This book was really amazing! It is a very emotionally powerful book and well written. I would highly recommend this book to all my female friends and family.

This was the first book I read by Jodi Picoult. I picked up a signed hardcover edition on clearance at Borders by dumb luck. Her writing is simple but very powerful, and the story seemed to be ripped from the headlines. I couldn't put the book down and I couldn't quite guess at the ending, which is a rare treat for me. I have come to read many of Picoults novels, and though I have a little trouble with the metaphysical and suspension of disbelief, they are all well-written. Picoult does meticulous research into her subject, and I always learn a lot reading her.

I am a slow reader, especially in English because English is my second language. But, I really enjoy reading this book and like the story a lot.

Besides, the book was delivered to me very quick.

This book will break your heart, but it's still well worth the read - just be prepared for the tears that will invariably follow.
My Sister's Keeper is the story of Anna, a thirteen-year-old who is suing her parents for medical emancipation. Anna was conceived for the specific purpose of being a medical donor to her sister, Kate, who is dying of leukemia. But after years of constant surgeries and transfusions, Anna has decided that she no longer wants to play the role of guinea pig.
There are no right or wrong answers in this book, and Picoult takes great care to show every side of the story, as the book has been written from the perspective of seven different characters. There are no good guys or bad guys - only people trying to make the best choices they can. And this is what makes My Sister's Keeper such a heartbreaking read - you know that the someone's right to choose will lead to someone else's tragedy.




Zara Stevens
Boy Meets Girl: A Pocketful of Wedding Stories

My friend turned me on to this author and though I have only read two of her books I think she is a genius. This is one of my favorite books, finally someone stands up for herself. I love the fact that the little girl in this book has such a voice. There are not many books that portray kids as someone who will stand up for them selfs. Although many people may hate the ending, I love irony and I think that she was genius to make such a twist. I love it and would recommend this book to everyone.

Definitely an emotional roller coaster type book. The story it's self was a powerful one. The author came through with writing a book that you could feel right along with the characters. I personally didn't like how the book ended because I was left weeping for some of the characters and feeling great disgust toward others. But I feel the author did a great job with this and succeeded in what she was wanting to achieve.

Definitely an emotional roller coaster type book. The story it's self was a powerful one. The author came through with writing a book that you could feel right along with the characters. I personally didn't like how the book ended because I was left weeping for some of the characters and feeling great disgust toward others. But I feel the author did a great job with this and succeeded in what she was wanting to achieve.

I would have like for this book to have never ended. Picoult does a wonderul job of bringing each character to life. I felt as though I knew each character personally & could empaathize with their feelings. This book centers on a disease but that becomes just a small part of the focus of the story. The characters each have a pivotal role & I like the way several storylines are occuring at once & how the lives of all the characters begin to intersect. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who has a sibling or is part of a family. It is also a good read for anyone delaing with a serious family illness. Great read that I will definately enjoy again.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT

I was thrilled to be reading this book until the last 5 chapters when one of the main characters suffered a seizure. Ms. Picoult wrote that something was inserted into the individual's mouth while he was convulsing. This is something that should be AVOIDED when a person is having a seizure; Ms. Picoult has done an extreme disservice to her readers and people with epilepsy by illustrating this procedure in her book. I hope that no one will take the situation as truth; people who have seizures and have foreign objects placed in their mouth can seriously injure themselves and others. There is no need to place a foreign object in their mouth! How archaic and ignorant for Ms. Picoult to include that in her story.

If you need to get lost in a page turner- this is it! A bit unrealistic in coincidence at the end- but I couldn't put this book down for two days. Twist and turns and I had tears running down my face. I am looking forward to reading Nineteen Minutes, my second novel by this author. I confess I read ahead- but it was wonderful even knowing the ending (though, I DON'T recommend spoiling the book as I did). I still think of this book weeks later- the message I walked away with was a reminder - Live life in every moment like it matters- and everyone matters in each moment I'm in; there are always distractions.

If you need to get lost in a page turner- this is it! A bit unrealistic in coincidence at the end- but I couldn't put this book down for two days. Twist and turns and I had tears running down my face. I am looking forward to reading Nineteen Minutes, my second novel by this author. I confess I read ahead- but it was wonderful even knowing the ending (though, I DON'T recommend spoiling the book as I did). I still think of this book weeks later- the message I walked away with was a reminder - Live life in every moment like it matters- and everyone matters in each moment I'm in; there are always distractions.

How far do you go to save the life of your dying child? And is it possible for a parent distinquish between the love they feel for their children? I put the premise of this book to my mother, and she had no answers for me. As a mother of two, all she said was, "send me the book, then I'll tell you." But I don't think she'll have an answer either. I can imagine that a book club could hold some GREAT discussions about the plot of this book, and the ethics of giving birth to one child for the specific purpose of saving another.

On one hand, I have never read anything by Jodi Picoult, so I was very pleased to "discover" someone new. But I will admit that can't say that the voice of this novel is very different or any fresher than her other novels, and clearly she is very prolific.

But this was clear -- this is a great, compelling tale. I am recommending it to all my sister-friends.

I have mixed feelings about this book. It immediately drew me in. The topic is very interesting and thought provoking, no doubt. I read it quickly because I was very eager to find out what happened. However, the characters aren't incredibly likeable. They took turns narrating chapters, which is a nice format. But the thought processes of each character were very similar and almost too constantly "deep" and soap-opera-ish. I don't believe that an 11-year-old is as profound as a fifty-year-old mother and similar to an teenage male misfit. It was almost constantly too intense, if that makes any sense. The book is not bad, as I said, it's interesting. Everyone has mixed feelings about the ending and I thought it was just an okay one. This is the first book I've ever read by Picoult. Because I was so torn on my feelings for this one, I'll have to check out a few others before forming my opinion on her as an author.

I'm very angry with Jodi Picoult. She was in complete control of the lives of the characters of this book. I have to wonder why she chose to end this book the way she did. I have to give the book high ratings due to the skill of the author. All along, I was tempted to peek at the ending, which I've been guilty of a time or two. This time, for some unknown reason, I resisted. I wish I had peeked now, because it would have saved me a few sleepless nights trying to finish the book.

I'll say this, for the author, she knows how to hold my attention. There were a lot of thought-provoking topics covered. I like the way we can get inside of the minds of all of the main characters. So much so, that I almost felt their pain.

For the sake of you who have purchased or plan on purchasing this book, don't peek at the end. You may not want to finish the book if you do.

I picked up this book, and knew immediately I wanted to read it. Quickly breezing through the novel I was reading for three weeks, I finished and started My Sister's Keeper. I read it in two days.
The way it is written was particularly appealing to me, besides the intense subject matter. Every chapter is told in the first person of several different main characters of the story. Besides that, the font for every character is different..... this visual is a refreshing and really awesome way of bringing a character off the pages and into your memory....
so, anna is thirteen and files a lawsuit against her parents for medical empancipation. she had been a donor for her sister, kate, since birth, because kate has a rare form of lukemia, and anna was genetically modified to be a match for her sister.... the book follows this basic plot line, until the end, where it turns and twists and apparently, leaves some readers with a bitter taste in their mouths.
not mine.
the ending was perfect. it was shocking, and amazing. it balanced the dichotomy of terminal illness with the fragility of mortality in a way you may not first expect...for the sake of not spoiling it, I will stop there.... i highly recommend this book. its an easy, interesting read. perfect for any season....

I picked up this book, and knew immediately I wanted to read it. Quickly breezing through the novel I was reading for three weeks, I finished and started My Sister's Keeper. I read it in two days.
The way it is written was particularly appealing to me, besides the intense subject matter. Every chapter is told in the first person of several different main characters of the story. Besides that, the font for every character is different..... this visual is a refreshing and really awesome way of bringing a character off the pages and into your memory....
so, anna is thirteen and files a lawsuit against her parents for medical empancipation. she had been a donor for her sister, kate, since birth, because kate has a rare form of lukemia, and anna was genetically modified to be a match for her sister.... the book follows this basic plot line, until the end, where it turns and twists and apparently, leaves some readers with a bitter taste in their mouths.
not mine.
the ending was perfect. it was shocking, and amazing. it balanced the dichotomy of terminal illness with the fragility of mortality in a way you may not first expect...for the sake of not spoiling it, I will stop there.... i highly recommend this book. its an easy, interesting read. perfect for any season....

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; some surprising twists and good writing. I plan on buying more books from the author.

I have heard so much about this author from friends, fellow teachers, my mother, etc. This is the first one of her novels I have read. I was hooked by page 2. Thought this is amazing. What a crazy idea, different format, can't wait to read more. Then things went goofy. Mom was talking in the past, now she's present tense, weird sub-plot of the attorney and his dog, does the brother have to be a pyro?! It was all too much and became cliche and predictable down to the ridiculous ending. A book made for Lifetime. It was just plain stupid. I hesitate to read any others by her.

Without being a spoiler (be careful reading these reviews, because I have to assume you'll find some), I have to say that this is the most betrayed by an author that I've ever felt at the end of a novel that I was otherwise really enjoying. This is my third Picoult book now, and I was thinking they were OK, but I wasn't seeing the hype my fellow mom friends were going on about. As I got into My Sister's Keeper, I was totally getting it.

I think that Jodi Picoult gets 5 stars (more if they were available) for her story IDEAS, 3-4 stars for her writing itself, and 1 star for her poorly developed romantic subplots (that's ok.. they aren't usually central to the book anyway.. I just wish she wouldn't bother!). The situations she creates in her book are just fantastic and MSK may be the best one of all. But after developing a gripping, and heartfelt storyline, boy does she just COP OUT at the end. I have never wanted to literally THROW a book as much as I did at the end of this one. And make no mistake, it's not the good kind of angry at the end of a book, where it's the circumstance and story that gets me mad... it's the author. I went from just weeping through one seen to actually yelling out at my husband, are you KIDDING me?!?! Then I had to go through the story for him because he thought I was having some kind of anyeurism, and he was equally annoyed.

Picoult had an opportunity to take this story so many different ways that would have all been morally, emotionally and legally/medically interesting. Instead boy did she drop the ball.

As much as I enjoyed this book, right up until the last 20 pages or so, I have to say that I just can't recommend it. Save yourself the pain. It's like the frog thing at the end of Magnolia...except that was not even so bad because the whole movie was awful. This was great, right up until the end.

I could not put the book down. I had to find out what was going to happen next. It really makes you stop and think about your own feelings on life and death. When do you consider the moment of life? Conception? After it is an embryo? If you had to choose between harming one child to save another. What would you do in the same situation? Would you make the same choices? We would all like to think we can make better decisions when the time comes. Gripping and heartbreak. A real page turner. The only thing I did not like about the book is I felt a little betrayed by the author with the way the book ended. Read for yourself.

I could not put the book down. I had to find out what was going to happen next. It really makes you stop and think about your own feelings on life and death. When do you consider the moment of life? Conception? After it is an embryo? If you had to choose between harming one child to save another. What would you do in the same situation? Would you make the same choices? We would all like to think we can make better decisions when the time comes. Gripping and heartbreak. A real page turner. The only thing I did not like about the book is I felt a little betrayed by the author with the way the book ended. Read for yourself.

I loved this book. What a fantastic read - and ending in a way you don't really expect. Although the book seems to be from the perspective of one sister - Picoult gives insights to the characters in the entire family (and others) - this adds depth, understanding, and helps the reader to see the situation with a more balanced view. Did Picoult change my mind about this controversial issue? No - she actually opened up more questions for me as now I see more sides to this complicated social issue made prominent by the advances in medical technology. I couldn't put this down. I highly recommend this book - it really gets one thinking about life from the view point of others.

This is one of the most interesting stories I've read in a long time.
The ending is jolting and although I was immediately disappointed, I later reflected on the entire story and found myself at peace with it. I fully appreciated/understood what the author felt she had to do. I believe on some level it makes sense...like the circle being completed.

In the movie, Alec Baldwin plays the lawyer. I think that's a great choice. But as I read the book, I kept picturing Robert Downey Jr. He would have been my pick.

I really enjoyed this book very much. I thought it was really amazing. I was angry with the mother (Sara) at one point because she just didn't get it. The fight between life and death was really eye opening and the ending just really threw my off. I loved it and would do the same for my sister.

I agree with some previous reviewers that the character development is thin, the format is annoying, and the ending is manipulative. The author's hand is so visible in this book that I could never lose sight of it. In spite of a good premise, the story never reaches its potential. Someone told me that it was a well-done view into the teenage mind. For that purpose I would suggest the book "Miss American Pie" by Margaret Sartor instead.

Wow. This book is moving, deep, and remarkable. I read it in a couple of days because I really did not want to do anything else. I had to go to work so in most of my free time I read this book.
It is beautifully written. The story is definitely different.
Anna decided she doesn't want to donate a kidney to her sister Kate. Kate has been sick since age 2 with leukemia. The main reason Anna is born is to save Kate's life. Finally Anna decides she wants her own life and doesn't want to donate anymore. She is thirteen and wants to be medically emancipated from her parents.
This book is really good. It will not disappoint! Jodi Picoult is a good writer and I am so glad I found her books.

I loved this book. It was interesting for me, I love a love story, my mother, who is into medical research, and loved that aspect, and for my sister and I, we love stories about sisters. I'd recommend this to anyone. Read it, definitely. And everythign else by Jodi Picoult as well. She's talented.

Picoult's book was a life saver. It is informative, it responded to my doubts and fears, it answered my questions. It showed me a way to live with herpes holistically. It taught me to think positively about something that was making me very negative.

I have given the book to several family members and friends who have herpes and they have loved it too. I highly recommend this book.

this book is amazing. You cant stop reading it and after yor are finished, you cant stop thinking about tthe characters. I loved it.

This is a wonderful novel from beginning to end. Many people complain about the ending, but I think they have a negative reaction simply because it is not the ending they wanted.

I just loved this book, I could not put it down. Its about the Plain people in the Amish country, it includes lies, murder, lots of scenes in the court room, How the Amish stick together, and believe in their way of life. Just a wonderful book.

It angers me that so many people seem to have enjoyed this book. Personally, I found it cliché and melodramatic. The author tries to use a provactive premise to hide shoddy writing and bland characters.
Those who know anything about court procedures claim that this book is devastatingly under researched. I do not know anything about our judicial system, but the author's lack of research and fondness for clichés showed itself for me in another instance. The male lawyer (I do not feel like getting up to find his name) was describing how attractive and unique he found the female lawyer and claimed "she's the only woman I've ever known who likes her tea with milk and lemon" (groan). Anyways, this annoyed me to no end because it was obvious the author didn't realize that the reason people tend to avoid putting milk and lemon in their tea is not because of any sort of odd flavor that would result, it's because the acid in the lemon would curdle the milk. It seems nitpicky but it made it clear that Picoult is an undiscipled writer if she's willing to make such a silly mistake.
As for that ending that everyone rants about, the rest of the book didn't make me expect anything better. The melodrama and clichés did not lead me to believe that she would have anything intelligent to say in the end.

The pretense of Picoult's novel is instantly intriguing; a 13 year old, Anna, who exists solely to keep her leukemic sister Kate alive by means of transplants of blood, bone marrow, and whatever else might be needed, since Anna has been genetically engineered to be a match to her sister. However, the novel is disappointing. Picoult tries to draw depth and insight from her mundane characters, constantly taking side trips from the plot to small events in the past that would be otherwise irrelevant, had not it been for the far-fetched connection drawn at the end of each of these passages. The novel's conclusion, however, is exceptionally brilliant, and will leave readers stunned. I only wish I could have sidestepped the many reminiscences of the girls' melodramatic mother and the maddeningly feeble romance between two lawyers to get to it.

This book was amazing i was sobing on the train to work after finishing it. I think it hit me soo hard because it remained me of my little sisters friend who passed away from Leukemia. This book is now my all time favorite. love it!!!!

My Sister's Keeper had the potential to be a really great book; however, it feel short of this rating for several reasons. While Picoult is clearly a gifted writer, she was a bit over the top on some of her descriptions and metaphors. This book was a bit overly-emotional and would have benefited from more action and less reflection and symbolism. It's a slightly frustrating how often the author changes perspectives. She also skips around from past to present in a matter of paragraphs and it completely throws off the flow of the story. There were several places where the events, situations, and dialogue were extremely unrealistic and possibly under-researched. My sister is the same age as Anna (the main character), and there is no way that she or anyone else her age has the mind capacity to do what Anna did in this book. Her character was far too mature and smart for her age and it felt very unrealistic--as did many other parts of this book. Reading it caused me more anxiety than entertainment.

Having said that, the story was complicated, emotional, and impossible to stop reading. If you can get past the broken structure and unrealistic plot/characters it is worth the time. It forces you to question and contimplate the gray areas of life. There are no right or wrong answers here which is the beauty of the theme. The dynamics of family and the very act of living are far more complicated than we sometimes make them out to be. Heartfelt and deep--give it a shot.

About 100 pages into this really terrible, incredibly predictable, poorly written garbage I argued with myself about continuing. But I was on a plane and the flight had 3 more hours to go. From my seat, I couldn't see the movie screen, so I plodded on.

I should have taken a long nap....you should too.

Sara was the only person whose perspective I could not understand. I could empathize with everyone else in the book.

I'm 5/6 of the way done with this in audiobook format and every time the actress who portrays Sara comes on I cringe. She is such a martyr and to me completley unsympathetic. When Jesse tells Sara that she could turn a conversation about the Red Sox into a conversation about Kate, he's dead on target. This being said I really, really like this book.

At what point do you see your child(ren) suffering and miserable with reduced quality of life with no chance of a cure and still continue with risky and invasive treatment? Brian, Jesse and Anna all seem to understand that Kate's death is inevitable - not that they are confortable with it and not that they don't love her or anticipate missing Kate - but Sara seems to be stuck in the denial stage of grief.

I didn't "get" that she loved or understood Anna at all, and I felt that at points Sara was holding on to Kate without really understanding Kate either. And I felt it morally reprehensible that both she and Brian had just given up on Jesse. They treat his moving into the garage, isolation, underage drinking, and other unusual behavior etc. very cavalierly.

It seemed to be all about Sara and how much she was suffering. I guess I just don't buy the whole "this hurts me more than it hurts you" thing.

I'm not much of a reader, but my sister recommended this book to me. I was done in about 2 weeks+ and I surprised myself on how quickly I went through it. I couldn't put it down, I needed to know what would happen next. On my last day I sat at the dinner table and finished cause I couldn't wait any longer, as a approached the end I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I was literally bawling. It was such a great book, you learned about each of the characters, you felt their pain and emotions, I almost wanted to reach out and help them.
I hear the movie is coming out and I can't wait. Two of the characters is being played by Cameron Diaz & Abigeal Breslin need I say more...

Wow this was good. I wasn't interested in the topic AT ALL but I loved it. Don't read anything but the first page or it may give away a plot twist.

Fabulous story that not only was entertaining but thought provoking as well. Deftly told with not alot of vulgarity nor sexual content. something a teen could read comfortably. Brings to the forefront todays medical issues vs moral correctness. Highly recommended.

I thought the book was absoultly amazing and I will look forward to reading another one of her books very soon.

This is an amazing book; beautifully written and an easy read. Jody Picoult captures her characters in a way that you can feel every emotion. Although Anna is torn between helping her sister and her own emotional conflict, I can feel her pain. The choice that her parents have made is very agonizing. The ending is a shocker and brings you to tears. I must read Ms. Picoult's other books and am looking forward to seeing "The Tenth Circle" on the Lifetime Network.

I picked up My Sister's Keeper after hearing a strong recommendation from a friend who had previously read it. Despite my nerves about the "Horrible ending" everyone seems to discuss online, I gave the book (and Jodi Picoult) a shot.

I must say that after putting the book down only five minutes ago, that I could not disagree more. I won't give anything away or say how the story developes, but I thought the ending was extremely well-written and fit very well. Go into this book without expectation and let it take you where it may.

Apart from the ending, I will admit I thought at first that the story, though complex, was a very easy read. I was waiting for a twist when really, Picoult developed the characters so well, a twist wasn't necessary throughout the descriptions. By the end of the book, the characters, especially those in the immediate family, feel like PERSONAL family members. I felt as they felt and angered as they did. I am glad I gave this wonderful book a chance. It's definitely one I will continue to think about for days to come.

A very enjoyable read. Wonderfully emotional and gut wrenching. I could not put it down.

I had high hopes for this book. I thought it would be very interesting but the author dropped the ball completely. I was surprised to find out later how well informed she was about this issue but shared nothing of this with her readers. My overall opinion is that she was making stuff up as she went along. When she referred twice to a "plea bargain" in an emancipation case, I had to wonder if she had even the barest knowledge of family court. The fact that she rendered the entire law suit, the major conflict in the plot, pointless when she established early on that no organ transplant would or could ever take place from an unwilling donor made the whole book pointless as well. Then she feeds us a bunch of tripe about two angry, would-be lovers who snipe at each other the whole way through this boring book, I felt like I was reading a bodice ripper from my grandmother's book shelf. The characters were under-developed, the plot underfed, the ending embarrassing. Skip this book!

This book is very good. It was originally recommended for my daughter's summer reading with the caveat that it might not be appropriate. Why the school would recommend something that they do not think is appropriate is another discussion. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with it although it may be over the head of some of the students required to read it. They will read it as a good story. I believe it was recommended more as life lessons, family values, morals, and ethics. It does get a tad predictable but I have to admit that I never saw the end coming!

This is a fabulous book it is so emotional and sad it made my cry, it was so moving and touching everyone should read this if you are interested in the power of family. it made me laugh and cry overall it was a great book!

This was a wonderful book about a 13 year old girl who who wants to become an emancipated minor because she does not want to be a donor for her dying sister anymore. It gives you the perspective of all members of this family and the lawyers involved.

I had been hearing people talk about this book for so long, I finally had to read it. It was a page turner, in most parts, and I can see why Jodi Picoult is so popular.

The story and dilemma were heartbreaking, and overall I am certainly glad I read this. I can see why there is so much talk about it. The surprise ending (I thought) was wonderful. It added a lot of extra character. I added an extra star just for that.

Three things, though, I didn't particularly care for: 1) overall I thought the whole book was just a bit overwritten 2) I didn't care two whits about the story line between Campbell and Julia and thought is was an annoying distraction, and 3) Picoult did not expand enough on the character of Jesse, in particular, Jesse and his parents. I don't mean to sound too critical, though, I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to most of the people I know.

I recently read "Nineteen Minutes," and really enjoyed the book...and the unexpected ending. Considering how much I liked it I decided to try this one. I have to say I thought long and hard about the title, and the meaning of the book while reading. I was sure I would be able to sum up the ending. Finally, about 100 pages left in the book I "had it." I knew where the book was going and I think I was more excited I figured it out before the ending was revealed. Then...wham...a totally unexpected "thing" happens and it was nothing I could have ever prepared for in an ending. I hope all Picoult's books are this amazing, because I think she's found a new fan! Her books are so envolved and require the reader to step back and look at the whole picture...sometimes...it's pretty tough!