Plain Truth
by Jodi Picoult
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Book Reviews of Plain Truth
Book Review: Unfocused
Summary: 3 Stars
This could have been an excellent novel, but it isn't. The basic story is that of an Amish girl who gets pregnant out of wedlock and is charged with murdering her newborn son. The author should have focused on that, but she tries to draw parallels with the sex life of the lawyer who defends the Amish girl on a charge of neonaticide. Rather than parallels all we have are distractions. I realize that extraneous sex scenes are the way such books are done now, but it is still a mistake. I don't object to sex scenes, per se; I object to authors trying to entertain readers with them when the sex scenes are for prurient purposes only.
I didn't really care about the defense lawyer's love affairs while she was in college, or her affairs while she is working on the defense of the girl. It added up to padding and diluted the central plot.
Somehow I wasn't quite sold on the author's knowledge of the Amish ways. On one hand the Amish reject modern ways, but in this book they accept several modern ways--without explanation. Orange juice, for a smaller example. Certainly the Amish can buy orange juice at the market, but it is not natural to their rural Pennsylvania environment, and such exceptions needed to be at least noted.
I was also taken aback by some of the errors of language. For example, there are no cement barn floors. If there were, they would be awfully dusty. Ditto for sidewalks, pillars, etc. The correct word is concrete. Cement is what binds the aggregate. Also, there are several cases where the subjunctive form of the verb is called for but does not appear. Exact words are the basic tools for any good writer, and when they are used in a sloppy manner, the result is marred, even if a reader is not quite sure why.
The characters are mostly okay, except for the "Englisch," who are often annoying. The atmosphere of the Amish farm feels right. But the biggest flaw is with the padded plot. Remove about 100 pages and this would be a much improved novel.
Book Review: Plainly Engrossing
Summary: 4 Stars
Of the three of Ms. Picoult's family novels that I've read, I enjoyed "Plain Truth" most of all. Perhaps it's because I spent a few years of my youth living near the Pennsylvania Dutch country, giving the book a comfortable feel. More likely it's because of the research she did in advance of writing the book, living among the Plain people and learning their ways, so that the story would seem so genuine. Picoult also gets high marks for her ongoing comparison between "English" and "Plain" concepts of truth and justice, retribution and forgiveness, and family and female fulfillment.
One small quibble is that the "English" attorney's backstory is perhaps a little too diametrically contrasted to the Plain lifestyle. Still it sets up the drama in the relationship between attorney and client, an 18-year old Plain woman accused of killing her newborn child, and in how the case is handled in court, as half-understandings and misunderstandings drive the twists and turns of the plot.
Exploring complicated relationships among young people and adults is clearly Ms. Picoult's strength, and as in The Pact: A Love Story (about teen suicide), even the ultimate resolution isn't cut and dried. "Plain Truth" also benefits from being less self-consciously literate (as in The Tenth Circle: A Novel, which was modeled after Dante's "Inferno"), rather, it's a plainly told tale with enough going on to keep the reader's attention to the last page.
I started reading Picoult's books thinking they were young adult fiction, but I've come to appreciate them for her ability to cross the generational line between adult and teenage characters. I'm surprised that none of her novels have been adapted for the screen. **** and a 1/2 to "Plain Truth", again recommended to all readers of family-driven fiction.
Book Review: A very interesting insight into the Amish world
Summary: 4 Stars
As reflected by most reviewers and readers, I suppose that when you are a prolific and successful writer, the numerous books published do not always meet expectations. Personally, this is my fourth book by Jodie Picoult I am pleased to report that I have liked it as much as I did the first one I read by her, `My Sister's Keeper'. (The other two, `The Tenth Circle' and `Perfect Match' were not up to standard in my opinion).
Pennsylvania, present day. The tiny body of a newborn baby boy is found in an Amish barn. Evidence of a recent delivery is discovered and it all points to Katie Fisher, the 18 year-old daughter of an Amish farmer, but she denies both a pregnancy and any knowledge of the baby. It is soon clear that the baby died of unnatural causes. Katie is accused of murder. This rocks the notoriously peaceful and non-violent boat of the local Amish community.
Ellie, a distant relative and a successful defence attorney, agrees to represent Katie in court but to do so, she has to live at the farm, with Katie and her family, until the legal case is set into motion. Being an `Englisher' all the way through, Ellie finds herself in a very atypical environment and starts discovering the Amish way of life, while trying to extrapolate the truth and an explanation from Katie, who denies every charge, and while confronting a few personal issues herself.
Eventually, a suspenseful courtroom drama ensues.
Well researched, fluent narrative, an interesting setting -the Amish culture, of which I knew very little about, clashing with the Western world- and an engaging plot, definitely intriguing. The only reservations I have with this book are, in this order, its length as the essence would not have been spoiled or lost had it been shortened by at least 80 or so pages -it does get repetitive at times- and secondly, its epilogue, a bit predictable I thought. But only a bit. A part from that, a well crafted, entertaining and emotional story.
Book Review: Plain Truth is just plain GOOD!
Summary: 4 Stars
I must admit that I am a sucker for a crime drama, courtroom drama, with a little Amish sprinkled in. I couldn't resist Plain Truth and had some high expectations for this book. Jodi Picoult didn't disappoint. Reading this book was everything a good read should be--effortless, engrossing, intriguing, and difficult to set down. I'm pretty stingy with my stars, but this is a solid 4 to 4.5 star book.
I loved the straightforward style of Jodi Picoult's writing--it's straightforward with the right balance of description. So many popular authors try to force a lyrical style that comes off as pompous and detracts from the actual storytelling--the reader gets bogged down in the language and the reading becomes very tedious. Not so with this book. Jodi Picoult's writing style is the perfect mix that conjures up the images needed to produce imagery that enhances the story while at the same time moving the story along. There is no complaint from me that this book is too long, I didn't feel it drag at any point and I could have kept on reading. I was fascinated by the Amish community in the book, as well as the central event of the book.
For my cons, please keep reading, however, there may be minor ** SPOILERS ** below. (You may not want to read below if you haven't read the entire book yet.)
The author's "twist" at the end was one that I had suspected all along. I haven't read others' reviews here (yet--I wanted to write my own review first) but I suspect that other readers probably will see this coming as well. Still, that wasn't a negative. The big distraction for me was the surprise that Ellie got (regarding Coop) near the end. I think the book would've been just fine without this distracting secondary story line. I don't know that it took anything away, but I don't know that it added anything either, at least for me.
Book Review: Loose ends and a little too long, but definitely worth the read.
Summary: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed this book, although it did have its problems. I think people read reviews mostly to find out what others didn't like, so I'll start with that.
It took a while to really get going - on page 131, I didn't feel like I knew any more than I did on page 20.
I also feel like Picoult tried to do a little too much with this book, such as the supernatural element. It was pretty unnecessary to the plot, and also kind of awkward because while it did have a big impact on one major character, it wasn't so important to the story as a whole. So, to me it felt like it should have been important, but it wasn't. It seemed like something that was just sort of thrown in.
Similarly, there were two characters, Lizzie and Leda, who I thought were going to be important and who just disappeared throughout most of the novel, for the most part. I didn't care so much with Lizzie, but I really think that Leda could have been an interesting character and addition to the story.
The ending left too many questions in my mind, which I find annoying. I don't mean thought-provoking or interesting questions, but frustrating, confused questions.
And my last complaint - the love story. Come on, really. Why does every novel with a female protagonist have to have a love story? It was cheesy, at best.
So why did I give it four stars? Mostly because throughout the book I found myself actually caring about what happened to these characters. I felt like I had a decent sense of who they were and I also enjoyed the writing style for the most part (although it was redundant at times - if I had to read about Katie blushing again, I was going to scream.) I was also interested to learn many new things about the Amish.
Really, if I could I would give this book 3.5 stars, but I rounded up. It's worth a read. :)