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Handle with Care
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When Willow is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, her parents are devastated--she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.
Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte had known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?
When Willow is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, her parents are devastated--she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.
Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte had known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?
477 pages, Hardcover
First published March 3, 2009
3169 people are currently reading
47396 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Picoult
105 books93.3k followersJodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight novels, including Wish You Were Here, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
MAD HONEY, her new novel co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio on October 4, 2022.
Website: http://www.jodipicoult.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodipicoult
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodipicoult
MAD HONEY, her new novel co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan, is available in hardcover, ebook, and audio on October 4, 2022.
Website: http://www.jodipicoult.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jodipicoult
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodipicoult
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 9,634 reviews
February 25, 2009
Typical Picoult plot and characters. The end really bothered me as it seemed unnecessary.
March 17, 2009
Picoult's books are incredibly formulaic, and their strength really lies in whether or not you care about the topic they address. I expected to be more intrigued by this one - OI ("brittle bone disease") and a wrongful birth suit. Either I just wasn't in the mood, or it read too much like My Sister's Keeper, or I spent the whole time anticipating the expected resolution...
I actually found the teenage daughter, Amelia, more interesting. Probably because she was the character I could most relate to, and I liked the fact that Picoult gave her more of a personality than some of the other family members in her other books. Amelia had her own demons to fight that reflected a lot of the family struggles, and I guess I wish there had been more of an examination of her bulemia and cutting. If nothing else, I felt that the solution of "send her away to a facility" was a copout on the part of her parents. Rather than really addressing the issue, it was just brushed aside.
I expected this to be a much more heartrending book, but I never felt particularly involved in the wrongful death part. The emotional bits seemed to be more related to the friend vs friend parts, the husband vs. wife part, and the wife vs. the world parts. It never seemed to come down to wife vs. wife in which the mother actually has to face what she is really saying - that she wishes her daughter were never born.
I thought the adoption plot was jimmied in a little bit, and I didn't feel that I needed any backstory on the lawyer. Similarly, I was irritated by the brief husband/friend makeouts and sexual tension. I think time would have been better spent highlighting the OB's marriage issues rather than just shoving her into Sean.
I skimmed through the last 50 pages to the expected conclusion of - high profile trial resolution and main character death. This one was a little too TOO My Sister's Keeper, and I thought it was a little cheap. I did like that the family had the check on the fridge for months, though I was disappointed that the check ultimately went to waste. There were clearly PLENTY of OI families, foundations, or SOMETHING that could have used that money....
I just wasn't particularly impressed by this book, though, as always, I'm sure that if these were issues you were really interested in, this would be a great book. Picoult's books are always impeccably researched, and she clearly gets a realistic picture of the life she is portraying. It is always interesting to find out the seemingly mundane details of extraordinary lives that you wouldn't normally be able to relate to.
I actually found the teenage daughter, Amelia, more interesting. Probably because she was the character I could most relate to, and I liked the fact that Picoult gave her more of a personality than some of the other family members in her other books. Amelia had her own demons to fight that reflected a lot of the family struggles, and I guess I wish there had been more of an examination of her bulemia and cutting. If nothing else, I felt that the solution of "send her away to a facility" was a copout on the part of her parents. Rather than really addressing the issue, it was just brushed aside.
I expected this to be a much more heartrending book, but I never felt particularly involved in the wrongful death part. The emotional bits seemed to be more related to the friend vs friend parts, the husband vs. wife part, and the wife vs. the world parts. It never seemed to come down to wife vs. wife in which the mother actually has to face what she is really saying - that she wishes her daughter were never born.
I thought the adoption plot was jimmied in a little bit, and I didn't feel that I needed any backstory on the lawyer. Similarly, I was irritated by the brief husband/friend makeouts and sexual tension. I think time would have been better spent highlighting the OB's marriage issues rather than just shoving her into Sean.
I skimmed through the last 50 pages to the expected conclusion of - high profile trial resolution and main character death. This one was a little too TOO My Sister's Keeper, and I thought it was a little cheap. I did like that the family had the check on the fridge for months, though I was disappointed that the check ultimately went to waste. There were clearly PLENTY of OI families, foundations, or SOMETHING that could have used that money....
I just wasn't particularly impressed by this book, though, as always, I'm sure that if these were issues you were really interested in, this would be a great book. Picoult's books are always impeccably researched, and she clearly gets a realistic picture of the life she is portraying. It is always interesting to find out the seemingly mundane details of extraordinary lives that you wouldn't normally be able to relate to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2009
This book was a mixed bag.
I will agree with readers that say it reminded them very much of My Sister's Keeper. I thought that Picoult did a nice job of developing Amelia's character and perspective. While I did find this book quite gripping, I find that Picoult needs to be wary of being too formulaic. Her twists and turns are becoming predictable; thus, when one happens it doesn't affect the reader in an emotional way. The twists almost become detrimental to the book- much like a soap opera that starts out really good but after a while, you just start to think "Oh, come ON!!"
The ending of the book was just lame and because of that, a book that would have gotten four stars from me instead earns three because the rest of the book was good enough to support the crappy ending. Based on the ending alone, I'd give it a two.
Picoult is one of very favorite authors but this is one book I am glad I got from the library, as I won't want or need to be reading it again.
I will agree with readers that say it reminded them very much of My Sister's Keeper. I thought that Picoult did a nice job of developing Amelia's character and perspective. While I did find this book quite gripping, I find that Picoult needs to be wary of being too formulaic. Her twists and turns are becoming predictable; thus, when one happens it doesn't affect the reader in an emotional way. The twists almost become detrimental to the book- much like a soap opera that starts out really good but after a while, you just start to think "Oh, come ON!!"
The ending of the book was just lame and because of that, a book that would have gotten four stars from me instead earns three because the rest of the book was good enough to support the crappy ending. Based on the ending alone, I'd give it a two.
Picoult is one of very favorite authors but this is one book I am glad I got from the library, as I won't want or need to be reading it again.
January 18, 2020
This is the one that broke me!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Here are the things I know for sure:
When you think you’re right, you are most likely wrong.
Things that break—be they bones, hearts, or promises—can be put back together but will never really be whole.
And, in spite of what I said, you can miss a person you’ve never known.
I learn this over and over again, every day I spend without you
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
April 4, 2024
Catching up…
This is another book that I read a while ago, and I finally have the opportunity to bring my review to Goodreads.
This author isn’t afraid to take up sensitive and difficult issues. And possibly even remind the reader that sometimes right versus wrong is often more complicated than a simple answer.
And even though this was written at a time when abortion was legal (Roe v Wade - US), or even presuming that a family wants a child no matter what the intended disability, there is still much to consider here.
So, what happens when it is revealed that a prenatal diagnosis is osteogenesis imperfacta, i.e.,“brittle bone disease,” a very rare severe genetic disorder that primarily affects bone development and strength.
Which means that the child with this condition will suffer fractures from mild or even no trauma. Not only is this a physical and emotional burden on the child, the disability will affect everyone – emotionally and financially.
The question becomes…
Should this child be born?
In this circumstance, Charlotte has her child, Willow. She says…
“I had a beautiful baby girl, who was as fragile as a soap bubble. As your mother, I was supposed to protect you. But what if I tried and only wound up doing harm?”
And this is the struggle we read throughout these pages – an emotional tug-of-war for Charlotte’s character who fiercely loves Willow.
As readers, we can see poor Willow’s pain and suffering, with multiple broken bones. She can’t play like regular kids. She can only be an observer of life. Will Willow ever be able to achieve independence? And even if she does, at what cost?
Charlotte’s role – protector – carer. And who will suffer because all of her attention is going to just this child? Her other older adopted child? Her husband?
And when Willow’s broken bones are thought to be caused by child abuse, and the family wants to sue, an attorney suggests instead to sue for wrongful birth. Will this allow the family to give Willow a better life?
While all these issues percolate for readers, Picoult challenges readers with questions about moral beliefs. What would have been the best decisions for Charlotte to have made?
This story is told through multiple points of views, which questions medical ethics, personal choice, and the emotional complications on the family.
There was much to unravel here, and sometimes it felt soap opera-ish. But there were some important talk-able issues that would make this story book discussion relevant.
And…It truly seems like there is much to be felt here. What will it be for each reader?
Living is one thing, certainly quality of life is precious and fleeting and something to appreciate.
This is another book that I read a while ago, and I finally have the opportunity to bring my review to Goodreads.
This author isn’t afraid to take up sensitive and difficult issues. And possibly even remind the reader that sometimes right versus wrong is often more complicated than a simple answer.
And even though this was written at a time when abortion was legal (Roe v Wade - US), or even presuming that a family wants a child no matter what the intended disability, there is still much to consider here.
So, what happens when it is revealed that a prenatal diagnosis is osteogenesis imperfacta, i.e.,“brittle bone disease,” a very rare severe genetic disorder that primarily affects bone development and strength.
Which means that the child with this condition will suffer fractures from mild or even no trauma. Not only is this a physical and emotional burden on the child, the disability will affect everyone – emotionally and financially.
The question becomes…
Should this child be born?
In this circumstance, Charlotte has her child, Willow. She says…
“I had a beautiful baby girl, who was as fragile as a soap bubble. As your mother, I was supposed to protect you. But what if I tried and only wound up doing harm?”
And this is the struggle we read throughout these pages – an emotional tug-of-war for Charlotte’s character who fiercely loves Willow.
As readers, we can see poor Willow’s pain and suffering, with multiple broken bones. She can’t play like regular kids. She can only be an observer of life. Will Willow ever be able to achieve independence? And even if she does, at what cost?
Charlotte’s role – protector – carer. And who will suffer because all of her attention is going to just this child? Her other older adopted child? Her husband?
And when Willow’s broken bones are thought to be caused by child abuse, and the family wants to sue, an attorney suggests instead to sue for wrongful birth. Will this allow the family to give Willow a better life?
While all these issues percolate for readers, Picoult challenges readers with questions about moral beliefs. What would have been the best decisions for Charlotte to have made?
This story is told through multiple points of views, which questions medical ethics, personal choice, and the emotional complications on the family.
There was much to unravel here, and sometimes it felt soap opera-ish. But there were some important talk-able issues that would make this story book discussion relevant.
And…It truly seems like there is much to be felt here. What will it be for each reader?
Living is one thing, certainly quality of life is precious and fleeting and something to appreciate.
January 1, 2009
I haven't read anything by Picoult in a few years, and I had forgotten how brilliant she is at blending multiple voices throughout a hefty, impressively researched novel. This book grabbed me hard and didn't let me go (sleep was lost, bus stops missed, etc). The personal, ethical, moral and social issues contained in this book will keep bookclubs talking for weeks.
The story, in a nutshell, is a mother of a precocious but severely disabled child decides, in order to get the cash necessary to keep up with her medical bills and special needs, to sue her obstetrician for "wrongful birth". This means that she must swear under oath that she should have been given all the facts about her daughter's illness in time to have an abortion. The same child that she adores, who is old enough and smart enough to understand what her mother is saying, but not why she is saying it.. Add to that the fact that her best friend is the doctor she is suing. In a small town. As you can see, the scenario is fraught with dramas and dilemmas even without side stories about her lawyer and her other daughter running throughout. There is a twist, at the very end, that will knock the breath out of you (I'm still stunned by so bold a plot turn myself).
One thing I disliked about the book is the recipes running throughout it--Charlotte, the main character, was a pastry chef before Willow's problems forced her into being a stay home mom, so they aren't completely out of place, but I felt like they did more to disrupt the flow of the book than add dimension to it. Still, I give it 5 stars with no hesitation.
The story, in a nutshell, is a mother of a precocious but severely disabled child decides, in order to get the cash necessary to keep up with her medical bills and special needs, to sue her obstetrician for "wrongful birth". This means that she must swear under oath that she should have been given all the facts about her daughter's illness in time to have an abortion. The same child that she adores, who is old enough and smart enough to understand what her mother is saying, but not why she is saying it.. Add to that the fact that her best friend is the doctor she is suing. In a small town. As you can see, the scenario is fraught with dramas and dilemmas even without side stories about her lawyer and her other daughter running throughout. There is a twist, at the very end, that will knock the breath out of you (I'm still stunned by so bold a plot turn myself).
One thing I disliked about the book is the recipes running throughout it--Charlotte, the main character, was a pastry chef before Willow's problems forced her into being a stay home mom, so they aren't completely out of place, but I felt like they did more to disrupt the flow of the book than add dimension to it. Still, I give it 5 stars with no hesitation.
March 10, 2009
I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult but I couldn't wait to finish this book so I could read something enjoyable. I thought this book had no redeeming qualities. I didn't like the whole premise. How do you sue your best friend? It went down hill from there. I hated the ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2009
Ok, so I just finished Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult (due out April).
This was the first Jodi Picoult book where I really struggled to finish it. I found it very repetitive & much too similar to My Sister's Keeper - just a different disease.
There were family problems, questions of morality, several characters having personal problems, it just seemed to be one big book of problems. & very whiny one at that.
It was written very well & I love the style in which Jodi Picoult writes, but this book honestly did nothing for me. I didn't find myself attached to the characters like the other books & surprisingly was not the slightest bit emotional - when it was called for.
Anyway that's just my verdict, I'm sure many others will enjoy it :)
This was the first Jodi Picoult book where I really struggled to finish it. I found it very repetitive & much too similar to My Sister's Keeper - just a different disease.
There were family problems, questions of morality, several characters having personal problems, it just seemed to be one big book of problems. & very whiny one at that.
It was written very well & I love the style in which Jodi Picoult writes, but this book honestly did nothing for me. I didn't find myself attached to the characters like the other books & surprisingly was not the slightest bit emotional - when it was called for.
Anyway that's just my verdict, I'm sure many others will enjoy it :)
June 29, 2021
In true Jodi Picoult fashion this book completely took over my life and its still under my skin now. Hated the mother, thought she was a selfish you know what. Didn't agree with the court verdict at all and thought last chapter was unnecessary but hey that's Jodi - she takes you places that makes you uncomfortable and rarely gives you what you want and that's what makes her outstanding for me.
Five stars.
Five stars.
April 25, 2009
I have mixed feelings about Picoult's latest novel. On the one hand, I really enjoyed once again the introduction of a controversial topic in mainstream fiction and the presentation of all points of view. On the other hand...well, there are a lot of other hands. Yes, from what I can recall, this is too similar to My Sister's Keeper. The ending was completely unnecessary. The chapters--written as if they were letters to Willow--just didn't flow the way Picoult most likely intended. Not to mention that Picoult's writing has pretty much become formulaic. Then there were things that didn't really ring true to the characters (Sean not understanding why the law firm wouldn't take on his case, for one--hello, he's presented as quite level-headed and intelligent in the rest of the book. Yes, there's a lot of emotion, but even embarrassment is not an excuse for presenting him as dumb on just one page when the rest of the book never alluded to that. And that's just one example).
Then there's the character of Charlotte--I hated her; which was a good thing because it kept me engrossed in the book. I hated her because I cannot accept, or believe, that anyone would be stupid enough to believe that this lawsuit wouldn't change anything for the worse. I hated her because she is a great example of how our litigious, "I'm not to blame--she is" society operates. I loved (and hated) how easily she was entranced by the idea of a lawsuit that would destroy the life of at least one person she loved in order to make--in her mind--another's easier. I hated her single-minded determination to protect one daughter while ignoring another. But while I hated her, I had to admire her at the same time for her resilient strength and determination to follow through with what she believed was the only right thing to do.
I did like the book for the same reasons I generally like Picoult's books: the thought-provoking subject and introduction to a new issue that one might not have really thought about before (in this case, I had--but it did make me re-evaluate my position several times); the variety of characters and different points of view; good research; and an easy, quick read. Picoult still has what I love about her, but if I could give her one piece of advice it would be to SLOW DOWN. The quality of the books seem to degrade a little more with each one and my theory is that it's probably because she's pumping one out a year. It's worth a read and not a waste of time, but cannot be judged on the same level as her earlier books.
Then there's the character of Charlotte--I hated her; which was a good thing because it kept me engrossed in the book. I hated her because I cannot accept, or believe, that anyone would be stupid enough to believe that this lawsuit wouldn't change anything for the worse. I hated her because she is a great example of how our litigious, "I'm not to blame--she is" society operates. I loved (and hated) how easily she was entranced by the idea of a lawsuit that would destroy the life of at least one person she loved in order to make--in her mind--another's easier. I hated her single-minded determination to protect one daughter while ignoring another. But while I hated her, I had to admire her at the same time for her resilient strength and determination to follow through with what she believed was the only right thing to do.
I did like the book for the same reasons I generally like Picoult's books: the thought-provoking subject and introduction to a new issue that one might not have really thought about before (in this case, I had--but it did make me re-evaluate my position several times); the variety of characters and different points of view; good research; and an easy, quick read. Picoult still has what I love about her, but if I could give her one piece of advice it would be to SLOW DOWN. The quality of the books seem to degrade a little more with each one and my theory is that it's probably because she's pumping one out a year. It's worth a read and not a waste of time, but cannot be judged on the same level as her earlier books.
April 4, 2024
Some books are hard to talk about with giving away too much. Jodi Picoult's Handle With Care is one of these. Anyone reading a summary will get a feel for the plot. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe have two daughters, Amelia and Willow and could be the picture of the average American family. But average they are not as Willow suffers from a rare, disfiguring disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, a disorder which causes bones to break easily.
The story begins with Charlotte as narrator. “Things break all the time. Glass, and dishes, and fingernails. Cars and contracts and potato chips. You can break a record, a horse, a dollar. You can break the ice. There are coffee breaks and lunch breaks and prison breaks. Day breaks, waves break, voices break. Chains can be broken So can silence , and fever.” Picoult is the queen of metaphor and references to break and broken are peppered throught the book. As Willow grows and medical costs rise the O'Keefe's must find a way to foot the bill. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn who did not tell her that her child would be severely disabled, and if they win the lawsuit, the resulting compensation would ensure Willow would get the care she deserves. It also means that Charlotte must say that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance. To add another element to her dilemma, the ob/gyn is not only her physician but her friend.
Picoult twists this story every which way and that, almost too much for me. She puts the whole family, Charlotte, Sean, Amelia, the family of Piper (ob/gyn), the lawyers, both sides, plaintiff and defendant, the community, the whole lot, under a very powerful microscope and dissects them piece by piece. It can be painful to read.
Jodi Picoult is my adopted author. This means I sponsor her books at my public library. I do this as I have been a fan since I read Plain Truth many years ago. Though in all I learned a great deal from reading Handle With Care, I wouldn't say it is Picoult's best effort. Without spoiling the story for others here are my complaints. First, I believe the use of single narration, each character, telling their story in solo chapters, has been overdone by Picoult. I want something new. There's way too much use of, for a lack of better word, gimmick. I didn't think I'd ever say that but for me, this tactic makes the whole less believable and satisfying. Her characters are well developed, almost too much so. And the plot twists; well, twists too much. Saying this I'll still give it a four out of a five star. I cared about the characters, some made me angry, some made me cry. I learned a great deal. The exploration of relationships is Picoult at her best. In the end I was left with lots to think about. The story will stay with me and I would like to discuss it with friends. So what's my problem? Perhaps my overall pique is is just being plain picky. What more do I want from a book? Perhaps you can tell, I'm compromised in my opinion, on the one hand this, on the other, that; left a bit unbalanced in the end. As I hold Jodi Picoult in high esteem, I want a little less gimmick a bit less analyzing of every angle with the end result being the sum of the fine storyteller Picoult is. Read Handle with Care for yourself and see what you think.
The story begins with Charlotte as narrator. “Things break all the time. Glass, and dishes, and fingernails. Cars and contracts and potato chips. You can break a record, a horse, a dollar. You can break the ice. There are coffee breaks and lunch breaks and prison breaks. Day breaks, waves break, voices break. Chains can be broken So can silence , and fever.” Picoult is the queen of metaphor and references to break and broken are peppered throught the book. As Willow grows and medical costs rise the O'Keefe's must find a way to foot the bill. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn who did not tell her that her child would be severely disabled, and if they win the lawsuit, the resulting compensation would ensure Willow would get the care she deserves. It also means that Charlotte must say that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance. To add another element to her dilemma, the ob/gyn is not only her physician but her friend.
Picoult twists this story every which way and that, almost too much for me. She puts the whole family, Charlotte, Sean, Amelia, the family of Piper (ob/gyn), the lawyers, both sides, plaintiff and defendant, the community, the whole lot, under a very powerful microscope and dissects them piece by piece. It can be painful to read.
Jodi Picoult is my adopted author. This means I sponsor her books at my public library. I do this as I have been a fan since I read Plain Truth many years ago. Though in all I learned a great deal from reading Handle With Care, I wouldn't say it is Picoult's best effort. Without spoiling the story for others here are my complaints. First, I believe the use of single narration, each character, telling their story in solo chapters, has been overdone by Picoult. I want something new. There's way too much use of, for a lack of better word, gimmick. I didn't think I'd ever say that but for me, this tactic makes the whole less believable and satisfying. Her characters are well developed, almost too much so. And the plot twists; well, twists too much. Saying this I'll still give it a four out of a five star. I cared about the characters, some made me angry, some made me cry. I learned a great deal. The exploration of relationships is Picoult at her best. In the end I was left with lots to think about. The story will stay with me and I would like to discuss it with friends. So what's my problem? Perhaps my overall pique is is just being plain picky. What more do I want from a book? Perhaps you can tell, I'm compromised in my opinion, on the one hand this, on the other, that; left a bit unbalanced in the end. As I hold Jodi Picoult in high esteem, I want a little less gimmick a bit less analyzing of every angle with the end result being the sum of the fine storyteller Picoult is. Read Handle with Care for yourself and see what you think.
March 6, 2009
I was really enjoying reading this latest from Picoult, especially since I hadn't enjoyed her last book.
I was also interested in learning more about OI, since a local family was recently on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and their son has OI.
However, after all the drama and tension, the ending just fell flat to me. So I ended up being disappointed overall by the novel. Didn't have that sense of satisfaction I usually get after I finish something really good.
I was also interested in learning more about OI, since a local family was recently on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and their son has OI.
However, after all the drama and tension, the ending just fell flat to me. So I ended up being disappointed overall by the novel. Didn't have that sense of satisfaction I usually get after I finish something really good.
March 15, 2009
Well, here's the thing... Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. She handles current topics in her books and makes them poignant and real and... well, she just really makes you THINK, something we often don't like to do.
This book started out very slow and at first I wondered if I was even going to be able to get through it. As the story progressed, I couldn't quit, couldn't put it down, HAD TO absorb as much as I could even though at times there were tears streaming down my face.
This book puts a whole new light on abortion; and, although I am sure it would never go as far as to alter a pro-choice voter's opinion (I doubt if anyone or anything could do that... pretty hard in this day and age to convince someone to alter a stubborn opinion like that...), it served to firmly cement my pro-life stance. If you read the book carefully and with an open mind, you could possibly find yourself considering how truly self-serving a pro-choice option is.
I finished the book about half an hour ago and the tears are still fomenting and giving me double vision. And now I can't wait to see what topic Picoult comes up with in her next book. All I can say is WOW. Double WOW.
This book started out very slow and at first I wondered if I was even going to be able to get through it. As the story progressed, I couldn't quit, couldn't put it down, HAD TO absorb as much as I could even though at times there were tears streaming down my face.
This book puts a whole new light on abortion; and, although I am sure it would never go as far as to alter a pro-choice voter's opinion (I doubt if anyone or anything could do that... pretty hard in this day and age to convince someone to alter a stubborn opinion like that...), it served to firmly cement my pro-life stance. If you read the book carefully and with an open mind, you could possibly find yourself considering how truly self-serving a pro-choice option is.
I finished the book about half an hour ago and the tears are still fomenting and giving me double vision. And now I can't wait to see what topic Picoult comes up with in her next book. All I can say is WOW. Double WOW.
September 10, 2016
Don't waste your time on this book.
It would be a lie to say it's a boring book. It isn't. But the end truly ruined the whole book for me. It's not just a sad ending that makes you wanna cry, it's the sort of ending that makes you regret about ever reading this book. It makes the whole story pointless.
I truly loved it at first but when I finished it I hated it so badly that I didn't even want the copy to be mine anymore. I just had to give it away. I couldn't bear the fact that I wasted my money on this book.
Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time.
It would be a lie to say it's a boring book. It isn't. But the end truly ruined the whole book for me. It's not just a sad ending that makes you wanna cry, it's the sort of ending that makes you regret about ever reading this book. It makes the whole story pointless.
I truly loved it at first but when I finished it I hated it so badly that I didn't even want the copy to be mine anymore. I just had to give it away. I couldn't bear the fact that I wasted my money on this book.
Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time.
April 24, 2013
Willow O'Keefe has seven broken bones before she took her first breath. Now her life is lived on a knife-edge. Born with brittle bone disease, she will never learn to skate like her sister. Even walking can be dangerous. One wrong step and Willow is back in a cast. The medical bills are crippling her family. So when a lawyer tells Charlotte, her mother, that they might have a case to sue for wrongful birth, she feels bound to consider it. Except that winning would mean losing her best friend and telling the world that she wishes her much-longed-for daughter had never been born.
Handle With Care started out with a lot of promise. It was well-researched and well-written book with a thought-provoking plot but as I read more and more of this novel I found a lot of faults within it. I am a fan of Jodi Picoult and I usually enjoy her books because she tackles interesting and compelling moral dilemmas in her novels and I like how she always writes the narrative from several different characters points of view so the reader knows what everyone is going through and understands how they are feeling. But there were several things about this book that I didn't like. Handle With Care is basically the same novel as My Sister's Keeper just told by different characters and another disease. The author uses the same writing formula for every novel she writes and after reading 13 of her books this formula is getting rather tiresome and annoying.
The characters were mostly well-developed. I really loved the characters of Amelia, Sean and Piper. But I really despised the character of Charlotte. She was such a horrible, selfish, stupid, nasty woman. I hated absolutely everything about her. I really thought she was an awful mother (to Amelia especially) and the way she was willing to destroy her marriage and her best-friend's career and betray her daughter all for money which she thinks "she might need someday" was completely disgusting and I found it very hard to get through the chapters told by her character. I thought the character of Willow was too precocious and far too mature for a five year old. When I'm reading a book I want the characters to act their age! This is one of my pet peeves in novels. The way Willow was written made her character seem too unrealistic so I had trouble relating to her character.
The novel may have been too formulaic but I was enjoying it until I read the final chapter. I have never been so pissed off by the ending of a book before in my life! I thought that chapter made the whole plot pointless. It really ruined the story for me. I actually wish now that I have never read this book in the first place.
2 Stars!
Handle With Care started out with a lot of promise. It was well-researched and well-written book with a thought-provoking plot but as I read more and more of this novel I found a lot of faults within it. I am a fan of Jodi Picoult and I usually enjoy her books because she tackles interesting and compelling moral dilemmas in her novels and I like how she always writes the narrative from several different characters points of view so the reader knows what everyone is going through and understands how they are feeling. But there were several things about this book that I didn't like. Handle With Care is basically the same novel as My Sister's Keeper just told by different characters and another disease. The author uses the same writing formula for every novel she writes and after reading 13 of her books this formula is getting rather tiresome and annoying.
The characters were mostly well-developed. I really loved the characters of Amelia, Sean and Piper. But I really despised the character of Charlotte. She was such a horrible, selfish, stupid, nasty woman. I hated absolutely everything about her. I really thought she was an awful mother (to Amelia especially) and the way she was willing to destroy her marriage and her best-friend's career and betray her daughter all for money which she thinks "she might need someday" was completely disgusting and I found it very hard to get through the chapters told by her character. I thought the character of Willow was too precocious and far too mature for a five year old. When I'm reading a book I want the characters to act their age! This is one of my pet peeves in novels. The way Willow was written made her character seem too unrealistic so I had trouble relating to her character.
The novel may have been too formulaic but I was enjoying it until I read the final chapter. I have never been so pissed off by the ending of a book before in my life! I thought that chapter made the whole plot pointless. It really ruined the story for me. I actually wish now that I have never read this book in the first place.
2 Stars!
March 19, 2009
I am a long time fan of Jodi Picoult's work but have been disappointed with her last few efforts. This was no different. While the premise is interesting and the story is told in many voices, I was distracted by the form of the novel in which the characters speak to directly to Willow. And what's with the recipes? Charlotte is no longer a pastry chef. Once the story has been set up with the child's rare disease, it doesn't go anywhere from there. There is nothing new here. We all know what a debilitating illness does to the family, friendships and free time. We all know how much it costs the family physically, emotionally and financially. The endless storytelling about the fractures that Willow sustains and how they have to care for her was boring and too much. Once the family went ahead with the lawsuit, I knew how it would end. Charlotte's character is flawed and unsympathetic - I didn't care for her. Midway through the book I didn't care enough to finish it and skipped to the end. Contrived and very disappointing. I will not spend any more money on Ms. Picoult's books in the future.
January 25, 2016
I know it's a cliché but I'm a fan of Picoult. I especially like the twists - that used to be unpredictable, at least. I did find this one to be easy to see coming. I think I'm used to her style so much now that I just know what's going to happen.
I found this one easy to engage in. I love how much research she does for her books. I learned so much about OI which I had heard of before but just in passing. It's such a rare, yet life-encompassing disease. I felt so sad for Willow, and also for her sister who got the pushed aside for the most part ever since Willow was born. I did hate the mom, though. While I understand the future full of possibilities she wanted for her daughter, I hated her throughout the whole process. She was completely blind and uncaring when it came to the consequences of her actions. Or how it all came off to her own daughters who were way too young to understand the big picture, you know. Alienating everyone you know and love to *maybe* get a payout just made me feel very uncomfortable.
Anyways, I didn't love nor hate the book. I found that, in the end, there was no point to it all. Which was maybe the point but meh.
I found this one easy to engage in. I love how much research she does for her books. I learned so much about OI which I had heard of before but just in passing. It's such a rare, yet life-encompassing disease. I felt so sad for Willow, and also for her sister who got the pushed aside for the most part ever since Willow was born. I did hate the mom, though. While I understand the future full of possibilities she wanted for her daughter, I hated her throughout the whole process. She was completely blind and uncaring when it came to the consequences of her actions. Or how it all came off to her own daughters who were way too young to understand the big picture, you know. Alienating everyone you know and love to *maybe* get a payout just made me feel very uncomfortable.
Anyways, I didn't love nor hate the book. I found that, in the end, there was no point to it all. Which was maybe the point but meh.
March 21, 2009
While I still like Picoult's descriptive writing and the way she raises moral and ethical issues, I have to agree with other critics that she needs to take a step back and reassess. Her books are getting to be too similar in plot and characters.
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
I also had a big problem with the situation that sets up the main action in the book. The family goes to FL on vacation, the child with OI has an accident and breaks her femurs. Because they forgot the letter from the daughter's treating physician in Boston and it's Saturday, there is no way to confirm their contention that she has OI and that they are not abusive. This is ridiculous! Doesn't the specialist who treats patients who can break bones when they sneeze have an answering service for use in emergencies? He's with Children's Hospital in Boston, one of the best pediatric hospitals in the world! It wouldn't mattter that it's a weekend! How about the fact that the parents know everyone by name in their community hospital's ER? These characters are otherwise intelligent people and the father is a police sargeant who should know how the system works. Can't they ask the social workers, medical staff, or police who are about to arrest the father to call that hospital??? Even if the parents don't request that they call the community hospital in NH or Children's in Boston, the FL hospital staff and police would certainly have thought to do so. On top of that, the older daughter who is smart and insightful in the rest of the story, innocently (and inexplicably) answers the questions of the social worker in a way that's sure to implicate her father. It's only after the father is arrested, the mother is detained, and the older daughter is moved into emergency foster care that the mother talks with her best friend and OB/GYN, who "somehow" gets the phone number of the specialist and calls him. Picoult even implies through the thoughts of the father that the OB/GYN and best friend "has the nerve" to use her connections to "cold-call" the specialist at 3:00 a.m. Yikes! I expect more realism from Jodi Picoult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2018
4,25 stars - English hard cover - I have dyslexia - In my old notebook I wrote down : this book hurted me physically Just by the story of Willow and the choices her mum made. 😭😭😭
December 23, 2017
Not bad but was not happy with the ending or many of the other parts of this book. I did not connect with these characters and found one of the main characters, Charlotte, to be very unlikeable. I can understand both sides in this book but honestly to me her actions did nothing to better the life of her child which was her goal; especially once the book ends. Sorry but in my opinion it is like she devastated the lives of those around her and yet did nothing with the outcome. She was a very unsympathetic character who was hypocritical and selfish. Sorry for the harshness.
Overall, this has been my least starred Jodi Picoult book. Ready to move on to another of her novels during this marathon of her books I am on.
Overall, this has been my least starred Jodi Picoult book. Ready to move on to another of her novels during this marathon of her books I am on.
June 28, 2021
I don't know why I don't read more by Jodi, but perhaps I'll start. The few books I've read by her have been absolutely beautiful. I just didn't want this one to end. My heart was pulled in every direction. 5 stars! (Be prepared to cry)
August 6, 2019
This is an exceptional book. I enjoyed it very much. Highly recommend.
March 30, 2009
I never review on here, but I felt the need to. No one I know is reading this book and I really wanted to talk about the ending, so here it goes.
***MAJOR Spoilers below!***
I love Jodi-- her writing style, impeccable research and use of immensely controversial subjects makes her my favorite author. In fact, until the main story lines resolved right at the end, I felt no differently about this novel as I have about most of her others in the past- brilliant.
Then, it all crashed down for me. First, Marin's search for her birth mother ends completely predictably, making me wish the entire story line just didn't even exist in the first place.
Even worse was the resolution of the general plot. I agree with those reviewers who are calling this book "My Sister's Keeper- The Sequel," as the endings are so completely similar. Even worse than Willow's "unexpected" (I predicted something similar) death by drowning in the pond was Charlotte's forfeiting of the check she had ruined all of their lives to earn as she placed it in Willow's coffin. There are so many things wrong with this that I can't even begin to list them, namely that she didn't use it to give her OTHER daughter a better, more fulfilling life.
I love Jodi, I'm still one of her biggest fans, but I didn't love this one.
***MAJOR Spoilers below!***
I love Jodi-- her writing style, impeccable research and use of immensely controversial subjects makes her my favorite author. In fact, until the main story lines resolved right at the end, I felt no differently about this novel as I have about most of her others in the past- brilliant.
Then, it all crashed down for me. First, Marin's search for her birth mother ends completely predictably, making me wish the entire story line just didn't even exist in the first place.
Even worse was the resolution of the general plot. I agree with those reviewers who are calling this book "My Sister's Keeper- The Sequel," as the endings are so completely similar. Even worse than Willow's "unexpected" (I predicted something similar) death by drowning in the pond was Charlotte's forfeiting of the check she had ruined all of their lives to earn as she placed it in Willow's coffin. There are so many things wrong with this that I can't even begin to list them, namely that she didn't use it to give her OTHER daughter a better, more fulfilling life.
I love Jodi, I'm still one of her biggest fans, but I didn't love this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2017
One of my favourite books! Love this author!
August 4, 2024
I am not happy with this book at all and just when I thought Songs of the Humpback Whales would be my least favorite book by this author, I stumbled upon Handle With Care - this book was poorly edited and the worst part being the utterly unfathomable ending! I just finished this book today and I am not sure that time will heal Picoult's attack on my reading brain. I thought the ending of My Sister's Keeper was a giant cop-out until I re-read the foreword and figured out why the ending was, in retrospect, quite decent, if unhappy. However, Handle With Care has an ending that is simply inscrutable when judged from any conceivable angle. Nothing made any sense.
The recipes that are thrown in the book because the main character used to be a pastry chef drove me crazy too - what was the point of those!
I understand why a mother would want to sue a doctor for wrongful birth but only to attain financial resources from a deep pocket that is needed to keep the affected child alive, comfortable, and with a reasonable quality of life. And I believed that was the only reason this lawsuit was pursued. So, why was the hard-fought check never cashed? A specific point was made that the check was more than 6 months old. A check older than 180 days can no longer be cashed at all. Was it only because the child died? And died a completely unnatural, unreasonable, insane death? By having the child die, Picoult negated the entire point of her book -- that every life has value. She essentially said just the opposite -- that this life was meaningless. Huh? I was so perplexed and angered by this!
Before I got to the ending, however, I had to wade through a swamp of simple editing errors, errors that were so obviously crying out for correction that I can believe only that there was NO editing whatsoever. Does Picoult write too many books too quickly to have them properly scrutinized for even simple mistakes? Was the imputed editor too intimidated by her employer to point out such egregious errors? How could an author who boasts of and thanks so many physicians who helped her with the medical science confuse the bones of the human arm with those of the human leg? Come on -- any 8th-grade student knows which are which. The typos and misspellings throughout are an insult to the publisher.
I tell everyone who is interested in reading this book that they must refrain. If they have half a brain, they will be furious if they do. And, like me, they may never get over it.
The recipes that are thrown in the book because the main character used to be a pastry chef drove me crazy too - what was the point of those!
I understand why a mother would want to sue a doctor for wrongful birth but only to attain financial resources from a deep pocket that is needed to keep the affected child alive, comfortable, and with a reasonable quality of life. And I believed that was the only reason this lawsuit was pursued. So, why was the hard-fought check never cashed? A specific point was made that the check was more than 6 months old. A check older than 180 days can no longer be cashed at all. Was it only because the child died? And died a completely unnatural, unreasonable, insane death? By having the child die, Picoult negated the entire point of her book -- that every life has value. She essentially said just the opposite -- that this life was meaningless. Huh? I was so perplexed and angered by this!
Before I got to the ending, however, I had to wade through a swamp of simple editing errors, errors that were so obviously crying out for correction that I can believe only that there was NO editing whatsoever. Does Picoult write too many books too quickly to have them properly scrutinized for even simple mistakes? Was the imputed editor too intimidated by her employer to point out such egregious errors? How could an author who boasts of and thanks so many physicians who helped her with the medical science confuse the bones of the human arm with those of the human leg? Come on -- any 8th-grade student knows which are which. The typos and misspellings throughout are an insult to the publisher.
I tell everyone who is interested in reading this book that they must refrain. If they have half a brain, they will be furious if they do. And, like me, they may never get over it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2016
Willow berusia enam setengah tahun, dan dia sudah mematahkan 68 tulang dalam waktu selama itu.
Seorang bayi, yang amat dinanti orang tuanya, lahir dengan penuh limpahan kasih sayang. Orang-orang akan berebut untuk menggendongnya, mencium pipi mungilnya dan menghirup aroma khas yang dimilikinya. Lalu kedua orang tuanya akan sibuk memilihkan nama, sambil membayangkan kelak kegiatan yang akan mereka lakukan bersama sang anak. Berlari, bermain sepak bola, bermain layangan, atau berenang?
Tapi tidak demikian yang dirasakan Charlotte ketika ia melahirkan bayinya. Bukan kelegaan yang bercokol dalam hatinya melainkan ketakutan serta kekhawatiran akan keadaan anak perempuannya yang dulu kehadirannya amat didambakan. Anak itu terlahir dengan kelainan pada tulangnya, ia menderita Osteogenesis Imperfecta, kondisi ketika tulang-tulang di tubuhnya amat rapuh karena ia kekurangan kolagen. Kelainan ini membuat si anak kelak akan mudah mematahkan tulangnya, baik karena terpleset, ataupun terjatuh. Bahkan saat bersin sekalipun. Anak itu kemudian diberi nama Willow. Saat ia lahir, ada tujuh fraktur yang dalam masa penyembuhan dan 4 fraktur baru akibat proses persalinan.
Pada dasarnya, yang anda lihat adalah hidup yang diisi oleh rasa sakit, sekalipun waktunya pendek.
Sautu hari, Willow dan keluarganya berlibur ke Disneyland. Tetapi sebuah kecelakaan terjadi, Willow terpleset dan tulangnya patah. Berada di luar kota membuat Sean dan Charlotte tidak bisa meminta pertolongan dokter langganan mereka, dan rumah sakit tempat Willow dirawat mencurigai kalau Willow adalah korban kekerasan oleh orang tua. Meski kemudian kesalahpahaman ini dapat diatasi, tetapi Sean terlanjur marah dan sakit hati. Ia menghubungi pengacara untuk menuntut orang-orang yang telah menuduh mereka melakukan penganiayaan anak.
Di kantor pengacara dijelaskan bahwa mereka tidak dapat menuntut kasus tersebut. Tetapi sang pengacara malah memberikan ide lain kepada keluarga Willow, bahwa ada kemungkinan mereka bisa mengajukan tuntutan malpraktik kelahiran. Sebab seharusnya tanda-tanda janin pembawa OI dapat diidentifikasi lebih dini oleh dokter kandungan yang memeriksa. Kemungkinan jika deteksi dini dilakukan, maka sang ibu dapat diberikan pilihan apakah mempertahankan janin tersebut atau menggugurkannya.
Sean tentu saja menolak melakukan gugatan tersebut, ia dan Charlotte amat menginginkan kehamilan tersebut. Tetapi Charlotte memiliki pandangan lain. Seluruh harta mereka tercurah untuk memenuhi kebutuhan Willow. Biaya rumah sakit, operasi, obat, perawatan, serta perlengkapan untuk mendukung ketidakmampuan fisiknya di rumah membuat keluarga mereka bangkrut. Jika tuntutan ini berhasil, mereka akan memiliki jaminan untuk memberikan Willow kehidupan yang layak dan nyaman. Belum lagi mereka juga memiliki Amelia, si sulung yang sering terabaikan karena Willow.
Tuntutan ini makin runyam karena dokter yang memeriksa kehamilan Charlotte adalah Piper, sahabatnya sendiri. Sanggupkah Charlotte melawan hatinya sendiri untuk menggugat sahabatnya yang bahkan telah membantu dalam proses kehamilannya? Dan yang lebih penting secara moral, apakah layak, seorang ibu menggugat dokternya karena ia tidka diberi kesempatan untuk mengugurkan kandungannya sendiri?
Saya benar-benar menyukai buku ini, bagaimana penulis bisa membuat pembacanya terikat secara emosional dengan tokoh-tokoh dalam cerita. Membuat kita seakan enggan beranjak dan berhenti sebab terlalu penasaran dengan akhir yang dialami keluarga ini.
Saya tak punya tokoh favorit, Karena kesemua tokoh utama memiliki keunikannya masing-masing. Mereka secara individual terasa menonjol, kadang membuat saya iba, tak jarang juga membuat saya kesal. Tetapi saya akan menceritakan sosok Charlotte sekilas di buku ini. Charlotte merupakan wanita yang mandiri, terutama ketika ia sedang berada di dekat Willow, ia yang terkadang terlihat rapuh dan membutuhkan perlindungan langsung berubah menjadi sosok wanita yang percaya diri dan begitu melindungi anaknya. Seluruh kehidupannya dipusatkan kepada Willow. Seakan dengan sepenuh tenaga dan kemampuannya, ia sanggup memberi rasa aman pada Willow, meski itu sulit. Sosok Charlotte di buku ini membuat saya seakan berkaca, mungkin memang itu tujuan para Ibu di dunia. Memberikan dan memastikan anak-anaknya melangkah dengan aman ke depan, meskipun sebenarnya tak ada jaminan yang dapat meyakinkan kami.
Buku ini amat kompleks, dan saya beruntung telah membacanya meski belum memiliki waktu untuk mengupasnya lebih jauh.
March 11, 2009
This book was good but a few things bothered me about it and I am glad that I have made it through the Jodi Picoult books so I can take a break for awhile. First off, this book is being compared to My Sister's Keeper due to similar themes and family issues. I would agree but argue that My Sister's Keeper is much better. Second, can anyone be that stupid (referring to the mother Charlotte)? Even after being presented numerous times with situations suggesting that she was ruining their family and friendships, she keeps going. Third, there are just too many coincidences for this story to be believable. The story would have been much better if the doctor that she was suing for malpractice WASN'T HER BEST FRIEND. The lawyer was adopted and looking for her birth mother (of course she meets here but you'll never guess who she is). Finally, the ending bothered me even though I saw it coming after about the first 50 pages or so. No spoilers but the ending seemed non-sensical after going through the ordeal that they went through. This was a fast read and a decent book but compared to some of her other ones, this one irritated me.
February 28, 2016
Like many Jodi Picoult books, Handle With Care is well written and deals with a well researched difficult issue impacting a child and family. I often learn a lot reading Ms. Picoult's books and this one didn't disappoint in that regard, teaching about the devastation of osteogenesis imperfect, sometimes called brittle bone disease.
This wasn't one of my favorite Picoult novels. Parts were slow for me. The last 150 pages the pace picked up and I was very engaged. Then, there's what felt like an overly dramatic unnecessary jarring twist at the end.
This wasn't one of my favorite Picoult novels. Parts were slow for me. The last 150 pages the pace picked up and I was very engaged. Then, there's what felt like an overly dramatic unnecessary jarring twist at the end.
January 13, 2021
A minha opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzHf7...
Uma história da qual gostei muito mas que quando comecei mas estava a mexer a comigo. A partir do meio, fiquei completamente dentro da história.
Uma história da qual gostei muito mas que quando comecei mas estava a mexer a comigo. A partir do meio, fiquei completamente dentro da história.
January 3, 2022
A typical Jodi Picoult ethical/medical dilemma story. The ending was not a total surprise that I found quite annoying. I felt manipulated.
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