Book Review: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
I had sixth period off today and I managed to finish the latest Jodi Picoult book. Wow, Nineteen Minutes was so good. I loved Jodi’s last bit in the acknowledgement section “...to the thousands of kids out there who are a little bit different, a little bit scared, a little bit unpopular: this one’s for you.”
The opening of the book hooks you right way.
“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.
Nineteen minutes is how long it took the Tennessee Titans to sell of out tickets to the play-offs. It’s the length of a sitcom, minus the commercials. It’s the driving distance from the Vermont border to the town of Sterling, New Hampshire.
In nineteen minutes, you can order a pizza and get it delivered. You can read a story to a child or have your oil changed. You can walk a mile. You can sew a hem.
In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it.
In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.”
With an opening paragraph like that, who wouldn’t want to read the book?
Nineteen Minutes is a book about a school shooting and like most of Jodi Picoult’s books it is not an easy read. The subject matter hits close to home because it deals with child and parent relationships, the question of popularity and bullying, and the question of where the line is to be drawn.
I thought that Jodi handled the subject matter of the book very well and I found that while I felt for the main characters at the same time I was also passing judgment on them. I felt for the families of the victims but I also felt for the family of shooter. I felt for the victims but I also experienced the shooters’ pain.
I like the way that Jodi moved from present time to the past and then back again. It allows you to understand the characters better and to see more than one side how the events came to be. Jodi also handled the shooting very well and I loved the way she wrote it. I won't say more than that. Read it and let me know if you agree!
The ending really got to me and I had to stop myself from tearing up at a couple of points. I thought I figured out the twist that I knew the plot would take and I was half-right. The half that I didn’t know shocked me.
I have to say that this is another must read by Jodi Picoult.
(I may have to do a run down to Tokyo on Sunday...I am out of books to read! How the heck I am I going to get all of my books back to the US?)
The opening of the book hooks you right way.
“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.
Nineteen minutes is how long it took the Tennessee Titans to sell of out tickets to the play-offs. It’s the length of a sitcom, minus the commercials. It’s the driving distance from the Vermont border to the town of Sterling, New Hampshire.
In nineteen minutes, you can order a pizza and get it delivered. You can read a story to a child or have your oil changed. You can walk a mile. You can sew a hem.
In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it.
In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.”
With an opening paragraph like that, who wouldn’t want to read the book?
Nineteen Minutes is a book about a school shooting and like most of Jodi Picoult’s books it is not an easy read. The subject matter hits close to home because it deals with child and parent relationships, the question of popularity and bullying, and the question of where the line is to be drawn.
I thought that Jodi handled the subject matter of the book very well and I found that while I felt for the main characters at the same time I was also passing judgment on them. I felt for the families of the victims but I also felt for the family of shooter. I felt for the victims but I also experienced the shooters’ pain.
I like the way that Jodi moved from present time to the past and then back again. It allows you to understand the characters better and to see more than one side how the events came to be. Jodi also handled the shooting very well and I loved the way she wrote it. I won't say more than that. Read it and let me know if you agree!
The ending really got to me and I had to stop myself from tearing up at a couple of points. I thought I figured out the twist that I knew the plot would take and I was half-right. The half that I didn’t know shocked me.
I have to say that this is another must read by Jodi Picoult.
(I may have to do a run down to Tokyo on Sunday...I am out of books to read! How the heck I am I going to get all of my books back to the US?)