Rating  - Changes Hearts and Minds
If you've read earlier reviews, you know the storyline: June's first husband died in a car accident leaving her with a small daughter. The police officer who brought the bad news becomes the knight on the white steed, wooing and winning her and her daughter's affections. Then, just as in old fairy tales, when June is married to the policeman, pregnant and renovating their home, the idyll is disrupted by the evil one, who appears in the guise of a young carpenter. Picoult has carved out a literary niche by her use of simple prose to present themes that disturb and challenge the reader. Few writers are as adept at telling such a story without setting up a complex plot with ten-syllable words. In this book, the naturally spoken conversations among the characters contrast with great effect to the sublime subjects of sin and atonement. It may well test what we say are our religious beliefs and how justice and retribution fit into them. Shay Bourne is a murderer. Or is he? He has messianic powers? Or does he? Early on, the truth of the crime is obvious to some readers. It's the getting to the revelation that provokes an examination of the protagonists' (and the reader's) conscience that continues after the last page is turned. Although this reader suspended disbelief at certain points, this may be the writer's tactic in reinforcing that things (especially those that are driven by faith) are not always explainable. There is one contradiction in describing Shay Bourne: The accused and convicted murderer is introduced as socially and verbally inept. In the middle of the book, his lawyer says he "could barely string together a coherent sentence." This is after he has held several very coherent conversations with his lawyer and Father Michael, his spiritual advisor. But, this is a small matter. What makes this an exceptional read is that Picoult doesn't tie up all the loose ends so that everyone lives happily ever after. The reader has to accept that some of the characters get what they deserve, some get what they want, and most of them get what they need.
Rating - This one really made me think...
Change of Heart was the first novel of Jodi Picoult's that I'd ever read. I really didn't know what to expect when I first picked it up, but what I discovered was a story that literally gave me chills.
I am generally against capital punishment, but what made me so uncomfortable about this novel is the fact that I found myself actually wondering if I'd feel differently about the death penalty if I knew that every excecuted inmate would be donating his/her organs to those who need them. It was a really eerie feeling.
That, combined with the fact that all of the characters - even the convicted murderer - were written in a way that made them completely sympathetic to the reader made this book impossible for me to put down. I read it in nearly one sitting during a road trip I took with my husband this summer and since then I've done my best to read most of Ms. Picoult's other works.
Now, I don't know if I would feel differently about this story if I had read some of her other novels first. I don't have a frame of reference for previous books because of how and when I found this one. All I can say is this - This is a story that will really make you think. It will make you uncomfortable at times. It might scare you. It will certainly make you sad. But, at the same time, I believe that it will make you infinitely glad that you read it at all.
Rating - One of the Best Picoults Yet
As a fan of Jodi Picoult's previous work, I was eager to get my hands on her latest novel, Change of Heart. I wasn't disappointed either.
Picoult weaves together a tale of redemption, romance and religion with masterful prose. Each scene packs a punch and leaves the reader with a question that forces them to rethink how they approach certain issues. Fans of Picoult's earlier novels will find all of the elements that they are accustomed to: multiple character narration, courtroom drama, a New England setting, themes of family love and important moral questions that force the reader to re-examine a belief or an aspect of society. Newcomers to the Picoult universe also won't have any trouble becoming acquainted with her style.
Change of Heart opens with the trial and conviction of double murderer, Shay Bourne. From the beginning, Picoult brings up the question of capital punishment. After an holdout in the jury conviction by Michael, a graduate student, Shay is convicted and sentenced to death. However, this book isn't another rant about the death penalty.
The story picks up eleven years later, when Shay is being moved to a new prison to await his execution after his final appeal was rejected. Not long after Shay is transferred, unexplainable things begin to happen: water in the cell block is turned to wine, a prisoner with AIDS is suddenly cured, a man is brought back to life...and Shay, who is to die by lethal injection, wants to donate his heart after his execution to the stepsister of the man and child that he killed.
A media circus ensues. Enter Michael, now a Catholic priest, and Maggie, an ACLU lawyer. Together, the two work on Shay's case, and unearth religious questions. Could Shay Bourne be the Messiah? Ian Fletcher, a tele-atheist from Picoult's Keeping Faith, a novel which explored similar religious themes, also makes an appearance in the novel and raises more unorthodox questions about religion. In the end, Picoult leaves it up to the reader to decide what they believe about Shay Bourne and Christianity.
Picoult has perfected the art of successfully mixing literary and commercial fiction. Even though this novel leans more toward the literary than commercial side, readers who enjoy a stimulating piece of literature, an underdog romance or a legal drama similar to Law & Order will enjoy this book.
Rating - Mesmerizing. One of a kind.
This is the tragic story of a troubled man and the people who come together because of him.
June Nealon had lost her 1st. husband in a car accident feeling lost and devastated until she finds love again with a police officer Kurt Nealon with whom she conceives her youngest daughter Claire.
After a short period of bliss June is put to the test once again when she loses both Kurt and Elizabeth due to gun shots.
Shay Bourne a young carpenter is reported and found guilty of both murders. He is given the death penalty because he couldn't and didn't defend himself.
Now after 11 years waiting to die Shay gets one chance of salvation. June's daughter Claire is dying and needs a heart to survive and Shy will give her his heart.
Father Michael, the priest who was part of Shay's convicting jury and Maggie, the lawyer who decides to help Shay donate his heart, are brought together due to Shay and will always have his memory to share.
This is a moving story of redemption, justice and love.
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