Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. In this book she deals with an incredibly sensitive subject and tells both sides of the story very well. I enjoyed the book and subject matter, but the format became a bit annoying.

Such an important and timely story, and I'm so glad an author with Picoult's clout chose to tell it.

This tells the story of the people working at a women's health clinic when they're attacked by a "pro-lifer" wanting to avenge his daughter who had an abortion. (As the story progresses, you realize his daughter didn't even have an abortion there, but that's what he thinks when he shows up and starts shooting.)

I thought Picoult did a good job of showing what everyone was going through - the doctors, nurses, office staff, as well as the patients, and the police officers outside. I also realize that she was making an effort to show all side of the story and claim that the pro-lifers aren't really evil. That's nice and all, but it's a little difficult to convince me there's any good in anyone who feels women shouldn't be allowed to control what happens to their own body. But respect to the author for making that extra effort to try and claim they don't really want to control women.

Anyway, I was glad to see that the author was showing the necessity of abortion clinics and how they work to help women. These people are putting their lives at risk every day so that someone else can live the life they want. She went into the different reasons why people - the doctors and patients - found themselves in these situations. These women aren't there because they're selfish, they're doing what they think is best at this point in their lives.



I didn't love the way in which the story was written, going back an hour with each chapter. It made the story feel a bit repetitive because we already know what's happened to a lot of the people. I know the purpose is to reveal more about each character, but it made it too easy to set the book down. Also, there's a bit of a twist in the story involving the nurse, and it's there for shock effect, and I know Picoult's books tend to have something like that in them. But I didn't like it, it felt very unnecessary and a little confusing. There's an even bigger twist involving some of the other characters. That part, I thought was interesting. In the end though, what you realize is there are so many people living lives they didn't want because of accidental or unplanned pregnancies. They did what they felt they should and brought the unplanned child into the world, and in doing so, had to give up their own dreams and plans. Even if their lives turned out okay, it wasn't the life they'd wanted, and years later, they find themselves in a constant state of disappointment, missing the life they gave up in order to bring a child into the world.


Overall though, a very good book providing a lot to think about.


I received a copy via NetGalley.

The day is a regular day with women arriving at the Women's Health Center for several different reasons. Unfortunately, as in real life, these clinic are usually just labeled abortion clinics with the parade of protestors marching outside the premises. On this day, George has a mission. He wants to even the score for those who feels like damaged his daughter. Through the course of the hostage crisis, some are killed, others are wounded, and each person's story unfolds. Also as in real life, personal decisions are not always easy and everyone has a narrative.
This was not my favorite of Picoult's novels. The reasons are not due to the subject matter, but more of how it was written. The events unfold backwards by hours and flashbacks. I just did not enjoy reading this way.

Another amazing book by Jodi Picoult.
This book covers timely issues about women's reproductive rights through the eyes of women and men on all sides of the issues and of all ages. I could not put it down.
Thank you for this incredible read.

I;ve only read very few books of Jodi's but this one i dived into with a clean slate. The book was a bit hard to read because of the content. But i really liked the writing style of the author in this book. Even though the content was heavy the writing did make it easy to read, bravo!

An interesting novel that approaches the controversial topic of abortion and clinics by looking at it from several different points of view: a teen getting birth control, protesters, a “spy”, the doctor and nurse, the owner of the clinic, a couple women getting abortions and an enraged shooter. The majority of the story is told from Wren’s point of view, a 15 year old who went to the clinic to get birth control, and her father who is a hostage negotiator trying to help calm the gunman. Picoult writes an engaging read about a difficult subject very tactfully. I did not like how the story went in reverse chronological order (time went backwards) and then jumped back to the end. I also felt like the story dragged a bit, but it was an interesting read because it was so different from everything I have been reading.

Another solid, let's-grapple-with-morality story from Picoult. The compressed storyline and reverse storytelling add a little something new for regular Picoult readers.

The morning started like every other day at the Center. The Center's employees show up like they do every other day, as do the protesters outside. The patients show up, too. Olive shows up to have her test results explained to her. Lorraine shows up in an undercover role, hoping to catch the clinic in a mistake. Joy shows up to have an abortion. And fifteen-year-old Wren is there with her aunt looking to get birth control for the first time. Everything is normal until a man walks into the clinic and starts shooting. He is desperate to get revenge for his aborted grandbaby. What unfolds is a day-long stand-off with the local hostage negotiator, who also happens to be Wren's father. He is desperate to keep the situation from escalating once he realizes his daughter and his sister are in there with the gunman. He doesn't know why they were in there, he just wants to keep his baby safe. Before the end of the day, people will die, but who will die and who will survive the gunman's wrath?

A Spark of Light is going to be the talk of every book club. At the center of the book is fifteen-year-old Wren, her father Hugh, and Wren's aunt Bex. Unlike most books by the author, this one does not have the same formula where each chapter is clearly from the viewpoint of a specific character. Instead, the only clear timeline is the hours and minutes that pass in one horrific day. Make no mistake about it, A Spark of Light is about abortion and takes place in an abortion clinic. As she is known today, the author very carefully examines all aspects of a controversial topic. In the afterwords, she even states that she watched three abortions. The book very explicitly describes an abortion. It is a very tough thing to read no matter what side of this issue you come down on. The book ended in a way that reminds you that not every book has a happy ending, but sometimes they have an okay ending.

Bottom Line - A Spark of Light is a book about a topic that has been at the center of heated conversations for decades. Jodi Picoult has a reputation for her writing thought-provoking novels about the topics that everybody is talking about, her new book is no different.

Details:
A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
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Pages: 384
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Publication Date: 10/2/18
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I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jodi Picoult never fails to hit the mark on social issues with strong story lines and believable characters.

I love Jodi Piccoult and have read many of her novels. This one seemed to focus on the issue of abortion rather than the characters as she usually does. In previous books, she develops unique but relatable characters who give us readers insight to their minds and perspectives - who have to deal with the issues (and potential consequences of their decisions). This book brings a group of stereotypical characters, who are introduced in the opening chapter and I think this is what bothered me in this book.- the characters took a backseat to the abortion issue. The reverse order of the story became repetitious with these characters and their agendas. This seemed to dilute the intensity of the story (since we already knew what would happen). It felt like an episode of 24 with the characters of Survivor thrown in to deal with the immediate situation. She described the individuals and their beliefs, and brought together their diversity in age, wealth, race, sexuality and experience. At the same time, there were many conversations that seemed too contrived - as if she were trying to teach the reader about the abortion issue. Typically the author has a twist at the end which is a surprise to me, but I think the twist at the end here was weak and by the time I got to the end, really didn't care. The author's note was interesting and probably one of the better parts of this book.
Thank you for providing this book to me. I prefer not to post this review on Goodreads as I usually do because I don't want others to be discouraged from purchasing it.

As with all sensitive subjects Ms. Picoult handles abortion by showing all sides and making it personal by attaching you to the characters that are telling the story.

The way it is told can be confusing for a bit but when get to the end you know it was the only way she could tell the story. There were a couple of twists that I didn’t see coming.

It is quite evident even before the authors note that she did her research.

I usually really enjoy Jodi Picoult. This was not like the others and unfortunately, I felt I wasted my time. I didn't like it as I did the others. It will sell due to the author's name, but it disappointed me

Abortion. Yes. Jodi Picoult went there. This is a book told in reverse time about a man who shoots up an abortion clinic in Mississippi. It is told from the perspective of several women in the clinic at the time of the assault, as well as well as by the hostage negotiator. Each has their own story of where they came from and why they are there.

This is a work of fiction but it’s easy to imagine that each woman represents many women in real life. The story is fair and covers both the pro choice and pro life points of view.

The notes of the author at the end are poignant and should be absorbed by every reader.

I am recommending this book.

While I usually love Jodi Picoult's books, this one utilized a difficult format that was hard to engage with.

I will start my review saying I will NOT discuss the political sides of abortion or whether I think it is right or wrong.

George Goddard, an upset father, takes it upon himself to teach the women and doctor at the state's only abortion clinic a lesson, by taking them hostage. He blames everyone there, patients and staff, for what has happened to his daughter.

After the first shot was fired, Hugh McElroy, a hostage negotiator, was one of the first one scene. What he doesn't realize is that his fifteen year old daughter is inside with her aunt, his sister. Hugh has depend on his training and the others inside to keep his daughter safe.

Through the eyes of a nurse who is a patient, the doctor who performs the abortions, a retired professor facing a death she cannot control, the distraught father, an anti abortion protestor, a young woman who felt abortion was her only way out and a scared teenager we learn of the many different reasons humans make the decisions they do.

You can guarantee that when you pick up a Jodi Picoult book you will be made to dig deep inside yourself and think. You may not agree with the issue being discussed but you will be forced to see the issue from every side.

I was not sure if I would like the narrative structure The Spark of Life was written in but by the end I was glad it was written backward, meaning we start with the most recent hour of the hostage standoff and work our way back to how it all began. It forced me to question why and take more of the facts given into consideration.

A great book for book clubs as many discussions can arise while reading. Expect tears and heartache as you read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House-Ballantine through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

When a best-selling author takes on a polarizing issue, you wonder what risks she will take. Piccoult embraces this topic wholeheartedly and from so many points of view that you feel for all of the players in these all-to-real circumstances.

Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult was a book of coincidences and controversies. Jodi Picoult is known to write books that are controversial in nature. She also likes to add twists and turns that are not expected. This is true for this book as well. I found the mixtures of controversies, coincidences and twisting storylines interesting. Abortions, Gun Control, Women’s Rights, and Patient Rights are all just parts of the story.

The book is set at a center of women’s health in Mississippi where abortions as well as other women’s health issues are addressed. The book also addresses how far a father would go to protect and stand up for their teenage daughter. The questions of what makes a father/ a parent. The two male characters are on opposite sides of the situation, with one needing to find a way to make a connection to bring a resolution.

I liked the different way Jodi Picoult wrote her book with the story line going backward. She starts at the climax and works her way backward through the story hour by hour. The number of characters stories also made the book fascinating. I left the book with more questions than answers. As much as I loved the book, I was disappointed in the lack of resolution in a couple of the storylines. There were characters whose storyline just ends and I really wanted to know what happened to them.

Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult is going to raise questions and leave you reassessing your stances. The storyline is compelling. Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult is a good read.

Ms. Picoult is undeniably a talented author, and she's never been afraid to tackle difficult topics. And yet, everything about this book rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it was the fact that I happened to start reading the day after a mass shooting without realizing what it was about (I have a bad habit of getting books from Netgalley and forgetting what they are by the time I read them). It didn't help that there was another mass shooting on the day I finished. Or maybe I'm just overly sensitive to the topics involved, as I'm a new parent living in America. But the whole book read as vaguely anti-abortion propaganda, with a hint of racism. (Please note: I don't have the first clue with Picoult's political leanings are, I can only tell you what I gleaned from the book.)

No, wait, here me out. (Spoilers ahead - I really can't clarify without them.)
Picoult spends a lot of time humanizing the shooter, a white male, to make him a more sympathetic character. Now, I wouldn't have bought an American mass shooter who was anything other than a white male, but the book went a little too far in making the reader care about him.
All of the characters who get shot are people of color, LGBT+, or over the age of 40. Some are more than one of those. But all of the young white women? Just fine.
By the same token, all but one of the young white women are in the center for an abortion or have previously had one. I'd just finished being annoyed that nothing bad happens to any of the young white women when I wondered if perhaps Picoult equates having an abortion with getting shot. (It's certainly not a picnic, but that seemed a little gross if that's what she's doing.)
The whole thing about how Bex is so glad she didn't have an abortion and she's so happy to have given birth to her son who thinks he's her little brother - felt heavy-handed and author-inserted.
The white male shooter gets more screen time, and thus more sympathy, than the black women who owns and runs the clinic.
The anti-abortion activist who is there to get the clinic shut down gets a more sympathetic backstory than the nurse getting an abortion.
The scenes with Joy's abortion are unnecessarily graphic. There's just no reason for it. I had to skim.

On top of all that, I *hated* that the story was told in reverse. We open with several characters already dead, so when we backed up to where they're alive, I'd already conditioned myself not to care about them. I knew other characters would be just fine, so I didn't worry in the least when they appeared to be in danger. There was no tension for me at all, and stories need tension. The "big reveals" that seemingly justify telling the story in this manner don't work at all. One because I honestly didn't care at all (and it just as easily could have been written into the end of a linear story), and the other because it seemed pretty obvious by the time it came up.

I also didn't understand why, upon finding the front door locked after the shooter moved deeper into the clinic, Wren and Olive didn't go to the desk to find the buzzer to open it. Much, much smarter than hiding in a closet and it couldn't be that difficult. I literally needed two sentences where they try and fail to open the door with the button and I would have given the book another half star.

I've read and loved so many of Picoult's books, but I'm afraid this one just didn't work for me at all.

*Review copy received from Netgalley*

One of my favorite authors who I always count on to tackle difficult subjects in a thoughtful and familial manner - this one left me short. Not enough character development to make me feel attached. Jumped around too much.

This timely, controversial book provides a riveting time line from the shooting in an abortion clinic, traveling backwards chronologically explaining why the actors felt the need to do what they did. While the trip back in time explains all the rationale, it is at times awkward; however ,that doesn't deter one from having to read to the end in order to discover the outcome. The characters are drawn with great compassion. You like them all, (even the "bad guy" has his reasons ) and Picoult definitely makes her point. With mass shootings on the rise and abortion still a hotly debated issue, this book brings it all to the front and it makes you think-which is obviously the goal of this author. Well done--four stars because I felt the journey backwards in time to be a bit confusing.