Review of Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

Rating - 3

 

Max and Zoe Baxter have tried for 9 years to have a child. After Zoe miscarried a child at 28 weeks, Max decides he can't handle it anymore and divorces Zoe. Zoe and Max go their separate
ways...Max lives with his brother and sister-in-law who belong to an evangelical Christian Church. After nearly being killed after a drunken accident, Max embraces the church's teachings and becomes "born again". Zoe meets and becomes best friends with the guidance counselor at the school where she performs music therapy, Vanessa Shaw. Vanessa is a lesbian and eventually, Zoe realizes she is too and the two women marry. When Vanessa and Zoe decide they would like to have a child, Zoe remembers that there are three frozen embryos left from when she and Max were trying to have a child. When she contacts the fertility clinic to use the embryos, she is told that she must have Max's permission since they are biologically half his. When Max discusses the issue with his pastor, the pastor convinces him that homosexuality is a sin and that the embryos shouldn't be given to people who live a sinful life. A court battle ensues.


This is a typical Picoult book that takes a controversial issue...in this case, homosexuality...  and presents the conflict from all points of view. The book is a fast-paced, emotional, instructive and entertaining read. Unfortunately, the story features too many sub-plots which were not fully explored and, at times, left unresolved. This would have been better if it were more tightly plotted.

Review of The Summons by John Grisham

Rating - 3

When Ray Atlee receives a summons from his dying father, Judge Reuben Atlee, he immediately flies back home to Mississippi. When rhe arrives, he finds his father dead in his chair in his home office. Judge Atlee had been in the final stages  of cancer and in severe pain, so Ray felt a mixture of grief and relief. His brother, Forrest, has been summoned also, so Ray decides to wait until he calls the coroner and the authorities, so Forrest can say goodbye in private. While Ray waits for his brother to arrive, he looks in a cabinet behind the sofa for some paper to write on and discovers a number of identical boxes. He opens one of the boxes and discovers it's full of money. After going through the rest of the boxes, he finds a total of $3 million. Ray is stunned. Where did this money come from? Why was it hidden? Who else knows it's there? Ray decides he can't just leave it there, so he moves all of the boxes to another location and decides not to tell anyone about the money until he knows more about it, not even his brother. Thus starts a journey of discovery for Ray. Along the way, he will learn more about his father and brother, will be followed and have his life threatened numerous times.
Parts of this book are very suspenseful and it is very fast-paced. There is a suspenseful build-up to the end, but nothing really happens. I felt let-down when I finished it.

Review of Casting About by Terri DuLong

Rating = 3 

Monica and Brad have been married only a few months when Brad learns his ex-wife has been in an accident and he will have full custody of his 11 year old daughter, Clarissa. Monica has never been sure she wanted children and now must learn to care for an 11 year old child. Clarissa's life with her mother has been unstable since her mother is an alcoholic and it takes time for her to learn to trust Brad and Monica. Now Monica has her hands full being a newlywed, raising a pre-teen and running her own business, a yarn shop in the small town of Cedar Key.

This is a sweet, entertaining story of life in a small town, the importance of family and friends and the many faces of love. The dialog spoken by the characters seemed to be a southern dialect, maybe, but it didn't ring true and seemed stilted at times. Although this second book in the Cedar Key series can be read as a stand alone title, I think it would be more entertaining to read the books in order.  I'm looking forward to going back and reading book 1, Spinning Forward.

Review of Rescue by Anita Shreve

Rating = 3
2011 TBR Challenge - January

Peter Webster is a young, single man still living with his parents and in training to become a paramedic when he responds to a call for an automobile accident on a lonely stretch of highway. The minute Peter sees the young woman injured in the accident, he is drawn to her. Sheila is also a young woman with a mysterious past with no money and no job. Peter and Sheila begin to see each other and Peter falls hopelessly in love with her. Sheila appears to love Peter as well and after a night of passion, Sheila becomes pregnant. They marry and their daughter, Rowan is born. At first life seems blissful, but soon Sheila's past catches up with her.

Told over a span of 19 years, Rescue is a story of love, broken dreams and resurrection. Highly readable, the book is fast-paced and keeps the reader drawn in to the story until the very end. Having said that, the book didn't live up to my expectations for some reason. The characters weren't that compelling and I didn't really care about them. It was an enjoyable read, but not a "must read",