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Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult MAG

By Continuum GOLD, Little Rock, Arkansas
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Continuum GOLD, Little Rock, Arkansas
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Jodi Picoult's newest novel, Change of Heart, has topped both the New York Times hardcover and paperback best-seller lists for weeks, and received rave reviews. Change of Heart is being dubbed one of Picoult's best books yet, but I disagree.

While I am a die-hard fan, I feel that Change of Heart is ­extremely dragged out. Like most of her novels, it is narrated by a number of characters, each personally connecting with the reader in a way that forces you to empathize.

Eleven years earlier, Shay Bourne murdered June Nealon's husband and daughter and is sentenced to death. Fast-forward to the present, and June's other daughter is growing up with severe heart problems. The story focuses on Shay's decision to donate his heart to June's daughter ­after he's put to death. The only problem: lethal injection stops the heart.

Change of Heart follows a series of events surrounding June and Shay that ­focus on ­religion and the law. While the plot is exciting and intense, 464 pages are far too many to tell this story. Picoult includes an enormous amount of detail, but unfortunately I feel this leaves the reader uninterested.

In conclusion, this book might be better for a first-time Picoult reader. The story is ­decent but follows the same route as all her other books: you think you have it all figured out but then there's a twist at the end. I give it two and a half out of five stars.

Image Credit: Amazon.com

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This article has 43 comments.

Saffron_tides GOLD said...
on Dec. 18 2010 at 11:54 am
Saffron_tides GOLD, Dubai, Other
14 articles 0 photos 54 comments

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This book is great but definitely not J. Picoult's best. She may have tugged the heart strings a fair many times in the book with an emotional character like Shay, but once one gets used to her style; this doesn't leave a lasting impression. This year was a commercial success for Picoult but I dont agree about it being her best year in the literary sense
Phoenixx GOLD said...
on Nov. 4 2010 at 6:25 pm
Phoenixx GOLD, Toronto, Other
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I agree with your opinion. It feels as though shes trying out the same thought in different ways and in different scenarios. The ends of the books are good, but considering the fact you know whats going to happen in the beginning why not just flip to the end to see whats going on? After all, you've read the story a gazillion other times in a different format. Different format, but same story. Shes a very talented writer, but I wish she wrote a book that didn't heavily rely on her past books. 
Stefegg PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 17 2010 at 5:48 pm
Stefegg PLATINUM, Maysville, Missouri
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I haven't read it, but I had planned on it.  I do think The Pact is by far her best, I never wanted to put it down. I do feel some of her books are drug out and shouldn't take so long to tell the story she is telling, but it's not extremely bad. I'll keep your review in mind as I read it.
bokworm SILVER said...
on May. 12 2010 at 7:42 pm
bokworm SILVER, Moreno Valley, California
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i loved that book but good reviw
bokworm SILVER said...
on May. 5 2010 at 12:04 pm
bokworm SILVER, Moreno Valley, California
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life is gets easier by what you do not by what you don&#039;t

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i l-o-v-e-d this book i dont see how any one can did like it good revew
FlamableFyre DIAMOND said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 7:27 pm
FlamableFyre DIAMOND, Spartanburg, South Carolina
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um im sorry but i disagree with you. i loved that book, it was one of my favorites. again im sorry but i completely disagree with you.
soletmar BRONZE said...
on Mar. 7 2010 at 3:34 pm
soletmar BRONZE, Dobbs Ferry, New York
3 articles 24 photos 65 comments

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&quot;If you wanna be a dancer dance/ In you wanna be a miner mine/ If you wanna dress like somebody else/ Fine fine fine/ Cause what the hell is wrong with expressing yourself/ And trying to be free?&quot;<br /> Draco: &quot;You know they don&#039;t have dances at pigfarts.&quot;

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Sorry to say this... but i loved that book. It was definitely amazing for the average book standards, but being a crazy Jodi Picoult fan, i thought it wasn't her best. The Pact probably got that place in my opinion. It was sad and amaaazzing! Change of Heart had me sucked into it but i feel like it was probably for Jodi Picoult standards a 4 out of 5.
Tayyyyy SILVER said...
on Jan. 21 2010 at 5:53 am
Tayyyyy SILVER, Clermont, Florida
8 articles 0 photos 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;You dont love someone because they&#039;re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they&#039;re not&quot;<br /> &mdash; Jodi Picoult (My Sister&#039;s Keeper)

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I also have to differ. I think that was a amazing book by Picoult and i think she deserves at least 4 stars.
aripoetry95 SILVER said...
on Nov. 17 2009 at 4:45 pm
aripoetry95 SILVER, Woodbridge, Virginia
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Yes there is alot of death, but isn't that how life is??
aripoetry95 SILVER said...
on Nov. 17 2009 at 4:44 pm
aripoetry95 SILVER, Woodbridge, Virginia
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But even though you pretty much know what happens, she still seems to be able to keep me reading til the end :)
aripoetry95 SILVER said...
on Nov. 17 2009 at 4:43 pm
aripoetry95 SILVER, Woodbridge, Virginia
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Well done on the review, but i beg to differ. Let me just start off with this, almost all of Jodi Picoult's books are in some way controversial. I love when she introduces all these characters and somehow finds a way to fit them all together. Another reason why the book was so good, was that she wrote about a whole new topic, religion along with her constant, law. I loved how she challenged the basics of religion.
patientkindbalancedfine BRONZE said...
on Oct. 26 2009 at 6:20 pm
patientkindbalancedfine BRONZE, New York, New York
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To the person above me:

Didn't mean to reply to your comment, I meant to add a new one :)

Sorry about that!
patientkindbalancedfine BRONZE said...
on Oct. 26 2009 at 6:18 pm
patientkindbalancedfine BRONZE, New York, New York
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This review is well-written, but i do disagree with the subject. I actually liked this book-- I LIKED that it was more involved in religion & law; i liked that it was controversial. Almost all of the people who i knew who read the book before me said they didn't like it...However, I think that what they didn't like was the "edgy" religion-based issues presented in the novel (all of the people were pretty religious Christians).

So, in all, I liked the book. Agreed: it's not Picoult's best, but she did take a risk, and I appreciated that.
Phantom_Girl GOLD said...
on Oct. 26 2009 at 9:51 am
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
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Good review, but I disagree. I think Change of Heart was one of her best.
Amber1994 GOLD said...
on Jun. 30 2009 at 8:20 pm
Amber1994 GOLD, Roanoke, Illinois
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I really liked this book. I cna agree that it did drag out a little, but not too much.
Lizzy12 GOLD said...
on May. 26 2009 at 3:39 pm
Lizzy12 GOLD, Palmyra, New York
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Jodi Picoult is a great author however all of her stories end in the same heartbreak main charter dies kind of way. Once you read 3 or 4 of her books you can pretty much tell what happens at the end.
EWJBEWW said...
on Apr. 23 2009 at 3:08 pm
First of all.

I thought it was a fascinating book!

If anything, its the enormous amount of detail, THAT leaves the reader interested.



secondly

EW at the person who lives near the jb! GROSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
TinanaBanana BRONZE said...
on Mar. 17 2009 at 5:36 pm
TinanaBanana BRONZE, Fredericton, Other
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Change of Heart is one of my favorite books. I completely disagree with your review. I guess you don't read books like Change of Heart often because it is amazing.
Qwerty said...
on Mar. 7 2009 at 5:58 am
I completely disagree. Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors, daresay I say my alltime favorite and Change of Heart was one of my favorites of her books. I really loved 'The Plain Truth' and 'My Sisters Keeper' as well as all her others. She's truly an amazing author.
runningforamsterdam said...
on Jan. 31 2009 at 11:16 pm
i loved this book.

it was the third book i read by Jodi Picoult,

and i'm over halfway through reading the rest.

i think she's just getting better..