Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Nov 08

13

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on November 13, 2008
Posted in Books Read 2008 • Jodi Picoult  | 20 Comments

What Lengths Should a Family Go to Save a Life?

Anna was conceived as a bone marrow donor for her sister Kate. Originally it was just going to be taken from the placenta but when that didn’t hold, Anna ended up being a long-term donor for Kate. By the age of 13, Anna had undergone several surgeries and transfusions. Now she is expected to donate a kidney to her sister. Now she will draw a line in the sand. She will fight this.
What length should parents and siblings’ go to save a family member’s life? What is ethical, moral, and legal? What is right for the person who has the disease? Picoult does not give us the answers but leads us through the journey of what one family, lawyers, and the courts go through. In the end, we must decide.
I like how the narrative of the story switches from character to character so that we can get inside what each person is thinking and feeling. Picoult also throws in a few twists and turns to keep the story and plot going.
Several people have recommended this book to me. I must admit I hesitated, blowing it off as “chick lit”. Boy was I wrong. This story is not superficial fluff; it deals with deep ethical issues and is well written.
This is the first Jodi Picoult book I have read, but it is certainly not the last. I highly recommend My Sister’s Keeper!

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 08

26

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 26, 2008
Posted in Books Read 2008 • David Guterson • Historical Fiction  | 18 Comments


Vivid and Beautiful

The year is 1954 and Kabuo Miyamoto a Japanese American fisherman is standing trial for murder in small town in Puget Sound Washington. Up until World War II, his family was growing strawberries and making payments towards owning the land they lived and worked on. With the onset so the war left for the land, they were sent away to a Japanese internment camp. After the war ended they came back to Puget Sound only to find the land that they had struggled for was sold.

The narrator of the story was the journalist covering the trial, Ishmael Chambers. As a child, he played with and later fell in love with Hatsue. When she was sent to the Japanese internment camp with her family, she sent Ishmael a “Dear John” letter. When she returned to Puget Sound, she was married to Kabuo Miyamoto.

Ishmael never stopped loving Hatsue and may be the only one to be able to uncover the truth and set Kabuo free. Will he let his feelings get in the way of doing the right thing? My lips are sealed.

This is a book of love, friendship, betrayal, honor, tradition, and racism. David’s Guterson’s characters ring true to me. His writing flows beautifully as he peels away the layers of the town and it’s inhabitants. This is a fast reading book that I didn’t want to put down. I highly recommend it!

4/5

Note to my fellow bloggers who also reviewed this book: If you would like me to link your review at the bottom of my review, please leave a comment with the link to your review.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 08

23

The Longest Journey by Diana Patterson and Rita Turner

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 23, 2008
Posted in Australia • Books Read 2008 • Diana Patterson • Historical Fiction • Rita Turner  | 9 Comments

An Amazing Journey and Amazing Historical Fiction!

As a young child, Elspeth lived with her father, the groundskeeper of the estate of Lord Reginald Westerna. When her father died, Lord Westerna took her in and bought her up as a Lady. She was the daughter he never had.

As a young woman, Elspeth’s wealthy English gentry’ world collapses when Lord Reginald Westerna dies and leaves her alone with her cruel stepbrother, Warwick. His jealousy and hatred of her brings him to accuse her of a crime she didn’t commit and she is sentenced to deportation to Australia.

There, the Governor of the Colony, Sir Rossmore, employs her. He is widowed and once he learns Elspeth’s story, she rises in station and a romance between the two begins.
This is a beautifully written story, that really captures the time and place of both England’s and Australia’s rich gentry. We also get a glimpse at the dark “underbelly” of the two countries. It is a story of love, courage, adversity, and romance. It has a fine cast of characters and a well thought out plot. A lot of research must have gone into writing this story and describing the costuming of the day.
I highly recommend this wonderful book.
5/5
Thanks to Diana Patterson and Rita Turner for an advance reading copy!

Note to my fellow bloggers who also reviewed this book: If you would like me to link your review at the bottom of my review, please leave a comment with the link to your review.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

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