Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

I made the mistake of asking the friend from whom I borrowed the book what it was about, which skewed the first half of the book for me. I still enjoyed the whole book, even slipping away on Thanksgiving to read it.

Review:
Written in three parts, present-past-present, Picoult works her magic in weaving the stories of many characters into one tale. This story spans over a hundred years of one family’s hidden history while tackling the issues of eugenics and genetics. I’m a sucker for books, movies, anything where I get to make the connections and put together the details into a completed puzzle. Without spoiling the novel, I can tell you that this is the story of lonely people finding something worth living for. The book was long, and bordered on the fine line between overboard and tying up the loose ends. After finishing it, I did appreciate Picoult’s attention to detail and the fact that no questions were left unanswered. I would recommend this book to someone who wants to curl up with a blanket on a cold weekend and enjoy reading something a little magical, a little sad, and a lot about love.

Girl Mary by Petru Popescu

I have always been drawn to historical religious fiction, particularly about biblical women. Is that even a genre in itself? The cover of this novel caught my eye, and I pulled out my iPhone in the middle of Barnes and Noble to google the title to see if it was about The Mary, not just A Mary. As this was in the regular fiction section, I figured it would be a work of historical fiction, not Christian fiction.

Review:
The book was easy to read. It jumps right in to the story of Mary at the well, and later gives you the back story. Told from two perspectives, Pontius Pilate and Mary Amneh, the story gives a new outlook on what Mary’s life may have been like prior to the birth of Jesus as well as the politics of Roman Times. As a woman the story resonated with me, and although this was definitely not Christian fiction I found that it did pose some theological questions. Throughout the story, I found myself asking: is she the chosen one? will there be immaculate conception? will the book tell about the birth and beyond? The only answer I can give without spoiling the book is that the story ends before any “Jesus Story” begins. After finishing the novel, I immediately wanted to open the book of Luke and re-read the biblical version. I would recommend this book to any woman who likes biblical fiction, or wants to get a glimpse into what life was like for women during this time period.

If you liked this, try:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card
Lilah by Marek Halter

Formatting

I haven't finished reading any of the 3 books I'm in the middle of right now. Luckily, that is giving me time to get my blog ready. I know the easiest thing would be to just download a template from another site, but it goes against my nature. So, instead of taking the easy way, I borrowed Adobe from my sister and am in the process of figuring out how to make my own template. I have so many ideas and am so excited to combine my love of computers and art with books, for this project. Ideally, I hope to publish reviews of the books that I am reading. I'm doing this a) to keep a record b) because I love writing c) I miss blogging and d) in hopes of becoming one of those lucky people publishers choose to send free books to. Wish me luck!