Saturday, March 13, 2010

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Originality- 18/20
Characters- 19/20
Remembrance- 8/10
Quote-ability- 8/10
Entertainment- 17/20
Ending- 9/10
Recommend to read- 8/10
TOTAL- 87/100
Grade- B

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?
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This was just about 0ne of the saddest books that I've ever read. Once you realize how fragile Willow's life is you expect every single little accident to end in her death. This has you on the edge of your seat and biting your nails.

Like all of Picoult's books that I've read each character has so much depth that I feel like I have known them forever. Even though Willow only had one chapter that she narrated personally I fely like she spoke to me throughout the entire novel. I always think that I won't care about the lawyer or the doctor at the beginning but I always get so wrapped up in their stories in the end as well.

Even the book wasn't chock full of mystery or action it kept me so interested. Every aspect of everyone's personal stories woven together was amazing. You never get bored of anyone.

Overall I have to say that Handle with Care was a heart wrenching story that got your mind working and your tears. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Jodi Picoult's books in the past or wants to read something with more character depth than your average novel.

-Amanda

2 comments:

Robby said...

I love Jodi Picoult, and this was one of my favorite books she's released. :]

Simply_Megan said...

I love Jodi Picoult! I'll have to check this one out.