Hey guys!
So before I start this review, I have one thing to mention:
I'd love to see Jodi Picoult and James Patterson write a book together. I don't know what made me think of that, but I did. I feel like Jodi's emotional connection with the reader and twists combinded with Patterson's good eye for a mystery and what-not and both of their legal system and court writing would be a really good combination.
Anyways, here's my review, and it does have a few spoilers, so if you haven't read Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult, don't read this, unless you have absolutely no intention on ever reading it.
First off, I really liked this book. It captivated me, it made me want to cry at some points, and for God knows what reason, I felt connected to it. That said, I only would give it four stars. As much as I really liked it, it didn't have that je ne sais quoi that Nineteen Minutes had, which is my favourite of her books, at least in my opinion. It just felt like it was missing something, even though I couldn't figure out what it was.
The book is told through four narrators--Father Michael, Maggie Bloom, June Nealon and inmate Lucius DuFresne. I love books that have multiple narrators because I love hearing the different side of things from the various different people who all come from different sides of the story (a lawyer, a priest/spiritual advisor to a death row prisoner, the victim's mother/wife and the friendly/observant inmate). I can't say I even have a favourite narrator, because I liked them all for different reasons.
I liked Father Michael, because it was interesting to see how much he had changed between when he was on the jury on Shay's case to being his spiritual advisor on the other side of the spectrum. I liked Maggie because a) I want to be a lawyer, so naturally, I love hearing lawyers' perspectives on things b) because I related so much to her other than the law thing, like our love of British guys for example c) she changed so much through the duration of the novel, so sublty, but I loved seeing the overall transformation. June was probably my least favourite narrator, because I felt like she was too whiney and stubborn. Which, okay, she'd been through two dead husbands, a dead daughter and a daughter needing a heart transplant, but still. Then again, it's a Jodi Picoult book, so what should I expect. I liked her, though, because her view was so different from the other three's. Lucius was interesting. It was kind of cool to see the story through someone who spent a lot of time around Shay and was kind of in the same shoes as him, and I think that added to the story.
Moving on (I don't really like giving a synopsis of the book, so I'll keep it short). The story is about what happens on the path to Shay Bourne's execution, and whether or not he really was a "messiah" or just fooling everyone, and how he desperately wants to give his heart to Claire Nealon. In short, Maggie takes the case to court, wins, so Shay is hung instead of killed through lethal injection, so he can donate his heart, which allows Claire to live.
So, on to more of my opinions, observations and what-not:
1. I thought it was kind of ironic that the dog was born around the time that Elizabeth and Kurt were murdered and then the dog kind of died when Shay died/Claire got her new heart.
2. I liked how it came full-circle in a non-traditional way. Shay started off performing so-called miracles, but then when Claire gets his heart, she brings the dog back to life.
3. So, the gum and the biblical lines and the description of Michael's grandfather were explained. And Lucius died of AIDS afterall. So, what about the wine in the pipes of the prison?
And I tink that basically sums it up!
Jules
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