My third Jodi Picoult book, and very different from the others that I’ve read, the subject matter being of ghosts and unbelievable happenings in th... (show more)
Second Glance: A Novel
"Sometimes I wonder....Can a ghost find you, if she wants to?"
An intricate tale of love, haunting memories, and renewal, Second Glance begins in current-day Vermont, where an old man puts a piece of land up for sale and unintentionally raises protest from the local Abenaki Indian tribe, who insist it's a burial ground. When odd, supernatural events plague the town of Comtosook, a ghost hunter is hired by the developer to help convince the residents that there's nothing spiritual about ... (show more)
"Sometimes I wonder....Can a ghost find you, if she wants to?"
An intricate tale of love, haunting memories, and renewal, Second Glance begins in current-day Vermont, where an old man puts a piece of land up for sale and unintentionally raises protest from the local Abenaki Indian tribe, who insist it's a burial ground. When odd, supernatural events plague the town of Comtosook, a ghost hunter is hired by the developer to help convince the residents that there's nothing spiritual about the property.
Enter Ross Wakeman, a suicidal drifter who has put himself in mortal danger time and again. He's driven his car off a bridge into a lake. He's been mugged in New York City and struck by lightning in a calm country field. Yet despite his best efforts, life clings to him and pulls him ever deeper into the empty existence he cannot bear since his fiancée's death in a car crash eight years ago. Ross now lives only for the moment he might once again encounter the woman he loves. But in Comtosook, the only discovery Ross can lay claim to is that of Lia Beaumont, a skittish, mysterious woman who, like Ross, is on a search for something beyond the boundary separating life and death. Thus begins Jodi Picoult's enthralling and ultimately astonishing story of love, fate, and a crime of passion.
Hailed by critics as a "master" storyteller (Washington Post), Picoult once again "pushes herself, and consequently the reader, to think about the unthinkable" (Denver Post). Second Glance, her eeriest and most engrossing work yet, delves into a virtually unknown chapter of American history -- Vermont's eugenics project of the 1920s and 30s -- to provide a compelling study of the things that come back to haunt us -- literally and figuratively. Do we love across time, or in spite of it? (show less)
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Reviews (See all 1,211) Write a reviewfor this
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Not really finished. Couldn't make it through the first two chapters, too confusing and jumps from one character to the other way too much. Just co... (show more)
Not really finished. Couldn't make it through the first two chapters, too confusing and jumps from one character to the other way too much. Just couldn't get into it so am starting another one of hers and will come back to this one later, maybe. (show less)
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I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of Jodi Picoult. I read Plain Truth a few years back and it was and remains my favourite of her novels. I've read a lot of her stuff because I keep on expecting to find another Plain Truth and so far it hasn't happened, but Second Glance was almost there.
It was a good page turner in that I really wanted to know how the issues would be resolved, but Idid lose inberest a bit in the very last part of the book when I should have been gaining interest in my o... (show more)I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of Jodi Picoult. I read Plain Truth a few years back and it was and remains my favourite of her novels. I've read a lot of her stuff because I keep on expecting to find another Plain Truth and so far it hasn't happened, but Second Glance was almost there.
It was a good page turner in that I really wanted to know how the issues would be resolved, but Idid lose inberest a bit in the very last part of the book when I should have been gaining interest in my opinion.
For me her characters sometimes let her down. They start of okay but quickly become very irritating. In this book , Ross, who should have had all my sympathy, just got on my nerves. Her male protaganists are sometimes just too much. Too good, too sensitive, too feeling, whatever. You end up wanting to shake them. They are just not real enough.
I liked the sub plot around Shelby and Eli and I found their interaction moving and gently amusing.On the whole a good page turner with a good, story line. I knew absolutely nothing about the role of eugenics in pre 1940 America and was shocked but not totally surprised by the facts bought to light here. (show less)
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As usual tis is a great book by Picoult, but I would NOT reccomend it for a first time Picoult reader. This book weaves together many different characters and storylines to a beautiful ending, but getting there can be VERY confusing at first. But if you like Jodi, you'll love this book. it has her usual - emotionally challenging story, incredible research, characters who you actually care about and are interested in, and so much more. This book may be about the supernatural world, but it'... (show more)
As usual tis is a great book by Picoult, but I would NOT reccomend it for a first time Picoult reader. This book weaves together many different characters and storylines to a beautiful ending, but getting there can be VERY confusing at first. But if you like Jodi, you'll love this book. it has her usual - emotionally challenging story, incredible research, characters who you actually care about and are interested in, and so much more. This book may be about the supernatural world, but it's not necessary to believe in the supernatural to enjoy the story. Although, I can admit, that it probably doesn't hurt either.
If you have read a couple of her novels and really enjoyed them I think you should probably give this one a chance. I admit even I had a very hard time getting through all the various character introductions and such, but once that is all finished and you can move on to just enjoying the story - it's a great one. (show less)Already read
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There are some of her books I could not get into and others that were hard to put down.
Facebook User about 1 month ago -
Has anyone had trouble getting into this book?
I love Jodi Picoult, she is definitely my favorite author, but I cannot get into this novel. Is the whole book this way, or does it get better?
Sarah Lusby about 1 year ago -
Ending? (SPOILERS)
I was just wondering, what is everyone's take on the scene at the end where Ross goes back to the day of the car crash before coming back to life?
Katie Irwin 8 months ago
I have my own ideas, but I want to know what other people think.
Could it have been some kind of Heaven, or a form of Purgatory?
Thanks -
What was the relevance of ***** (spoiler)?
Shelby and Eli finding Ross and Aimee's engagement ring in their bed?
This was a question at the end of the book and I wondered about it at the time, and now 2 days later, I'm still thinking, any ideas?
Facebook User about 1 year ago
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