Book Description:
"Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it? Is what we believe always the truth?

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart. Now her life is a waiting game. Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice. In short, waiting for a miracle to happen.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises. The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world. In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything for him. Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's eleven-year-old daughter, Claire. But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?"

Edited on 5/18 to add my following thoughts on the book:

Picoult's latest novel was a great disappointment. The topics she explored, capital punishment and unrecognized gospels, did not mesh well and the story was ill-conceived. Picoult's strength in past works has lied in painting the nuances related to contentious moral issues. In this work, she presents a very one-sided view of the death penalty and manages to take a step into absurdity by equating the inmate sentenced to death to Jesus. Though I can appreciate the direction that she was headed and can understand the appeal of the comparison, she implemented her plan so clumsily that it was almost embarassing to read. In addition, the "twist" was so obvious, you could predict it during the first 50 pages.

In addition, the concerns that June and Claire faced in deciding to accept Shay's heart felt like a real stretch. If a child is dying, how hard would it be to take any healthy heart that comes along? The tension in this book felt entirely Picoult-created and completely unconvincing.

Maybe the real problem is that we have come to expect too much from Picoult and so a very mediocre book is appalling coming from her pen.

I have mailed this on to KathyB for Amberkatze's m-bag. Amberkatze ended up with this book in the Annual Fortholder's Swap at bookobsessed.com

Received today from rootmartin for Amberkatze's m-bag

Thank you both!

I will most likely pass this on to a friend to read first.

From the English MeetUp
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Edit: Feb 2012

Jodi Picoult always finds very controversial topics for her novels, this time it's about a mother who has to decide if she wants to accept the heart of the murderer of her daughter for her sick second daughter.

This in itself was a very interesting and fascinating story. But there is also a large amount of religion, believing, God, and a new messiah thrown into it. Nothing I normally read, but I know that there is a huge audience in the US-market for topics and themes like this.

The story is told from four different viewpoints, and I'm still undecided if I like it this way (and the ever changing font style).

Altogether definitely worth a read, but not one of my favorites of Picoults books.

Bei der Ladies Night freigelassen.

OBCZ Café Einstein - am shelf

Lieber Finder!
Gratulation, dass Sie das Buch gefunden haben! Ich hoffe, Sie werden es mögen!
Ich würde mich sehr freuen, wenn Sie sich die Zeit nehmen, Ihre Meinung über das Buch nach dem Lesen hier einzugeben!
Das ist anonym und kostenlos für Sie!
Danke und viel Spaß beim Lesen wünscht,
CafeEinstein

Zur Information: am ersten Freitag jedes Monats ist ab 18 Uhr im Café Einstein ein allgemeines Bookcrossing Meeting, zu dem jede/r Bookcrosser/in willkommen ist.
An jedem dritten Freitag des Monats gibt es ebenhier und zur gleichen Zeit ein Meet-up der Bookcrosserinnen.
Bei Fragen dazu sende bitte eine e-mail an [email protected].

Dear Finder,
congratulations for finding this book. Please enter a journal entry, where you found the book and whether you liked it. Please let all previous owners know, whether it is save at your houes or whether you released it further.
Thanks in advance,
CafeEinstein

I'm a huge Picoult fan and to grab this one :-)

This is the first book by Jodi Picoult which disappointed me. I felt like I was reading a remake of the Stephen King novel "The Green Mile", but unfortunately I did not enjoy any of the characters, as in King's novel where John Coffey was likeable immediately.
Jodi usually has GREAT character development, and that is one aspect of her writing that is so wonderful, but she missed the mark it in this novel.
I hoped she would have deveoped June Nealon and her daugter Claire deeper, and perhaps she does later in the novel. However I stopped reading it after 114 pages. I do not care for any of the characters -especially Maggie.

Lieber Finder!
Gratulation, dass Sie das Buch gefunden haben! Ich hoffe, Sie werden es mögen!
Ich würde mich sehr freuen, wenn Sie sich die Zeit nehmen, Ihre Meinung über das Buch nach dem Lesen hier einzugeben!
Das ist anonym und kostenlos für Sie!
Danke und viel Spaß beim Lesen :-)