Title: Handle With CareAuthor: Jodi Picoult
Pub Date: March 3, 2009
Pages: 496
Genre: Fiction
Challenges: Support Your Library Challenge; 100+
Rating: 3.5/5
And an extra added bonus: Books & Cooks posted a recent article found in Newsweek that brought up Picoult.
Brief Summary (since I'm sure everyone has heard it already) Once upon a time there was a pastry chef named Charlotte who had a daughter, Amelia, and a pediatrician for a best friend, named Piper. One day Piper is speeding, dreamy cop gives her a ticket, and she immediately thinks he would be perfect for Charlotte. Sean, said dreamy cop, meets Charlotte, they fall in love and marry. And what comes after marriage? Yup, you guessed it, a baby Willow in a padded carriage. Ah, notice the padded added element? That's because little Willow has OI (osteogenesis imperfecta) which means she will essentially break - over and over again - the bones in her body. Drama ensues when Charlotte is introduced to the notion of suing her pediatrician and, that's right a quick reminder, her BEST FRIEND.
My thoughts
There's been a couple of conversation strands in the past couple of weeks about Jodi Picoult, her talent, her skills, and her formula. I think that it's pretty agreed (even by her fans like myself) that Picoult rights under a formula. I wrote that I compared Picoult's book to Lifetime movie specials (although I don't watch Lifetime, it just seems like the most accurate description). I know what I'm getting into when reading a Picoult novel and I genuinely like what I'm getting into. I know it's not literature; I don't think that the author ever really tried to market herself in that manner. And although I once was quite the book snob (it seemed like the given when earning your degree in Lit) I shed that snobbery as soon as I began teaching twelve year olds.
So here's the thing, yeah, sure, I totally wish one day Jodi Picoult would surprise me and maybe Willow could have been a bitchy unruly child...but ultimately, I still feel for the character, I was still pulled in hook, line, and sinker. I raced to come home and stayed up late read the chapters. And you know what, I'll do it again. (Haha, sometime this year even, since I have about three or four of her books on my TBR shelves).
Oh yeah, I also liked the cooking references and the recipes that were mixed in with the chapters.
I have only ever read one Jodi Picoult and that was the supernatural one - Second Glance. I really enjoyed it and I should try and read more. This one sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteI've read a few Picoult books and enjoyed them. I'll probably read this one at some point. I agree about the formulaic writing, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading this book. It's hitting real close to home for me as my daughter has Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 3, although I can't imagine a wrongful birth lawsuit! I was a big fan of Picoult before this read and I'm sure I will continue to be! I'm glad that she is bringing awareness about OI even if it was unintentional to do so.
ReplyDeleteScrap girl - I haven't read Second Glance yet, but it's on my bookshelf. Glad to hear that you enjoyed it! :)
ReplyDeleteAnna - Isn't it funny how she writes the same way but yet they're still *so* good. She's very lyrical and her character's emotions are so right on!
Melissa - Oh wow. I imagine that reading the book is rather difficult at times. I think what I like the most about Picoult are the topics she researches for her writing.