Date: April 30, 2005
Summary: Anna Fitzgerald was conceived in vitro as a genetic match for her then 2-year-old sister who has leukemia. She sues her parents for medical emanicipation so that she does not have to give up a kidney.
Notes: Very intense story. Sad. Most everyone liked it. Great discussion book.
Rachel’s rating: Four (4) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Three (3) out of four stars (Picoult does a great job speaking from multiple perspectives and in multiple voices; ending was a disappointment)
Date: June 3, 2005
Summary: William Deveraux Jr is an English professor at a small university. It takes place in a single week and it’s basically the story of his life.
Notes: Long, well-written but dull (IMO). Very literary.
Rachel’s rating: One and a half (1.5) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Three (3) out of four stars (Russo writes dialogue better than any other author I’ve read; irreverent and funny)
Date: August 12, 2005
Summary: Story of Francie and Neely Nolan and their parents, Katie and Johnny, and the plight of poor Irish immigrants at the turn of the century (1912) in the city of Brooklyn (NY).
Notes: Very long, very descriptive. Drags at some points. Gives clear depiction of the times. Everyone liked but me!
Rachel’s rating: Two (2) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Two (2) out of four stars (I agree with Rachel’s notes above; however, I liked it)
Date: Sept. 17, 2005
Summary: Story of 15-year-old Christopher who is autistic and finds a dog murdered. He sets out to determine who did it (spoiler-alert….turns out it was his father) and finds out that his mom is not dead after all.
Notes: Excellent. Easy Read. Interesting. Told in first person. Reads like a diary. I loved it. Not everyone did.
Rachel’s rating: Four (4) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Three and a half (3.5) out of four stars (Very clever; serious theme written with a light heart)
Date: October 29, 2005
Summary: Story of the great hurricane of 1938 that started in Florida and ended up coming up the East Coast. All of the New England states suffer devastation, people die because there was no warning.
Notes: First non-fiction pick. Two of us couldn’t get through it. Read like a newspaper account. Consensus was the author could’ve done better job at making the book more compelling.
Rachel’s rating: One (1) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Two (2) out of four stars (Interesting from a historical standpoint; never would have read it on my own but glad to have read it; learned a lot but not a compelling read)
Date: Dec. 2, 2005
Summary: Story of two friends growing up together in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir is rich and Hassan is his poor servant’s son. It’s the story of betrayal, sacrifice and loyalty. Also talks about politics and the Taliban.
Notes: Highly recommend. Reads like first-person true account. Upsetting but extremely important.
Rachel’s rating: Four (4) out of four stars
Jessica’s rating: Four (4) out of four stars (Compelling; couldn’t put it down; had a strong emotional response to each character and event described)