Second Glance: A Novel

Beautiful, educational, a great read... Loved it! This was my first book by Picoult, although my bookshelf is already lined with more books I want to read by her.

I loved how she intertwined the past with the future, and allowed us to learn and reflect on a very controversial topic that has and will always haunt our existence, who is the superior and perfect individual, race, or culture. Can you create or mold a civilization through genetics, acting like a god? Is it right to determine whether a baby should be born based on it's genetic make-up or should we terminate a pregnancy because it's easier to end a life in the womb rather than watch one suffer daily due to issues brought on by a deformity, a rare disease, or some other disabling condition?

I'm impressed with the detail and research Picoult was able to bring to the table, and the ability to make this a very thought provoking book. I was honestly disturbed by some of the quotes and facts she was able to bring to the table, only because they were actual quotes from the past. I tend to find history very dry, so when I can find someone who's able to weave a story as Picoult did here, I usually can't put the book down, and I couldn't! Hope you enjoy the book as well as I did!

another great novel by jodi picoult! she is absolutely my favorite modern author.
i love how much research she does for each unique issue for her novels. it makes her stories that much more interesting because you read something and you can trust that, you know, that's probably the actual way it is done or that's probably exactly what they really call that. i can get into her stories and her characters because, even though it's fiction and it's all definitely imaginative, it's based in reality and those people/situations might be real for someone.

i loved the paranormal aspects of second glance, especially the native american rituals and beliefs of the afterlife/spirits. and of the many picoult novels that i have read, second glance is the most uplifting love story. even though it's staged with tragedy, i just got goosebumps throughout the novel when the personal connections were revealed. i just cannot say enough about this book! SO GOOD!!

SO! I am a big Picoult fan but this wasn't one of my favorites. It was good, but I think she's done better. In her other work she has touched on some very controversial subjects and I always liked that -- makes me think about my own feelings on the topic. In this one, however, she doesn't seem to have really done that as much. She does touch on PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) and vaguely hints towards "designer" babies; I think I would have enjoyed the book more if she delved deeper into that controversy.

The ghost/love story was sweet, but kind of fluff to me. I probably wouldn't have picked up a book with that storyline; Picoult's name on the cover is what convinced me to give it a shot. The murder mystery aspect is also something I'm not that accustomed to with her work. I don't normally read that genre, but I will admit to being curious as to how it all ends up and "who did it" as, right now, I'm not entirely sure. And, as always, though, Picoult has fleshed out her characters enough to make them real and engaging -- something I have always loved in her work.

All in all, it's been a good read, just not one of my top Picoult books.

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6759424Having only discovered the work of Jodi Picoult just over two years ago, this is already the eighth title that I have read. I think it is therefore safe to say that I enjoy her novels.

This one is a ghost story and although I do not disbelieve in them I am somewhat sceptical. Seeing is believing so you never know, maybe one day. I think therefore that my scepticism was the reason that I was long way into the story nearly two hundred pages before I really began to appreciate properly what was going on. Once the storyline made sense I began to enjoy it much more, although I would not say it was amongst my favourites. Although the author herself said in August 2008, that Second Glance her tenth novel wrritten in 2003, to date was her personal favourite.

Although the book is a work of fiction the work of the Vermont Eugenics Project actually exsisted as did the Sterilization Law of 1931. A disturbing practice to prevent problem citizens reproducing, similar to the plans of the Nazis for racial cleansing! Once again Jodi Picoult impresses me with her choice of a controversial subject to base a novel on.

Ghosts, Abenaki Indians and Eugenics Research link the characters and the periods of 1932 and 2001 together in an excellent example of mixing fact and fiction and the past with the present.
There are so many twists and turns in the story that I was never quite sure what was going to happen next. I am only sorry that it took me so long to sort all the characters out in the early part of the book as once it all slipped into place it was a great read. I may well have given up if I had not already been a fan of Jodi Picoult and that would have been a shame.

What a great book! This has to be one of her best. The beginning was a little confusing with all of the characters being introduced, but after a couple of chapters it became easy to follow along. You soon realize that all of the characters' lives are intertwined in some way. There is a surprise in each and every chapter.

This book is a ghost story, but is not scary at all. It really makes you think about what happens when we die. Will we come back to visit our loved ones? Life on earth is by no means the end.

Where do I start? This is my favourite Picoult book so far.
I did struggle ever so slightly at the beginning as she jumps from character to character in the first few pages, and it was a little confusing, but once I got my head round that after a chapter or so, it was great.
It's written in three parts and the story fits together really well bringing up subjects as far apart as ghosts and serious social issues in history, and knitting them together with twists that keep coming right until the very end.
All of Picoult's books bring up subject matter that really get you thinking about what I would do if faced with that situation. This one came from a different angle about how I feel about the issues raised even though they would never affect me. They definately are food for thought.
Top read :o)

Good, but not her best. It took me forever to get into the book. Was way too many characters in short bursts at the beginning for me. I like how the author changes perspectives throughout the book as I've liked in the other books I've read by her, but there was just too much of that in the first few chapters. I also thought the ending was a little too quick. There was a climatic event at the end (I won't spoil it for those who haven't read it), but then I felt it ended ubruptly. Again, as a whole, it was okay, but not my favorite of hers by any means.

Oh my God, she did it again! I love Jodi Picoult! This book is a ghost story/historical fiction/romance novel/whatever. At first I was thinking, I don't know, it seems a little odd, definitely not one of her best. But as soon as I hit the flashback to 1932, I was hooked. She brings up such interesting, debateable (is that a word?) questions. And the connections between the characters really keep you intrigued. I didn't think the writing was as great as in "My Sister's Keeper," which still astounds me, but whatever, it was still great. Can you believe that a person who doesn't really like ghost stories/science/the study of genetics loved this book? That's what's so great about Jodi. She can take any subject in the world and make the reader interested.

Wow! This is only the 2nd Picoult book I've read, but I can see that I'll be starting to work my way through them all now. I originally picked this up because it takes place in Vermont, and since I'm moving there, I've been immersing myself in fiction that takes place in New England, specifically Vermont. This is a ghost story, a story of eugenics in Vermont, and a love story, all mixed together in one. It was a little slow starting up, mostly because she introduces all the various characters that will eventually interact, and it's a bit hard to dive in when you're being hit with that many people all at once. But once it got going, I couldn't put it down. I found myself sitting up at 1am wanting desperately to finish it, yet knowing that I really needed to get some sleep.

1 part romantic fiction, two parts ghost story, three parts historical fiction. This is a compelling story that will challenge you to think about Eugenics, history, and what makes us truly human. The story beautifully weaves together the lives of Ethan, a boy born allergic to the sun and desperate to live before his life is prematurely cut short; Ross, Ethan's uncle who has begun chasing ghosts in the hopes of contacting his long-dead fiance; Shelly, Ethan's mother who is just trying to keep it all together and give Ethan a life; and a local native American tribe trying to retain their heritage in the modern age. It is a gorgeous story that you will want to read again and again to find all the moving pieces and put them back where they belong.