse than someone else's, just different.

[Sandi]

Stuart, have you read any of the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher yet? They might be just the thing for you in urban fantasy.

[Gail]

Oh, and I meant to say that I really did like "my Sister's Keeper", which apparently a lot of people thought was out and out drivel. Her other books, well, not so much.

I know many folks think detective stories, such as Christie, Sayers, and other assorted whatnot from the thirties, forties, and fifties, are just beneath-one's-notice books. My response to that, internally, is usually, "Oh yeah? Sez who?" But then I just go on about my way, enjoying the hell out of them, and let others go on their own way, however bizarre it seems to me. For example, urban fantasy usually leaves me with a kind of "Eh? What on earth just happened here?" But obviously there's a market for them.

[Stuart]

Sandi wrote: "Stuart, have you read any of the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher yet? They might be just the thing for you in urban fantasy. "

No I haven't, I will add them to the list thank you for the recommendation.

[[deleted user]]

I personally absolutely LOVED the movie, My Sister's Keeper, I thought it was a creative idea for a story, very attention grabbing on her part. But, after the movie I proceeded to read the book, and it was a TOTAL let-down. I was really disappointed, and I didn't even finish the book.

[Anna Mae]

I like the book My Sister's Keeper. But I didn't like who they picked for the mum in the movie....I can't remember the actresses name.

[Tayanna]

I've read every single one of her books and I'm the first to arrive at a book store whenever she has a new one out. I can't say I've loved every book she's ever written. There's just something about how she obviously researches what she's writing and the way she has with words that has caught me from the very beginning.

There are a couple of her books that I can very honestly say that I loathed or that I found boring, but I pushed through.

I can understand why people wouldn't like her. I can understand that very easily. She can get repetitive at times and sometimes she tries to make the topics she writes her books on a lot more interesting than they are. Instead of having a positive effect, it makes me want to put the book down and never pick it back up.

I do enjoy people's arguments against her writing, though. Although, I do have to say that starting off by reading "My Sister's Keeper" (which was probably because of the recent movie) probably isn't a good idea with her. It's not her best work.

My favorites by her are Nineteen Minutes and Handle With Care.

[Lily]

Her research is sloppy - at best - and her writing has become careless, which is what happens when you churn out a book a year. And I am so tired of her disease/issue of the year.

Anyone ever notice how most of her female main characters never have a close "pal" to whom they can turn? I remember someone once asking her about this and she said she did this to advance the plot. Well, I think it is phony.

[Nicole]

Jackie wrote: "Oh my goodness--where to begin?! And so many people just LOVE her books and are so eager to press one into your un-outstretched hand.

I will begin with "The Pact"--which I have already posted at..."

I saw the movie, complete crap. My friends wanted to see something funny, and we ended up seeing the most depressing movie at the theater. I kept cracking up cause my friend kept making jokes, needless to say I was the only person laughing.

[Bria]

Jodi Picult is possibly one of the worst authors I can name. Everytime I say this people look at me like I just said, "We should kill all the orphan babies in the world."
I'm sorry, I just have a serious problem with sappy stories specifically designed to make me cry. I find her books dreary and very hard to get into.

[Clare]

I really enjoyed "My Sister's Keeper" it was good, trashy literature. It did make me roll my eyes quite a bit though. I can see that I'm in the minority here but I thought the ending was really good. It sort of showed how life was unpredictable and you just can't control it. The Mother was so worked up about keeping her older daughter safe, she ended up loosing her younger daughter.

However then I picked up 19 minute and hated it, Peter was just not sympathetic, what he went through was everyday bullying, his character was not consistent with a Kleopald like psychopath. For those interested in the themes I would strong suggest picking up Lionel Shriver's 'We Need to Talk about Kevin' instead. Oh and the line 'his mouth moved like a silent story' to describe a kiss! What? I'm not going to any effort to read her books again.

[Mary Ann]

I agree with you, Clare, about Shriver's book. She is such a great writer, so much better than Picoult.

[Clare]

I'm surprised that you could even make sense of my post. Sorry for all the grammatical errors!

[Bria]

Shelley, I couldn't agree with you more. Unfortunately, I was cursed with an english teacher who loved Jodi Picoult, so I was forced to read several of her books for school asignments. When I voiced my opinion of her in class, my english teacher told me that I was just unable to grasp the complex emotional meaning behind Picoult's books.
I almost fell over with laughter.
I also loathe her writing style in general. She keeps jumping through time and changing the narrarrating charater, a lot of the times her books confuse the crap out of me, and once again I'm left wondering why I even bothered waste my life picking up the book.

[Maria]

That's quite amusing, Bria. Her jumps in time and changing of narrating character is one of the things I really like about her books! Just goes to show, you can't please everybody :)

[Bria]

I agree that Picoult's writing style is unique and give her credit for that. But still I find her books extremely hard to get into, but your right there is no pleasing everybody. My friends often hate authors I love.

[Bria]

Oh No Shelley that's so sad! Nicholas Sparks is up there on my Authors-To-Never-Speak-Of list. I'm so glad you understand me. I was beginning to wonder if everyone in the world were Picoult followers!

[Randi]

As a lover of explosions, I have no intention to read any of Picoult's books for fear of crying, overuse of mind bleach, and the urge to make it into a hallmark movie.

[Ellen]

Bria wrote: "Oh No Shelley that's so sad! Nicholas Sparks is up there on my Authors-To-Never-Speak-Of list. I'm so glad you understand me. I was beginning to wonder if everyone in the world were Picoult followers!"

OMG: I am afraid to ever say a word again Jodi Picoult. Some of my best friends... (but for real)

I, on the other hand, feel like she writes her books just WAITING for the Hallmark offer. Naturally, she then gets a to-be-released-in-theaters option instead. I wrote in a review that all her books read to me like sketches for a movie.

I recently finished her book House Rules. Since my son has Asperger's Syndrome (which I just learned is being eliminated from the next DSM so I guess he now is just autistic), a friend recommended it. Of course (being me) I totally disliked it - & felt guilty to boot (since I DO like my friend!). I felt she was exploitative of a currently "hip" disorder & played to the ready-made market (that would be parents like me) out there struggling, trying to see that their children had lives. She actually (I think) reinforced more negative stereotypes than I knew were out there about autism. She added lurid violence (lurid: that's such a great word, no?) to broaden her marketing appeal, & I don't know what-all else. Talk about "ripped from the headlines." I'd say "ripped-off from the headlines"
There's MY rant for the day!

[Ellen]

Bria wrote: "Oh No Shelley that's so sad! Nicholas Sparks is up there on my Authors-To-Never-Speak-Of list. I'm so glad you understand me. I was beginning to wonder if everyone in the world were Picoult followers!"

Also, since I seem to be on a roll, I'll say that Nicholas Sparks is on my Authors-T0-Never-Bother-Reading list. I've actually read bits & pieces of his writing which did nothing to change my mind about that list. And since he must be totally rolling, I don't think he'll mind much.

[Vanessa]

Ellie wrote:I recently finished her book House Rules. Since my son has Asperger's Syndrome (which I just learned is being eliminated from the next DSM so I guess he now is just autistic)

I have Asperger's. The other Aspies I have discussed it with are rather non-plussed by that DSM business. Autism is way too broad and non-specific of a category. I'll still refer to myself as an Aspie regardless.

Back on subject, I heard an interview with Jodi Picoult once about how much research she does for her books so I gathered they must be good or at least informative. I read Keeping Faith and it's really kind of lame. Woman in peril, custody battle, extreme unbelievable romance to leaven the proceedings. Suckered again by book hype and sales.

[Ellen]

I'm a believer, as a parent & a teacher, in more not less classifications. The narrower the category, the more targeted the intervention, the more specific whatever supports might be needed. House Rules doesn't contain any wrong information it's just a little too "generic" for my taste.

[Brycen]

I got through sisters keeper ok. That being said I am not sure I loved the book completely. I got really ticked off when I watched the movie with my niece to discover a completely different ending on the movie.

However standing the bookstore at the airport in St Thomas looking for something to read on a four hour flight of doom. I looked and looked. I finally picked up house rules. I thought well My Sisters Keeper was not really soooo bad was it. I just got to a really creepy point. I threw it down on my desk. I have not picked it up since. My sister who loves Jodi Picoult says so just take a break from it. I know there is a huge wait list for it on PBS. I am tempted to just list it or send it to my sister. Dunno. Maybe I am over sensitive as I have a 13 year old daughter with Aspergers. I dunno. I just really really hate Jodi Picoult at this moment. She picked a darn hot topic to mess with and I am not happy.

[Ellen]

Hello: let me join you on your "I hate Jody Picoult" ride. I have a 17 year old with Aspergers so maybe that's a factor. I merely didn't like her much before. Now I actively dislike her. I don't think she brings enlightenment to hot issues. I think she exploits them.

Of course, what does she care? Being extremely rich from all this exploitation & all. Why should I try to overcome my dislike of her? She's got plenty of other fans. And I can always wait for the movies.

Except for House Rules, of course.

[[deleted user]]

Now, after all this, if I can sell as many or even half of the number of books Picoult sells, I will have succeeded.

And have movies made of my writing.

[Ellen]

succeeded at what?

[[deleted user]]

True true from a literary perspective. Picoult though sells hundreds of thousands of books. Who reads them? Not this group but someone out there finds them worthy of not only publication but of producing in Hollywood.

I hated House Rules. I would have to say that the only book I truly enjoyed of hers was My Sister's Keeper. After that, I was done.

But, House Rules takes the cake. It sucked rocks! You could tell it was contrived, yanked and stretched till nothing was left but to fall on a silly ending.

[[deleted user]]

"The more one pleases generally, the less one pleases profoundly."
— Krister Stendahl

[Ellen]

Well she pleases me neither generally nor profoundly.
Actually, not at all. She'd please me more if she were not making a fortune.

[Vanessa]

I have to say all this talk about how much the Asperger's book angered everyone forced me to go look at a description of it and-oy! Now I see why everyone is waving their literary pitchforks.

[[deleted user]]

This last one about Asperger's is her worst yet. It always baffles me when people write about things they know nothing about. This one was contrived and actually annoying. Like Songs of the Humpback Whale, that sucked also.

[Ellen]

House Rules is my first & last Picoult book. Confirmed what I'd suspected & I have no desire to waste more time.