Product Description

The 400,000 copy Richard & Judy bestseller reissued with a brilliant new livery, a classic backlist title from the inimitable Jodi Picoult.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #182 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

Features

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
• Guaranteed packaging
• No quibbles returns

Review
'Jodi Picoult is not one to shy away from fictional controversy; in fact, the more tangled and messy a moral dilemma appears, the better she likes it. (Daily Mail )

'Picoult has been incredibly successful in dissecting the pain that family members go through when faced with sensitive and emotive issues' ( Daily Express )

'Picoult, once again, grabs a razor-sharp issue and uses her brilliantly intricate pen to expose all the shades of grey with PERFECTION.'

People Magazine
'This beautifully crafted novel will grab readers with its stunning topic '

Publishers Weekly
'Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity'

Customer Reviews

How far should we go?
I have only recently discovered Jodi Picoult, in fact the last book I read was The Pact written by her. I was so impressed by that book that I didn't believe this book could be as good; it was good to be proved wrong. From just these two books I think Jodi Picoult has jumped to the top of my favourite authors list. Like The Pact, the writing style is one that I haven't enjoyed in the past where each chapter is from the point of view of a different person or in a different time but which Jodi Picoult is proving is a useful tool to provide the full information for a story.

This story is also a gritty issue where the parents have a third child, genetically selected to be a donor for her sister with cancer. I've heard in the news about families who want to do this, but haven't really thought what happens beyond the birth of the child. Whereas this books takes you through that journey where Anna is repeatedly in hospitable throughout her thirteen years to provide donations for her sister. Her sister now needs a kidney and Anna has had enough.

Having finished the book I still don't know which side of the argument I stand on and when I think of the reactions of the characters they are so well written I honestly can't say I would behave any differently if I was in any of their positions.

Awesome, inspiring and beautifully written.
A short while ago, I was asked what my favourite 3 books ever were...because i've read so many books of differing genres I found this a difficult one...until I read this. Without doubt it's my number 1 book so far.

Following the harrowing and heart-breaking family life of Sara and Brian, whose son Jesse is a tearaway, daughter Kate has been diagnosed with terminal leukaemia and youngest daughter Anna - conceived through IVF to be a genetic match for her dying sister - has had enough. Since the second Anna was born she's donated blood, bone marrow and more to her sister without being consulted and the final straw is the assumption that she'll give up a kidney to Kate as a last grasp at saving her life. Anna's a teenage girl who's always lived in her sister's shadow, decides to take her parents to court, for the rights to her own body.

Each chapter is written from a different perspective, which adds to the depth and complexity of this book. One moment I was sympathising with Anna and feeling shock at her mother's apparent callousness and biased love. The next, I found myself crying at Sara's love for her daughters and her feelings of utter helplessness in such a desperate situation. Each viewpoint shows a different angle to this awful dilemma and gives the novel the fullness and credibility it needed to do it justice.

This is a contentious issue and always will be, and Picoult has depicted the harrowing decisions and predicaments faced by families like this with great sensitivity.

I usually, once engrossed in a book, fly through the pages in a bid to reach the end. However, with this, it was so beautifully written I lingered over every word. Picoult's descriptive prose invokes such potent images and there are snippets in here, so simple in their metaphors or similes, that made me stop and think about my life and how fortunate I really am.

I went into this with no expectations - I read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebould and anticipated a torrent of tears which never actually came. Well they did with this - I found myself completely moved by this beautifully written book.

Not only is the storyline gripping - right to the last page - but the prose is quality. Not a book to read if you're after a barrel of laughs (although I did chuckle at the lawyer sometimes! There is humour in dark places, after all) but a thought-provoking, heart-breaking, truly wonderful novel.

Difficult to put down
This is the story of a family in crisis. Sara and Brian have three children: Kate, Jesse and Anna. When Kate was a young child she was diagnosed with Leukemia and needed bone marrow. The problem being that her other sibling at the time, Jesse, wasn't a match. Brian and Sara conceive Anna, knowing that she is a genetic match for Kate and will therefore be a match for her. The idea being that Kate can receive cord blood when Anna is born. However, over time, Kate needs more and more from Anna and Anna has had enough of being treated as spare parts for her sister. When she hires an attorney to argue for medical emancipation from her parents - Sara is less than pleased and fights back.

This is the story of one 13 year old girl who feels that the only reason she is here is to keep her sister alive. She is unable to do many of the things she wants to do because her sister might need her blood, platelets, bone marrow or finally kidney at any time.

This is an emotional story from start to end and involves stories involving other members of the family intermingled througout. I do love Jodi Picoult stories and found this one a tear jerker. Enjoy