Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Miscellaneous => Chatterbox => The AC Book Club => Topic started by: mare on February 18, 2009, 05:17:27 AM
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Howdy gang!
I hope you all have gotten the book and have started to read it. We already had a tiny discussion going on in the other thread so I hope we can continue it in here.
So, if you haven't read it yet...at least try to read up to Wednesday by the end of the week.
What are your thoughts on the main characters so far? Who can you relate to most?
Who are your favorites and least favorites?
Do you like the idea of breaking up chapters into days instead of random numbers?
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Ok, I just read up to Wednesday, on Wednesday! Yay!
So far I have to say I'm into it more than I thought I would be. I really like the style, though at first I wasn't sure how I felt about the multiple POVs and changes in font lol
I really like the main characters, all of them, but I'm really liking Brian. In some ways it's like he plays both sides but he is really attentive to what goes on around him despite what others might think. My least favourite? Hmm. It's tough to say at this point because I'm just getting used to everyone -- I thought it was going to be Kate but she rectified herself. Right now I don't hate anyone.
I do like chapters into days also, though with the flashing back it hasn't really given me any real feeling that I am going through a week.
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I finished it a couple days ago. Brian is my favorite character. And then Jesse. I hate the mom.
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I finished it a couple days ago. Brian is my favorite character. And then Jesse. I hate the mom.
I think I might come to hate the mum but I'm really trying to understand where she is coming from
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Yup. I hate her too lol
I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on the ending. It's too soon to discuss it now but I would have even gone a step further.
I was going top ask what everyone thought about the multiple POV's. I personally love that since I write that way as well. I think it gave the story more depth, but yes, the flashbacks sometimes hindered that a bit.
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I think I might come to hate the mum but I'm really trying to understand where she is coming from
I really tried. And I really tried to give her the benefit of the doubt and empathize with her and all that, but I just never saw her love the other two kids. It's like she was so completely obsessed that she was blind to everything else in the entire world. The dad at least took a moment to think about things, and showed his other kids that he cared about them. I saw no personality to the mother. No actual character other than machine. She seemed very one dimensional and flat to me, when all of the other characters had many sides to them.
ps. I love that you said mum.
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Yup. I hate her too lol
I can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on the ending. It's too soon to discuss it now but I would have even gone a step further.
I was going top ask what everyone thought about the multiple POV's. I personally love that since I write that way as well. I think it gave the story more depth, but yes, the flashbacks sometimes hindered that a bit.
really? You would have? I don't think you want to know what my thought on the end were lol. I shall wait to discuss it though.
I loved the multiple POV's though. Because of the nature of the case, and the grayness of the issue at hand and the trial and all that, it was almost necessary to be able to get everyone's different perspectives. It really made me able to see all the different arguments with more open-mindedness. I think that was done really well and a great up-side to this story.
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Okay, I finally got my book in the mail, so I'll start it this weekend!
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okay, so what are your thought so far guys?
This week we should continue on with Thursday and Friday.
Some questions to ponder: What do you think is wrong with Campbell? Or what did you think was wrong with him that he needed his dog?
How do you feel about Julia and Campell? Do you think they made nice additions to the story or is it too much when it comes to everyone's POVs?
How about the flashbacks? Are you enjoying them or do you think the story would flow better without them?
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I had no clue what was wrong with Campbell. It was actually driving me nuts and for a while I worried that she'd never tell us and I'd spend the rest of my life wondering.
I liked having Campbell's perspective when he was talking about the case or the girl, but I thought his and Julia's romance was just so out of place in this story. I couldn't see even one reason that any of it needed to be there. It didn't further the story at all. You could still read this book and have it make perfect sense if the entire subplot was just erased. It seemed to take you out of the now and place you in this entirely different story that belonged in a different book. I'm the girl who mostly needs there to be a romance subplot (or main plot lol) and even I was bothered by this romance being there.
The mom's flashbacks didn't bother me. Those needed to be there. We needed to know Kate's history in order to form an opinion on Anna's case. I didn't like how technical it got at times and was often the most bored while reading from the mom's perspective. I am one of those people that just needs to know she has cancer and that she's going to need whatever surgery. I don't need every single medical detail of the process and the names of all the treatments and meds and whatnot. I know a lot of people like that though. But if there were ever times I thought about putting the book down it was during the really long flashbacks of the mother's.
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I agree with the medical side of it. I often don't enjoy when the books go all technical like that. I feel like it's the author's way of saying, see? I did a ton of research and i'm going to prove it to you now.
I enjoyed the flashbacks, that's when I really started to feel for Kate the most. In the present, her character just kind of sits there dull for me, but in the flashbacks I really got a sense of what the poor girl is going through.
As far as Campbell and Julia, I kind of liked the little subplot, but agree it wasn't necessary. I enjoyed Julia as a character and would love to see her get a book of her own. I know Jodi likes to share characters from one story to the next so i'm hoping she'll pop in another novel one day.
Campbell's secret illness is the thing that bothered me most throughout the book. I still think it was unnecessary to give him anything at all especially once we finaly figured out what was wrong with him, I was kind of disappointed. LOL I was expecting more.
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LMAO that you liked the romance subplot and I didn't. I didn't mind the story itself, and wouldn't mind reading Julia's story. I just couldn't see any of it's relevance in Anna's story and found it distracting.
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I agree, it didn't have any relevance at all. I guess for me it just wasn't annoying because I liked them both. I like romance outside of BSB fanfic believe it or not. lol
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I skimmed through a lot of the heavy medical portions just because I'm a wussy-baby. I can't handle people talking about medical procedures, or seeing them on tv, or reading them, etc without getting lightheaded so goddamn I was like no way am I reading this, skim skim
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The mom irked me. Completely. I couldn't understand her at all. I felt like since she "created" Anna to save Kate, that's all Anna was ever supposed to be. No matter what, and that she didn't see Anna the person, she saw Anna the donor.
I liked the multiple POVs, I found them necessary to telling the story properly.
I liked Campbell's perspective, it was a nice outsider one. Wasn't a fan of the romance subplot though. Totally not needed.
As for the reason he needed the dog, well it had me curious throughout the whole book lol. And the reason was a creative one, I'll give it that.
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I actually enjoyed Campbell's character in the story and really liked that she added his perspective throughout. That would certainly be a difficult case to try, especially because in a case like that there would be no clear "winner" and there's no real right or wrong.
I had some idea of what was wrong with Campbell just because I'm familiar with the scenerio and that type of animal.
As for the romance subplot with Campbell... It becomes more relevant as the story goes on... and I think it does play into the plot simply because it shows the human side of Campbell -- not wanting to give anything away here, but it shows the difficulty and emotions that he's gone through in his own struggles with his own "disability" and his wanting to distance himself from those he loves because of it. In a way he can relate to Kate and her family.
I agree about the heavy medical info being a bit overwhelming. I felt that a majority of that could be left out. We aren't researching an illness... we're reading a story.
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I'm glad to see some discussion going on in here.
Let's continue reading with the weekend and Monday.
I know we discussed the medical mombo jumbo, do you feel the same way when it comes to the courtroom scenes?
What are your thoughts on Jesse and how do you feel about his little subplot?
So far, do you think Jodi is painting a very visual picture of what's going on?
And Julie, you mentioned you wanted to maybe do March/April for the next book. Do you still want it? Id not does anyone else want to host?
We should start thinking about the next book. :)
okay people....disc uss!
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Hm... I guess I could do April if no one else wants to... I'd probably rather do June or July now though, cause I'll be more on top of things then LOL.
By the way, I did get started on this book finally and have been reading it; I think I'm just behind where the discussion is. I don't remember what day I'm on. I'm enjoying it though!
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I'm gonna edit that statement and say that I definitely would rather have June or July. The Felix Awards run through the end of April, and I'm judging for those, so I've committed myself to a lot of reading already in the next month or so. Between that and writing, my free time goes quickly LOL.
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I"m almost done the book so I think I'm going to wait a bit before I comment, if I start trying to think back to parts I've already read I'll forget where I am lol
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okay, so anyone else want the next turn?
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Okay, I think I'm finally caught up to where I need to be, so I'll finally post some of my thoughts on this!
First all, I'm loving the book! Mare was right; it's totally my kind of story LOL. I didn't think I'd be crazy about the multiple POVs, but I actually don't mind them and think it was a good choice on the author's part to write it that way. It makes the story more interesting, to see all sides, and it also makes it easier to empathize with all the characters involved.
I could definitely see myself hating Sara, if some of the story wasn't in her POV. But because it is, I don't hate her. She's definitely not my favorite character, but I can't blame her for feeling and acting the way that she does. She's a desperate mother, trying to save her child, and that's all she can think about. I do think she's blinded by that, and can't see the rest of the world and her other two children living around her, but I can't fault her for that. When something tragic happens, you always wonder how the world can keep going when your world has just crashed down around you, and I think that's the state Sara is in whenever something happens with Kate.
Something I just realized is that we never see Kate's POV, do we?? I can't remember reading a part from her POV. I would love to know her thoughts on all of this, but maybe the author did that intentionally.
My favorite character is Jesse LOL. He is good comic relief, and he certainly adds some spice to the story. He's the most interesting character to me.
So far I'm not a huge fan of the Julia/Campbell subplot. I am dying to know what's up with Campbell and the dog though. My guess is epilepsy. His various creative excuses are a nice running gag in the story.
As far as all the medical "mumbo jumbo," I don't mind it at all. I don't think there's too much. The details make it more realistic and also help show how serious the situation really is. Cancer can be glamourized in a way in some books or movies, but it's not here, and I appreciate that.
I haven't gotten into too much of the legal stuff yet, assuming they actually will go to trial, so I don't have thoughts on that yet. So far it hasn't been too much at all.
So, my question for everyone else is, whose side are you taking in this? If you were Anna, what would you do? If you were Sara, what would you do?
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Those are good questions Julie
If I was Anna, i'm not sure I personally would be able to go ahead with this thing. Sometimes she made me angry as well, just because she seemed so willing to let her sister die and at times it does seem selfish, but then again she's just a kid. I mean I can't even imagine what kind of hell that must be like to always be poked and prodded just so your sister can get better. While reading it, I felt that sense of inner hatred she must have had for her. I probably would too.
As far as the mom goes, sometimes I think if Mom had just always left it up to Anna in the first place, things would have never escalated to what they were now. If she had said would you mind helping your sister instead of just making her all the time.
This is the kind of case that is perfect for drama because in the end there really is no win win situation.
As far as Kate's POV. I think that's a Jody Picoult trademark thing. Now that i've read a billion of her stories, it seems like she always tends to wait until towards the end before the main focus has a say. So, Kate's POV is coming.
I also enjoy Jesse in this one. The men are refreshing for me in this story. I like reading from Brian, Jesse and Campbell's Points of view.
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lol did you hear that Hollywood has changed the ending for the movie? Check it out. http://joblo.com/sisters-keeper-ending
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That doesn't surprise me, sadly. I am kind of diappointed in her and the fact that she allowed them to do it. I think I would have bailed out personally.
They really need to make Nineteen Minutes into a movie! and for the love of God not a Lifetime Movie!! lol
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It's definitely a no-win situation that you can really see both sides of. I can empathize with Anna in not wanting to go through with it. Donating an organ is a lot different than something that can be replaced, like blood or stem cells or bone marrow. And feeling like she doesn't have a choice in the matter, like this is her only purpose in life and she's being forced into it, makes it even worse.
That said, what I can't empathize with is her willingness to let her sister die because of it. I could understand her hating Kate, resenting Kate, but it doesn't seem like she does. Hate her, at least. Resent her, probably. I know I resent my sister sometimes, even dislike her, but at the end of the day, she is my sister, and I love her, and even though I would be terrified to be put through surgery to donate an organ, I don't see how I could choose NOT to do that and live with myself after my sister died. I just can't fathom it. I don't know how the story ends yet, but IF Anna doesn't go through with it and Kate dies, how is she going to feel about that? How could she stand to be around her mother, knowing that Sara is always going to look at her and think, "You could have saved Kate, and you didn't." From that angle, she seems very selfish. I know she's only thirteen, and thirteen-year-olds generally are selfish LOL, but still... it's a matter of life or death, and it's her sister.
So I guess even though I totally understand Anna's wanting to emancipate herself, I can't believe she would let her sister die over it.
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That doesn't surprise me, sadly. I am kind of diappointed in her and the fact that she allowed them to do it. I think I would have bailed out personally.
They really need to make Nineteen Minutes into a movie! and for the love of God not a Lifetime Movie!! lol
Oh god, Lifetime LOL. They turned my favorite Lurlene McDaniel book into a movie, and it was sooo corny. The material they were working with was, admittedly, already pretty cheesy, but they added the special Lifetime touch with poor acting and sappy music and added this whole subplot that centered around the mom losing her job because she was missing too much work and fighting to get it back, which was totally NOT what the book was about, but I guess they thought it would appeal to the frumpy housewife crowd more than the teenage love story aspect would.
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They probaly had to ue that angle so they could cast Meridith Baxter Birney? lol She's in all Lifetime Movies, isn't she?
You know, if Mel's ever got to be a big success (haha!) ONe of my fears would have been That Lifetime would ask to make a movie for it and it would end up staring the old cast of Family Ties minus Michael J Fox. lmao
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lol did you hear that Hollywood has changed the ending for the movie? Check it out. http://joblo.com/sisters-keeper-ending
They also deleted Julia's character from the movie, which I find personally offensive.
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Those are good questions Julie
If I was Anna, i'm not sure I personally would be able to go ahead with this thing. Sometimes she made me angry as well, just because she seemed so willing to let her sister die and at times it does seem selfish, but then again she's just a kid. I mean I can't even imagine what kind of hell that must be like to always be poked and prodded just so your sister can get better. While reading it, I felt that sense of inner hatred she must have had for her. I probably would too.
I wholeheartedly agree. I found myself so easily looking at Anna at first and thinking 'what a selfish brat'... that's her sister. If it were one of my brother's in that position I would hope that I'd easily be able to give whatever necessary of myself to save their life. But then again... I say I would hope... because I've never been there. And we're so quick to feel unbelievably sorry for the cancer patient who has to endure treatments and sticks and jabs and blood draws but turn a blind eye to the other patient, enduring the same only without the life threatening illness. Towards the end of the story I started to feel a real sorrow for Anna. I started to wonder how years of being the guinea pig when actually effect a person's life and under no circumstance could I come up with a good outcome.
In the mother's case, I still just see it as a mother trying so hard to save a child. And honestly in the world of pediatric cancer, it's something often seen that when a child is dying or being treated for their disease, the rest of the family gets tossed to the wayside. For Anna it was the case that her mother simply shrugged off her quality of life in a desparate attempt to save Kate. For Jesse it was a matter of no one paying attention anymore. For husband and wife, their lives became so wrapped up in hospitals and treatments and illness that they forgot to act like a couple anymore.
In those respects I think Picoult did an amazing job at pegging reality.
As for the ending of the movie being changed. I think it changes too much... I think it's disheartening that they took out the ending and made it their own. Picoult's ending, while shocking... made sense to the whole idea of the story.
I don't know if I'll be able to go see it now.
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They probaly had to ue that angle so they could cast Meridith Baxter Birney? lol She's in all Lifetime Movies, isn't she?
You know, if Mel's ever got to be a big success (haha!) ONe of my fears would have been That Lifetime would ask to make a movie for it and it would end up staring the old cast of Family Ties minus Michael J Fox. lmao
LMAO!!!
Broken would make a great Lifetime movie too... they could find some Disney Channel former child star reject to play Nick, and Meredith Baxter could be Jane Carter.
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Wow, I just finished the part about Kate and Taylor, and I am a complete crying mess LOL. I think that may have been my favorite chapter so far, though, cause it showed Kate as more than just the sick little girl or the dying sister. We got to see her as a real teenage girl in that part.
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Yeah, that was a pretty sad chapter. :( I had almost forgotten about that one.
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Now with the ending, it was a toss up for me. At first I was beyond pissed. I just couldn't believe she chose to end it that way after all the struggling. I mean I was just ticked. Then again after Campbell, Anna was my fave character.
But then I reread the ending and thought about it from more a writer's standpoint. I asked myself how would I end it then. And I couldn't think of a better way to do it. I thought of ways, but none of them fit better in my eyes.
So her ending was shocking, upsetting, and emotional, but at the same time, it had to end that way. I don't think they should change it.
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and while everyone is talking about this, which makes me happy by the way :) dare I even say warm and also fuzzy? lol Anywho...
This week you guys should try to finish it up. There's really not much more and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of the real ending! lol
And that would be the main question, what did you think of the ending? Do you think it was realistic or were you disappointed?
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Now with the ending, it was a toss up for me. At first I was beyond pissed. I just couldn't believe she chose to end it that way after all the struggling. I mean I was just ticked. Then again after Campbell, Anna was my fave character.
But then I reread the ending and thought about it from more a writer's standpoint. I asked myself how would I end it then. And I couldn't think of a better way to do it. I thought of ways, but none of them fit better in my eyes.
So her ending was shocking, upsetting, and emotional, but at the same time, it had to end that way. I don't think they should change it.
Like I said at the start of this thread, I loved the ending and would have even taken it one step further, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't finished yet so Julie hurry up! lol
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LMAO I'm hurrying! I'm almost done, but I can already infer how it's going to end...
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I don't have to hurry, then? lol
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and while everyone is talking about this, which makes me happy by the way :) dare I even say warm and also fuzzy? lol Anywho...
This week you guys should try to finish it up. There's really not much more and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of the real ending! lol
And that would be the main question, what did you think of the ending? Do you think it was realistic or were you disappointed?
I hated it. lol. There you go. Mostly I felt it was completely unrealistic, and forced. She just did it so she could say "gotcha" and prove a point. I hate it when writers do that. All it did was ruin the book for me and make me feel like I'd wasted my time investing in the situation and all the characters. She may have been trying to prove a point, and I know the point she was trying to make, but for me, all it did was make the book feel pointless. I'm personally ok with Hollywood changing the ending. Since I immediately changed it in my mind anyway.
Of course I have a feeling that I'm in the minority here... (Lol, Mare you probably loved it.)
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I think to end it any other way would have cheapened the story and made it more LifeTime movie of the week-ish to be honest. I think it wasn't forced at all. The entire time I was thinking, if they all live happily ever after I will be soo annoyed because in a situation like this, there really is no happily ever after. That would have ruined the book for me. That's another reason why I enjoy her writing style, all her bookks are kind of the same. You don't walk away warm and fuzzy because you are't supposed to. She leaves everything very up in the air. I'm surprised she's letting them change it. I'm disappointed in her for that. They must have given her a lot of money! I mean to change something a little bit is one thing but to totally overhaul an ending is something else.
And I thought you had read this already Julilly lol sorry then you hurry up too although we are pretty much giving things away and should stop. lol
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** Okay, I'm going to try not to spoil anything directly, but if you haven't finished the book, you may not want to read this whole post... **
I finished the book last night and couldn't sleep afterwards! I thought I knew how it was going to end... I at least knew it was going to be a sad ending; like Mare, I just couldn't see them all living happily ever after at the end either. But I wasn't expecting what really did happen! When I got to the beginning of that chapter, though, the one from Brian's POV, I just knew... at the first inkling, I knew.
I'm still not really sure how to feel about it. It was an incredibly sad and cruel twist. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's unrealistic though... the reality is, stuff like that can and does happen in an instant, every hour of every day, even to families who are already dealing with other tragedies. I can definitely see Kelly's point about it making the whole story seem pointless though. A story shouldn't necessarily be JUST like real life, a string of random events. I think it would have worked out fine to just have let Kate die, which is what I thought was going to happen. It still would have been a sad ending, it would have been realistic, and it would have shown that even though Anna - and, really, Kate - "won," they both just ended up losing.
So I dunno; I'm torn. I don't think I would have ended it that way, were it my book. That's the kind of ending I would have joked about it, but would never have actually gone through with because it seemed too disjointed from the rest of the story. But I don't think it was a bad ending really.
And hey, I was right about Campbell! LOL
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LOL yes, you were right about Campbell :)
I would have killed them both and then given the last chapter to the mother.
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ALMOST DONE!
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Good! Don't read any of these posts until you finish! lol
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DONE!
Now going back to read posts lol
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YAY! lol
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**Spoiler Alert**
I wanted Kate to die. Straight up.
I'm mad at the ending, which is a good thing. The ending made me furious but the point of writing is to evoke emotion and it did it well. I found Sara's section in the third to last chapter to be incredibly rushed, and I felt like the author was like "okay, ending, LET'S GO!". I also hate that Jesse got off scott-free.
I didn't mind the Campbell/Julia part because it really gave you a picture of how ashamed Campbell was of his 'disability'. Enough to leave the person he loved forever.
I feel bad that Judge got hurt in the accident, that upset me most about the ending. No dog should have to limp. Which should give you an idea of how I felt about the ending.... :)
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I forgot about Jesse. That's the only thing that bugged me about the book. I felt like Jesse should have gotten some kind of consequence for his actions. And I agree, that ending did evoke emotions and made me mad but still I think I would have killed Kate LOL
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I definitely wanted Kate to die. I was ticked it had to be Anna instead.
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I wanted them both to die. I mean not from the start but once they killed off Anna I thought they might as well kill of Kate too. In the end that would have shown the mom she was wrong to put her daughter through that for no reason and that she had lost Anna long before Kate died because of her selfishness towards the sick kid.
Heck they should have exploded Jesse too! lmao maybe in the sequel? OR the remake.
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I seriously thought that after the Anna dying thing happened then it would be "we gave her the kidney but Kate died anyway" so it would be like see? it wouldn't have necessarily worked, and now you've lost them both because of it.
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Yeah... it bugged me that Kate was so close to death and WANTED to die, so much that she put Anna up to the lawsuit and the trial, and then Anna died, and she miraculously lived. That was a little hokey. But, for me, it was at least better than if they both had died... I would have been too sad for Brian and Sara if that had happened. They still lost a daughter, but at least they only lost one. In the end, Anna did save her sister.
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Yeah but like Julilly said I expected Kate to die right along with her, just to show Sara something.
After being so mad at the ending, like I said I couldn't really think of another good way. Like Anna probably should've died just to make Sara finally see. But yes Kate should've died along with her to show that she made her girls suffer for essentially nothing.
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Yup, I agree.
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Yeah, I would have much rather seen just Kate die. I would have liked to see Anna have to make the decision (now that she actually can make it on her own) and give her the kidney, and then have Kate die. I HATED that Anna died. HATED it! Stupid. Pointless... But if you're going to kill off Anna, I would have much rather they still killed off Kate as well. First killing off Anna so conveniently like that seemed so preachy and just cheapened the whole story for me. But THEN to also let Kate miraculously live and Jessie turning around to be a model citizen, and a cop no less? Come on. I seriously hated the end.
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I'm glad I am not the only one who wanted them both to die lol Maybe that's how they'll change the ending? LOL
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About Jesse... I do agree that he should have been busted for arson and everything else he did, but I can kind of understand Brian not turning him in. Was it the right thing to do? No. But with everything else going on, it would have just made things even worse for the family to have him in prison.
And despite his pyromania and drinking and whatnot, I do think Jesse was a good person deep down. That came across several times... when he went into the fire to rescue the homeless guy (to save his own ass, of course, but he did risk his life to save another person, and without a second thought), and when he helped deliver the lamb and always noticed it in the crowd, even though he had gone on this whole rant about how much he hated the cheap, and the scene with Kate in her hospital room while the rest of the family is at the trial. I think he was a good person, just deeply warped by the dynamics of his family growing up.
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True. I can also understand why Brian didn't say anything, and as a parent, I'm actually not sure what I would have done in his situation. And Jesse was one of my favorite characters.I LOVED how he interacted with his sisters. I would have liked to see a little more of his perspective. I just didn't like that fact that the author decided to kill off Anna, and then tie up everything else so nice and neat. It just made it feel really cheesy after that. The same with Kate living. Like Mare said, I would have rather seen her kill them both off.
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I'm just not a big fan of sad endings. I can do without happy endings... bittersweet is good, which is what I think of this one... but for me, it would have just been too sad AND pointless if both of them had died. I would have rather it been Kate than Anna, but I'm glad that Anna's death was not pointless either, that at least she did save Kate. I know it's cheesy, but if you believe in God and Heaven and all that, you could see it as a miracle, that Anna died to save Kate, and Kate beat the odds and lived because she had sort of a guardian angel watching out for her after that.
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I'm still not a huge fan of the ending... but in a way, it made sense. I agree that it had to be a shock. I wasn't going to buy an ending where Anna gave in and gave up, or where where they just left everything hanging in the wind (which would have happened for the entire family if Anna had won the trial).
For me I think the ending was meant to be the ultimate irony. One daughter who wants a life free from having to be the guinea pig for her dying sister. The other, the child who's resigned herself to the fact that she is going to die. The mother who wants nothing more than for her dying daughter to live never realizing that by her living, she's giving up quality of life for the other.
In the end... the dying daughter lives, the living daughter dies and the mother is left stuck in the exact same situation for the rest of her life... only this time she has no hope of saving Anna.
It's a rather sucky storyline if you think about it -- because if it happened in real life it would be completely devastating. But it's actually pretty creative.
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^ That's a great way of putting it into words.
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so let's talk about our final thoughts this week. Overall how did you like this book? Would you recommend it to someone else? Did it make you want to read anything else by the author?
Start looking for Cell now so this way we can start reading it by March 30th. :)
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I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend it. I also would read something else by Jodi... probably Nineteen Minutes, since Mare's been raving about it. ;D That's something I might get over the summer when I have more time and run out of books... I'm reading so many different things right now, the last thing I need is a new book! LOL But I'm excited for Cell!
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I quite enjoyed it, despite how angry it made it. It was a book that I wanted to continue reading through which is rare for me.
I have already recommended it to a few people, and have lent the book out since I finished. I think I will continue to read things by the author, I was going to read The Pact.
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^ just a heads up about The Pact. If My Sister's Keeper made you angry The Pact will most likely make your head explode lol
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I really enjoyed it and though yeah, it made me annoyed a majority of the time, it also made me think. And I really liked that she did not make the ending all rainbows and sunshine.
I will say that I liked 19 Minutes more though and I'm currently reading "Perfect Match" and I'm really enjoying it as well (though it's incredibly sad).
She writes on a lot of touchy situations doesn't she?
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is Perfect match the Amish one? I have that one ready to read next and I agree Nineteen Minutes was much better. She does enjoy touchy non feel goodish type plots which is probably why I enjoy reading her stuff so much lol
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I'm like everyone. I really did enjoy it though it made me so angry. I'd recommend it to some people I know and not to others, it just depends on the person. I think I'd check out other stuff by her, though if she pisses me off at the end every time, I won't make it past one or two more.
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is Perfect match the Amish one? I have that one ready to read next and I agree Nineteen Minutes was much better. She does enjoy touchy non feel goodish type plots which is probably why I enjoy reading her stuff so much lol
Plain Truth is the Amish one -- I plan to read that next.
Perfect Match is the one where the prosecuting attorney's five year old son is molested (very sad)
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aww, I haven't read that one yet.
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I just saw a preview for the movie of this! I didn't know Abigail Breslin was in it... She's such a great little actress! That makes me excited to see it, cause it looks like they did a good job making it.
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REALLY? Movie movie or Lifetime Movie? Please lord say Movie movie lol
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Hm... Arec Bardrin (Alec Baldwin) is Campbell Alexander??? I pictured Campbell as way younger than that... am I the only one?
Cameron Diaz is Sara... will be interesting to see her in a serious role. And Jason Patric is Brian, which made me smile because I love Lost Boys... I don't think I've ever seen him in anything else LOL.
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REALLY? Movie movie or Lifetime Movie? Please lord say Movie movie lol
MOVIE movie!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1078588/
There are trailers up there... it looks really good! It comes out June 26.
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YAY!!!! :)
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I just saw a preview for the movie of this! I didn't know Abigail Breslin was in it... She's such a great little actress! That makes me excited to see it, cause it looks like they did a good job making it.
Originally Dakota Fanning was playing Kate but then she backed out because she didn't want to be in a movie where she had no hair.
Also the ending in the movie is different, test audiences found the original ending to not be 'happily ever after' enough.
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I didn't realize Cameron Diaz was going to be the mom, I thought she was going to be the guardian person for some reason...
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I'm not sure how I feel about Cameron Diaz being mom. She's too sunshine and roses for me. And i'm stil annoyed they are changing the ending. Someone better die.
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I bet you everyone lives!
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BOO!!!! That would stink. lol
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I don't understand why they would change the ending, I would be pissed if I was Jodi Picoult!
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I know! I wouldn't let them change my ending. It won't be realistic if everyone lives. Maybe they'll kill off Cameron Diaz lol
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Jodi Picoult said she didn't know about it until they were already changing it, but she could only figure that movie audiences were looking for something different than book audiences.
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See...I think the ending showed the cruel irony of the whole thing...knowin g that it was changed makes me not want to see it as much as I did...boo.
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Same here! LOL But I will anyway.
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Oh, I know I will too!
I looked at the people playing the characters on IMDB and none of them matched the image in my mind. The most shocking was Campbell...at first, before we got a lot on his background in the novel, I imagined him looking something like Warren Sapp! Ha!
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Yeah, it's weird that Alec Baldwin is playing him. I still hate Tom Hanks in the Dan Brown movies! LOL He doesn't fit either.
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Jodi Picoult said she didn't know about it until they were already changing it, but she could only figure that movie audiences were looking for something different than book audiences.
They are... that's why I will NOT be seeing the movie! >:(
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I just watched the trailer... so yeah... like the only thing I saw that matched up with the book was Anna suing her family.
And Alec Baldwin for real? All I can think of when I see his face is the phone call of him screeching at his daughter... that "thoughtless little pig"... :crazy:
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Yeah, I disapprove of changing the ending too, but I still want to see it. I love a good tearjerker movie... even if it has a happy ending?
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Just watched the trailer (youtube works for me again, woot! lol, and yeah the casting is so unexpected. I mean Cameron Diaz as the mom? Odd. Love Abigail Breslin though, she's a good actress for her age :).
Campbell, bad choice. So not how I thought he'd be for the movie.
But I'll probably still watch it. Even though I totally disapprove of changing the ending.
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hahaha am I the only person who was excited to hear that they were changing the ending?
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Yes lol
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Just wondering if anyone who read the book saw the movie and if you did, what were your thoughts?
I saw it today and thought it was good but I liked the book much much more. I do have to say I was impressed with Cameron Diaz. I never thought she'd be able to pull off the role of the mother but she did a great job.
Even if you dind't read the book, did you like the movie? I think I would have loved the movie if I didn't actually read the book and know how much it changed lol
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I haven't seen it yet, but I want to. I'm glad you thought the movie was good even though it's different from the book. It's too bad they changed so much, but I'm glad it was well cast. I actually like Cameron Diaz, but she doesn't do too many serious roles, so I'm curious to see her in this as well.
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^ I was really blown away by her. I'm not a Cameron Diaz fan AT ALL! and I couldn't picture her as the mom but she did great. So, did the girl who played Kate. She was awesome as well.
Yes, the book and movie were night and day. That's why i'm curious to see what people who have experienced both think.
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I heard that the movie was much less about Anna and much more about Kate and her story and her life and how it ruined their family. Too much focus on Kate in other words and not on the plot of the story. I can imagine it's a good movie without reading the book, but I just don't think I can see it... and knowing how the movie ends just makes me not want to see it even more.
The book was the ultimate in irony for Kate and Anna's mother... who fought so hard to keep one child from dying that she never stopped to think she may lose the other... forever.
I don't want to give away the ending of the movie for those who haven't seen it... but I cannot imagine that it does any justice at all to the ending Jodi Picoult came up with.
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^ Exactly. LOL
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So for us fans who hated the ending of the book? lol
Does that mean I'll like the movie better? It is sad that they took the focus away from Anna because if I wanted to wanted to see a movie about a little girl with cancer I'd have like a bazillion to choose from. That's not with this story was about. The fact that it was Anna's story and not Kate's is what I loved about the book. Shame they'd waste such a unique plot line. I'll probably wait until it comes out on DVD and rent it.
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Well, judging from what you just said, I don't think you'd enjoy the movie because that's basically what it's been reduced to. The real plot of the story is so unimportant that I think Alec Baldwin was on screen maybe for about 15 or twenty minutes throughout the entire movie. It was sad and disappointing. I mean, it was still a good movie but it wasn't My Sister's Keeper. It was more like Mom, I'm going to die so deal with it.
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I finally watched this movie! Glad I didn't make it to the theater to see it; if I'm gonna cry over a movie, I'd rather do it alone on my couch in the dark LOL. I liked it, though. I thought it fit the book well in most instances. They did leave some things out, obviously, namely the whole Julia/Campbell subplot (which I didn't care much about in the book anyway) and Jesse's pyromania, but most of the other things I remember from the book were there, and of course they added some things too.
I do veto the change in ending... Even though I'm still a little torn over how the book ended, it was certainly more interesting and completely unpredictable, albeit even sadder than the movie. Knowing how it really ends, I found the ending of the movie kind of unsatisfying and just very cliched. But other than that, I liked the movie. I thought it was well cast and well acted too.
It did seem like Kate got a lot more screen time than Anna, though, which kind of changed the whole theme and message of the story. Like Mare said, it seemed more like it was the story of everyone coming to terms with Kate dying, rather than than being so wrapped up in Kate that they ended up losing the other daughter.
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I still need to watch this. But if it really is more about Kate than maybe I don't want to. It was the whole Idea of everyone being so obsessed with kate that poor Anna was suffering that was so intriguing.
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It was weird, because most of the big stuff I remember from the book was there - except, like I said, a couple of subplots (like Julia) that I'm sure they took out just to simplify it to movie length - so I can't say it didn't follow the book, but it's like it told the story of the book and completely missed the message LOL. The point of it seemed to be more about Kate accepting that she was going to die and wanting her family, especially Sara, to do the same, rather than Anna's story. And the way they changed the ending speaks to that - it really changed the whole point of the storyline.
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I've never read the book, but I did enjoy the movie. Despite bawling in the movie theater (along with everyone else there-lol). Though, the ending was rather predictable for me - I knew what was going to happen before it even happened. *shrugs* But, overall, I did enjoy it.
~Lenni~
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It was very predictable (in the movie version). The book ending is totally different and unexpected, which made it better. You should definitely read the book at some point!
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It was very predictable (in the movie version). The book ending is totally different and unexpected, which made it better. You should definitely read the book at some point!
The book ending was definitely unpredictable. I don't know about better... (though I can't say for sure because because I don't know how the movie ends it.) I think the end of the book was a cheap shot to make the reader cry, and an obvious attempt to preach a lesson. There was no subtlety about the fact that she was trying to be ironic. Plus, I just wondered why I invested so much time reading a book that by the end the entire purpose of the crusade became void. The end made the book pointless.
Sorry. I just really, really hated the ending to the book. It's not even about the fact that it didn't end happy. I can do bitter sweet endings, I just think this one failed epically. But I also realize I'm the definite minority.
Sorry, again. I'll stop now. :angel:
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I finally saw the movie a couple of weeks ago. I liked the book better, even though the ending was the pits...I thought it fit, here was Anna, who was born to save her sister who essentially died doing what her sister wanted and her sister lived. Cruel irony...
I did like the movie, I just liked the book better...I wish they would have included some of the nonfamily stuff that was in the book in the movie.
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I've still not read the book or seen the film, but they are on my list to do! If I'm going to cry over a film, I'd rather do it in my house too rather than in front of a whole cinema full of people :D
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I have no shame. I cry all the time at movies. Being in the theater has never bothered me because chances are I'm not the only one doing it.
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I cried watching Marley & Me, but I wasn't the only one :D But at home, I can cry and not feel silly about it. I hate crying in public. I cried at my desk in work reading Breaking Dawn (that'll teach me not to read when I should be working) and my work colleagues gave me some strange looks.
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you cried in BD? Where?
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you cried in BD? Where?
OMG I'm pathetic aren't I, lol.
I cried in the part where Edward said goodbye to Jacob and Renesmee.
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I finally saw the movie a couple of weeks ago. I liked the book better, even though the ending was the pits...I thought it fit, here was Anna, who was born to save her sister who essentially died doing what her sister wanted and her sister lived. Cruel irony...
I did like the movie, I just liked the book better...I wish they would have included some of the nonfamily stuff that was in the book in the movie.
Me too! I think Jillian's character should have been in there. Even though the subplot with her and the lawyer was a bit dumb, I felt like her character was a much needed element for what the whole book was about. I still don't see why they added some random sister for the mother to gripe to. lol that annoyed me.
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Okay, so I just acquired this movie. (arg, mateys) I gotta say... that was terribly depressing, not as good as the book, but had it come out without me having ever read the book I think I would have enjoyed it. It was the comparison that killed it.
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Yep... I agree. It's a good movie, if you like Debbie Downer movies like that (which, okay, I do LOL). It just loses the actual message of the book, which is more original and is what separated it from the countless other stories about people dying of cancer. But even so, it told that kind of story much better than a lot of others - sure, it was cliched, but not overly cheesy or melodramatic or unrealistic.
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I agree, had I not read and LOVED the book, I would have thought the movie was great (which it was) A little too Lifetime movie of the week for me at times, but I would have enjoyed it had they not ruined the book. lol