My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
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Book Reviews of My Sister's Keeper
Book Review: Fascinating story driven by unanswerable ethical questions
Summary: 5 Stars
I would agree with many reviewers here that Picoult's My Sister's Keeper can, at times, literally drip with melodrama. The ending, in particular, almost seems to do harm to the overall credibility and emotional depth of the story. However, those are small flaws to what is an immensely fascinating and involved story and the most profound exploration of the vagaries of medical ethics that I have ever read. Tracing the story of teenage Anna - conceived as a perfect medical match for her sister, Kate, who is slowly dying of a rare form of leukemia - readers of My Sister's Keeper are in for an emotional roller coaster that is replete with incredibly difficult ethical considerations to which there are, simply put, no wrong or right answers. Throughout the book, you will find yourself asking questions such as "Were Anna's parents right to conceive her for the purpose of saving her sister?", "Was Anna morally justified in suing her parents for the rights to her own body?", and most difficult of all, "What would I have done, as a parent or as Anna, in this situation?"
Most readers will discover - as I did - that there are simply no easy answers to these questions, if there are any answers available at all. You will find yourself empathizing with every single member of this highly troubled family, and you will emerge from this remarkable novel with a greatly enhanced awareness of the terribly anti-absolutist, morally gray nature of end-of-life dilemmas.
Sure to foster heated book club debates and drive intense personal reflection on some of life's most ethically difficult issues, My Sister's Keeper is a contemporary masterpiece with the potential to fundamentally shift society's "black and white" view of end-of-life issues, particularly as they relate to families. It is not to be missed!
Book Review: My Sister's Keeper Review
Summary: 5 Stars
My Sister's Keeper is about a thirteen girl named Anna, and her family. Her fifteen year old sister named Kate has leukemia and was diagnosed around the age of two. During that time, Kate's parents decided to conceive another child that would have the exact genetic make-up as Kate so that child would be an exact donor match for Kate. That's what Anna is. Anna's life has revolved around Kate and her struggle to live, and so far Anna gave everything to Kate that she needed. At the age of fifteen, Kate came to Anna and asked her to become medically emancipated from her parents so that Kate can die because she doesn't want to live the cancer life anymore and put her family through all the struggles. Anna then goes to Campbell, the lawyer, and goes through the process of becoming medically emancipated from her parents.
Anna's parents love each other but become distant from each other through the stress of the cancer and Anna's emancipation. Anna's mom is completely unsympathetic and controlling, and thinks Anna is idiotic for not giving Kate everything she needs. The family has a son who is often times forgotten about and hidden because of most attention going to Kate. He struggles with who he is and throughout the book causes problematic troubles of his own.
This novel grabs the reader by the heart. It keeps you interested because each chapter is told from a different family member's point of view. The novel is a bit long, but over all the detil the author uses makes you feel like your a family member living in their life. Not only does it cause one to feel the pains and struggles of a family, but one feels the sorrow of a pre-teen trying to do what's right. This novel is a must read, and challenges the basis of how humans live their lives.
Book Review: My first Picoult novel
Summary: 4 Stars
The premise of this book really does go hand in had with the notion that we are all in other's lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Despite the ending this book was a really good read, in my opinion. I loved how the author arranged the chapters to come from each character's point of view. I, like another reviewer pointed out, had a difficult time accepting some of the narratives by thirteen year old Anna. Her chapters were a little above and beyond some of the thoughts of even the most mature 13 year olds, but the insights that Anna had were definitely deep/touching/entertaining.
I must say that I struggled with the mother's (Sara) character; she disappointed me time and time again by not ever acknowledging how incredibly selfish she was being. The father let me down too when he chickened out and changed his testimony during the trial.
Without spoiling the book too much for anyone who's not read it, I must say that the ending caught me completely off guard; I don't know if I just wasn't paying attention or if the story was just written well, but I did not expect what came to pass.
All in all the book is well written, it climaxes in a way that makes you not want to put the book down for the last 150 pages or so. The chapters get shorter and shorter and it comes to the point where you just want to know what will become of this jilted little girl and this confused family. I highly recommend reading the book.
On another note, I cannot wait to see the movie. Abigail Briesling will nail this performance, I have no doubt. As far as Cameron Diaz.....if she pulls off this performance I will gain new respect for her. This will be a very uncharacteristic role for her.
Book Review: Simply Beautiful
Summary: 4 Stars
Ms. Picoult is an amazing writer to begin with, so it is no surprise she has created another beautifully touching story that truly speaks to the heart.
My Sister's Keeper is about a young girl diagnosed with cancer at a young age. After many long months of various treatments, it is announced that Kate will not live unless she can receive help from someone else. Jesse, her older brother, is not a match. Nor is her parents (Sara and Brian). She has limited time and to wait for a random donor is risky. They have one other option. Their other child. The only problem is she doesn't exist yet. After much consideration, they decide to have another child for the purpose of saving their elder daughter.
Fast forward 13 years. Anna, the younger daughter, is a teenager. She is bright, curious and free-spirited but she is tired of going through surgery after surgery, hoping that each one will guarantee Kate a few years. She sues her parents for medical emancipation with the help of Campbell Alexander. It is a selfish act... or so it seems.
While Sara was not exactly likable, I think we all see parts of ourselves in these complex characters. Kate grows from an outgoing child to a strong young woman with the help of Anna and her family. I have always liked how Jodi Picoult alternates view points and time periods, In some cases, it might confuse us, the readers, but in this particular work of fiction, it adds a twist on the sometimes predictable characters.
My Sister's Keeper teaches us that sometimes the line between right and wrong, good and bad, and moral and immoral are blurred. And sometimes, there is no right answer.
Book Review: Maybe the movie's better.
Summary: 1 Stars
I have never felt compelled to write a review for amazon, but I have also never been so bitterly disappointed reading a book in my life. Let me clarify one thing, I had to read this book for a Sociology class I'm taking. I remembered seeing previews for the film and thought it looked average, if not a little sappy. It was a relief to get to read, what I thought would be a light easy book for class. This book is easy, it is light, but the thought of having to read any more than the first three chapters kills me. This is probably one of the most poorly written books I have read in the past 10 years, and I'm only 20. Picoult writes from different characters perspectives, but nothing about the writing style varies, it is the same sap, the same young teen level writing throughout, Faulkner she is not. What I've read of this book is stalked full of cliches, cheese, and manufactured emotion. I have literally cried over this book, but only because I have to continue wasting my time on it for class. I got to a line in the third or fourth chapter that was to the effect of "my daughter taught me you could cry in your sleep" and I have yet to pick it back up, completely dreading the inane drivel that is to come. Maybe I haven't given this book a fair shot, maybe I should actually finish it before writing a review but my god, this is the worst thing I have ever picked up, let alone bought. Please, if you have any sense of what good writing is, if you actually want something worth your time, if you want a book that contains more than soap opera, lifetime, hallmark sentences do not buy this book. It is not even worth taking up space on your library card.