My Sister's Keeper
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do you think its fair for Anna to die, or did Kate had to die?
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Nora aka Diva
(last edited Mar 13, 2012 09:18AM)
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rated it 5 stars
Mar 13, 2012 09:13AM
What happens is when you look up reviews there is also discussions listed with them, with the ending of the book in the title it isn't necessary to open it to see the spoiler.
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Although it broke my heart that Anna died, it made a peculiar kind of sense. Anna was brought into the world to serve as a spare parts cabinet for her sister, and she played that role to the bitter end. I think it was a tough call for the author, but the story came full circle, as it should have.
All in all the book was sad, that is agreed. The ending...was VERY VERY suprising. I didn`t expect that. As I read it, it seemed to be like the ending should have been different, but that it wouldn`t have really been a Picoult book. All in all my favorite book by her.
I don't hate it, I knew somebody had to die, otherwise it would be too holliwood-ish happy ending. (or should i say too disney?)Anna died made my cry a lot and rethink the whole story. My hat's up for Picoult.
but I do would like it better if Anna get the chance to give Kate the transplant, then either one died because of complication. After that kind of story, somebody just has to die.
Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."While I agree with you that it was unfair that one of them had to die, I also love the fact that Picoult gives us the real side of life where sometimes life is not fair. I tire easily of writer whom only have happy ending when life doesn't.
Donna wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think that kate should have died since she had the medical condition and it was fates draw. At the end i was acutally mad at this book. Ann..."I know someone who just had a son recently die after a year of going thruogh medical issues, and i just cant understand how hard that would be to be a parent going through that, maybe because im a teenager, but i just cant feel that, you hear people say "they should just pull the plug" and such, but the parents never do, and i always wonder why and my aunt expalined because itd be hard. And thats where i understand you at, but i still think they should have found another way though to keep kate alive, but the ending proved it to be the other way.
Sarah wrote: "Donna wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think that kate should have died since she had the medical condition and it was fates draw. At the end i was acutally mad at ..."You need to read Lone Wolf which is about "pulling the plug" and the issues surrounding it.
Lydia wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Donna wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Kirby wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think that kate should have died since she had the medical condition and it was fates draw. At the end i was ac..."I thought that was about wolfs. Lol ill check it out (: thank you
I read this quite a while ago now and have read all of Jodi Piocoults books and I find a common theme through them all, the unexpected happens at the ends and it isn't always happy................which I guess is like life.
Brandon wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "Actually, I agree. I think the book would have been more impressive if Picoult had found a way to end the book where neither of them died; it was just so predictable that someone..."Sorry Brandon, I disagree, Anna was a person too and the fact that her parents "made" her to save her sister is awful.
I think this ending is classic Jodie Picoult and sums up the entire book in this ending. Anna all along did NOT want to stop but it was at Kate's persistence that she file for medical emancipation. In the end, Anna got to do what she always wanted - and that is help save her sister which is what she got to do.
People are saying it was cliche and predictable because someone died at the end but I don't think so at all. Maybe it's just me but I think if Kate had died this would have been so. I was not expecting Anna's death in any way; it caught me completely off guard which is what made it so heart wrenching. If Kate were have to died it wouldn't have been as sad because it is basically what you are waiting for the whole book. I loved this book so much because it made me feel for the characters in such a deep way. I cried uncontrollably and I love that because it means the author was able to bring me into the story. Also to people saying it was happy for the family.. that isn't true at all.. Anna was still their daughter and it was clear that they loved her.
Can you make the topic of this thread a bit less of a spoiler?
Just remembering the ending gives me goose bumps. Anna had to die... if Kate died, all those sacrifices Anna made would be put to nothing.
Anna had to die because it was because of Kate she came into the system,whilst living she was not able to fulfill that purpose but her death sealed off everything.
I think that the way that Picoult killed Anna and not Kate, was a way of saying, 'Just because she won the case, and Kate wanted to die, doesn't mean that's how it's going to work.' Not everyone has to like it, but sometimes that's just the way life is.
yeah Cathy i agree wid u,sometimes that's just the way life is.
See I don't think that's the point of the novel. Throughout it, you're torn between two decisions, two sides and none of them are 'exactly right'. There is no right answer, just a big sea of and in that way it imitates life. There is no right or wrong answer. In reality people die, people suffer and this is an example of a novel that represents that in the most extremist form.
I didn't think that the ending was very unexpected. I sat literally in shock. I had thought someone would die, but I had never even considered Anna of all people to be the one to die. This may sound horrible, but straight after I read that Anna had died I was outraged. I had grown to love Anna and really want things to work out for her so for a moment I actually wished it had been Kate which is horrible I know, but it was just one of my first reactions. Now thinking back I think it was very Clever of Jodi Picoulr to do, but i wish she could have left everyone alive.
Diana wrote: "to me, the ending was just randoma car crash? she was totally relying on the coincidence factor there.
I was hoping for an ending with more purpose"
as was I...Picoult could have pulled it off; I don't think she tried
Annalisa wrote: "I think the ending was a cop out. I like the idea of Anna dying on the table if she was going to die. It's still tragic but would make more of a point of her being used instead of them getting to u..."I agree with the ending being a cop out
It wasn't fair at all, it made me furious!!!
I think that Anna should be the one to die, if either of them did. I cried so hard, though! I couldn't stop sobbing. I love Anna and Kate. I hated that Anna was treated differently than kate because she was like her lifeline. But after all Kate went through, she deserved to follow her dream and become a ballerina. :) I hate that the movie ends differently than the book! Does anyone else?
I hate that too. Not only they killed the other sis, they also didn't mention some key characters from the book. They didn't focus on the brother. Anna was a lab rat and had no life of her own, so sad, yet realistic, shit happens all the time in life, and life's pretty much unfair. It would've been predictable and cheesy if Kate died.
I hated the movie so much, but I thought that the book had a very Jodi Picoult ending. Her books don't always have happy endings, but endings that make you think about your own life, and somehow everyone I know can relate to a character in this book. You don't relate to every part of them, but everyone is normal enough to believe, and interesting enough to want to read.
i disagree that it would've been better if they both lived. in real life, i wish no kid ever dies. i wish no one ever dies! but that's not life. this is a novel, and in novels, i don't look for happy endings, i look for suspenful, unpredictable -and this ending had the least predictable ending of all the books that i've read- and beautifully crafted endings. this ending had much more than just that..it broke my heart, yes. but..you gotta admit, Picoult had no better way to do this..
I absolutely loved this book! It was my first time ever reading a Jodi Picoult book and I've been hooked ever since. I don't necessarily think it's fair that Anna died or that Kate had to live with her illness, but books aren't meant to be fair. Picoult writes to make you think about your own lives and that is exactly what she did. I agree with others and HATED the movie!! I was outraged when I watched it because they completely changed the ending and therefore ruined the story, in my opinion. I am a huge fan of Picoults' writing and would recommend any of her books to everyone, they are just so eye-opening.
I think that Picoult's ending was written beautifully. Sure, many people would have expected someone to die. It is a bit cliche. But Picoult did switch it up. I know while reading, I expected Kate to die, not Anna. And honestly, Anna's death and the way it happened truly shocked me. I became so absorbed with the characters that I felt heartbroken at the end. In fact, I put down the book and sobbed after finishing it. I laid down and thought through it, and yeah, I was completely angry.
Even though I knew it was wrong, I wished that Kate would have been the one to die.
But I got over it, and the emotions the book put me through caused me to write several essays on the book and on the topics in the book.
I learned a lot about leukemia, and I actually delved more into it, Googling the cancer.
All in all, I think that Kate's death would have been not cliche,but predictable, but Anna's, Anna's death was not. It was unexpected and tumultuous.
What would have been cliche would have been having none of the characters die, having Anna deciding to give up her kidney (which would have solved nothing in the end), having a donor surprisingly appear that matched Kate's. What would have been cliche is the happy ending. I know we all subconsciously ache for it, but this novel shows a harsh reality. Not everyone gets a happy ending, not every cancer patient goes into a permanent remission, not every car crash victim comes out alive, and not every person who dies does so at their time.
This book opened my eyes to the effectiveness of the not happily ever after, and it taught me comething I didn't know. I first read this book when I was 13, and I've read it several times over the 7 years that have past, and I can honestly say this book had a huge impact on me.
I wouldn't say it was fair for Anna to die, but I think that is the whole point. It is the terrible irony of the whole thing that she is fighting the entire time to not give up her organs to her sister and then she does. That line the doctor says when he tells the parents she is gone 'Is organ donation something you would consider' (not an exact quote) hits you right in the chest and it is heartbreaking and real and completely unfair, but I would not have thought the book was nearly as good had it not ended that way.
It was completely unfair for Ana to die. I thought that maybe this was a way for a harsh lesson to be taught to her parents for not letting her live normally. There was no reason for her to get killed off. But I suppose not all stories should have happy endings. Get's old. Life isn't fair and maybe Picoult was trying to emphasize that.
i woundnt exactly say fair as death is not fair on anyone but it looked as though Annas death reflected the fact that she was not very willing to give away her life for her sister eventhough her sister asked her to sue her parents ,Anna was already tired of having to give away her body parts .
ana "a kecil" wrote: "i think, if i was kate, i'd rather die than sacrifice my beloved sister."same thing Anna would have said haa?
I don't think I can say about ''being fair'' in this case. There's life-death problem, so probably nobody know who should die and who should live. I was crying after Anna's death really hard, but I thik that's probably one of the greatest endings I have ever ridden. One of them had to die. If it's better that died Anna, who never though about diing, not Kate who was sure all her life that she is really close to death? I really have no idea.
Although I absolutely loved this book, I was so pissed off by the ending that it was several years before I picked up another Jodi Picoult book. Of course I eventually did and loved every one of them.
I absolutely hated the story. Wait. Let me rethink that. I absolutely hated those horrible selfish people that were the parents. They thought of nothing but the middle child. The son and the youngest daughter....the one they had for the spare parts. The parents should have been ...what is the worst I can think of? Fed to great white sharks. I read this book years ago and still every time I think of the story I want to choke those parents. It goes to prove that just because you can have children does not mean you should.I suppose that is why it is best for me to stick to chick lit and be amused by what I read!
It was a great plot twist. I didn't see that coming. I mean the whole time you're just waiting for Kate to die, but then the tables turn. I honestly think I wouldn't have felt as bad if Kate died because I would have been expecting it this whole time and I had prepared for it. However, a part of Anna will still live on inside of Kate, so they can both live on.
I think someone should die, it's an emotional book and it shows you how you don't always get a happy ending. I loved the twist of Annie dying, I didn't expect it at all and had a good cry at it.
I never thought about the possibility of another ending since I did not write the book. I did enjoy the book and was pleased with the ending-or rather how it affected me not the fact that Anna dies. I almost always can predict what's happening next in a story so when one surprises me I am happy for the thrill.
This mother spends all her time and energy on her sick daughter and in the end she loses another child and is probably full of regret. Of course we can't predict the future. But as a mom it reminded me not to take either of my children for granted. When one had a health problem I remembered this book and spent equal time with both because you never know how it will turn out.
As for the way Anna died-not expected but more likely. In real life people don't live and die as expected . So for me the accident kind of made it more relatable. It's what really got me thinking and appreciating every moment with my children while being aware that they are not infallible and accidents happen to anyone-mostly when we least expect it.
It also makes Anna fulfill her life's purpose so to speak. I wonder then is the mother peaceful with her death for she Was created to prolong her sister's life. Then again there can be regret for taking Anna's life for granted to some degree. I mean think if you spend your life devoted to your child whom you expect to die before you while taking the healthy kids for granted. Then boom one day the healthy one dies thus giving their organ(s) that end up saving the sick child. It would be a tough mix of guilt and gratitude I assume.
Really we all have good reasons for liking the ending or not.Either way it's something to think about. It is a great topic-a child created purely to be a donor for his/her sibling. Especially from a parents point of view.
"It is a great topic-a child created purely to be a donor for his/her sibling. Especially from a parents point of view."Brie, I agree with the above quote from you. I was actually upset with the movie, waiting for the ending that Jodi had written. I am not morbid, but Jodi's ending was a surprise ending that made me cry, and think about the whole reason for this child's birth. It made me realize the saddness of giving birth to another child to be a donor for the sick sibling.
I feel extremely bad for Campbell Alexander!!! I honestly think that the end would have been better if Kate died. This ending seemed to me just lazy writing.
I think that it was her fate to die. It made the book all the more interesting and lovely.Melanie
I prefer the book because Anna died. Although it's sad either of them had to die, this book isn't the type to be all happy and fluffy. If Kate died after all the fuss about her, it might have been a let down. In the end though, it worked out well because my impression was Anna loved her sister, Kate but didn't want to be forced or to die prematurely if Kate may not survive anyway. That Anna died unrelated to Kate was a smart way for Picoult to provide the happy ending for the book: for Kate's illness (the main conflict) not to take hold of her.
I didn't like the twist of Anna dying, it was too forced to be shocking, too intentional to play on one's heart strings. And then it sort of gave a happy ending to the book, with Kate not only surviving the kidney transplant, but also growing up to be healthy enough to (partly) fulfill her dancing dreams. Miracles do happen and all. I guess, what I'd have thought to be a more real life ending would have been if both had died. But, honestly, I don't know what would have been a truly good/fitting ending to the book.
I think it was the best ending that could have ever been put to this novel. It was so moving and unpredictable that Anna would be the one who dies this way. Yes, It is unfair but so is life. if both of them lived, i wouldn't have considered it that realistic. Anna was always ready to sacrifice anything for her sister and that what happened even after her death, her role was not over yet. I loved the ending.
I know most people say that Anna's death was a 'plot twist', but I personally think it was just a horrible ending. Jodi Picoult could of thought of a better ending than trying to give a cheap and poorly executed 'shock value'. I really did love the book and I wasn't upset because of the sad ending, I knew the book was going to have a sad ending anyway, whether it being Kate didn't get the kidney or Anna dying during the surgery, but it seemed the author wanted to take the easy way out. She still could of ended the book without killing Anna and it still being good, but no, she didn't. I cried like crazy after finishing the book but I just felt it was a real cheap ending. And not to mention the fact is that Anna's death happens all in one chapter. If the author could of at least added a few more chapters during Anna's death (such as her still struggling to live, somehow) I would of liked the ending a bit more. Also I felt really bad for the lawyer, because he helped Anna so much with the case every step of the way and eventually became friends, for it to just end like that really upset me. None of the less, I was disappointed with the ending, since it was such a great book anyway and deserved an equally great ending.
I thought the ending was a bit too hollywood for me and I felt like it took away so much from the whole plot. Anna being in the crash and then slipping into a comma felt like the author was just looking for an easy way out. I'd have preferred Anna's death happening as a result of complications during the kidney transplant.
Brandon wrote: "♥ Brigid ♥ wrote: "Actually, I agree. I think the book would have been more impressive if Picoult had found a way to end the book where neither of them died; it was just so predictable that someone..."Sophia wrote: "At the closure of this book anna gets what she wants but life takes her away from her just as quick. Though life may not be fair at all times, this time it crossed the line. I think none of them sh..."
I loved this book.. loved the ending.. actually I don't remember anything that lend you to believe that anna died. to me it was implied.. When i finished reding the book I wondered did Anna die or didn't she?
I don't think fairness is really related to this story. This whole book was unfair. It was unfair that Kate had cancer. Unfair that Jesse chose to deal with his anger by acting out in unlawful ways. It was unfair that Anna was made to act as a saviour for her sister rather than being allowed to be a normal young lady. I enjoyed the ending, but I am sure if it had ended differently with Kate dying I would have enjoyed it to. I absoulutley refuse to see the movie however, as the ending so completly different then the book not to mention the fact that Cameron Diaz who in my opinion is a very untallented and inept actress is cast in this movie and and plays a major role in this movie. I think Jodi Picoult should be insulted by the fact that Camreon Diaz is in this movie and insulted even more that they changed the ending so drastically.
I saw the movie and read the book. * spoiler alert* Kate died instead of Anna. For me it changed the whole story. In the book, it was sad that Anna died but it also made a point. The family was semi-prepared for Kate to die, she was sick. Anna was healthy, her loss was unexpected.
sorry i liked the ending in the movie more. anna was only conceived to save her sister kate. kate was more important. it was the whole point of the story. anna was tired of being kate's savior. she just wanted her life and purpose. what if anna had given kate her kidney and they both grew old? would anna always be in the shadow of kate?
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