|
The Pact: A Love Story | 
 enlarge | Author: Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Avon
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
Buy New: $3.98
You Save: $4.01 (50%)
New (33) Used (34) Collectible (1) from $3.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  47 reviews
Sales Rank: 567
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.2 x 1
ISBN: 0061150142
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780061150142
ASIN: 0061150142
Publication Date: September 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: 100% Brand New! - Ships Today! Identical to Amazon's book in every way. Flawless! Not a cheap Remainder or Book Club Copy! *We recommend Expedited Shipping option for much faster mail delivery
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Until the phone calls came at three o'clock on a November morning, the Golds and their neighbors, the Hartes, had been inseparable. It was no surprise to anyone when their teenage children, Chris and Emily, began showing signs that their relationship was moving beyond that of lifelong friends. But now seventeen-year-old Emily is dead—shot with a gun her beloved and devoted Chris pilfered from his father's cabinet as part of an apparent suicide pact—leaving two devastated families stranded in the dark and dense predawn, desperate for answers about an unthinkable act and the children they never really knew. From New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult—one of the most powerful writers in contemporary fiction—comes a riveting, timely, heartbreaking, and terrifying novel of families in anguish and friendships ripped apart by inconceivable violence.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 42 more reviews...
 The Pact...Not Picoult's Best June 29, 2008
If you are a new reader of Picoult I don't think this will be the book that hooks you. If you are searching to buy a Picoult book I would strongly suggest My Sister's Keeper. While The Pact was interesting at time I felt some aspects were a bit slow moving. Hope this helps.
 Totally disappointing. June 25, 2008
I have been wondering why Jodi Picoult is so popular for some time now and never picked up any of her books. I read "The Pact" at the recommendation of a friend who said this was one of her better books and am regretting it.
I almost always finish every book I start and this one was one of the hardest ones to finish. I kept waiting for the writing to get better, and for something to happen that was not already laid out. The corny dramatic endings of some of the sections were unbearable and the story dragged on. It felt like reading a bad script of a ho-hum episode of "Law and Order".
I am glad that I have not wasted my time reading Picoult and will probably never pick up any of her books again.
 Amazing story of love June 11, 2008
This is the second book I have read from Picoult and have to say that she is an amazing author who has the ability to make a reader feel like they are directly involved with the story line. The ending was quite surprising and not what I had expected at all. A very touching tale of teenage love, heartache and of the lengths a person will go to for the one they love.
 ABOUT THE PACT..... June 5, 2008
First, the good things about this book: Its "Then/Now" layout is intriguing and keeps the pages turning. Second, the rift that results between two close families as the result of tragedy is explored in a thoughtful and sensitive way. Third, I was fascinated by how art can reveal one's state of mind, even suicidal tendencies. I found myself really wishing I could see Emily's paintings.
But overall, it is difficult to really care about "The Pact" characters, which seem silly and shallow. Chris' father is as wooden as a tree trunk. His mother gushes so much emotional excess, ranting and raving, that I just want to slap her. Emily's mother retreats farther into the Twilight Zone with every page. The defense attorney's parenting skills are almost as bad as his courtroom strategies to 'invent' the truth.
Emily's reasons for suicide seem limp and uncompelling. Why she is not able to open up to anyone about her feelings and her one upsetting experience makes no sense, especially as she comes from a loving and supportive family. Why she feels so pressured to be 'perfect' is also unclear. I wanted to be sympathetic to her cause, but instead she comes off weak and ultimately selfish. If she had just had the guts to be honest with Chris about her feelings for him (or lack thereof), she would have hurt him a lot less than putting him through that suicide pact and its horrific aftermath.
Meanwhile Chris, her knight in shining armor, totally disappoints by not rescuing her at all. Emotion, and not common sense, is the biggest motivator for all these characters, and whenever feelings rule, common sense retreats. Example: Chris decides that his promise not to tell anyone about Emily's death wish should take precedence over keeping her safe. Another example: Chris decides to bring the gun and bullets to Emily, while simultaneously telling himself he will talk her out of using them. I also found myself wondering how, through all their sexual experiences, Chris could be so clueless not to notice Emily's physical loathing of him.
Blatantly unrealistic was the huge black hole that resulted by no one even asking Chris what happened that night! Are we readers to believe that the police, the prosecuting attorney, the defense attorney, Chris' parents and everyone else were never curious or bold enough to ask him what happened, even while preparing for his big murder trial? Ludicrous.
I have heard great things about Picault delving into controversial subjects, and for that reason, I was looking forward to reading this book. However, another disappointment happens at the end of the story, when she cops out and does not carry the controversy over to the very edge of the cliff. Not everything has an 'out' or a 'pat' answer, and this book should have had the guts to deal with the full, sobering ramifications of that controversy.
Truly Amazing June 2, 2008
I only discovered this author a few months ago by happening to pick up My Sister's Keeper. I was then compelled to purchase every book Jodi Picoult has written. The Pact is touching and so real to life. I had a hard time putting this book down. The characters are believable and the test of family and friends is that to real life. I enjoy being pulled into the books I am reading and have the same emotions I would watching an Oscar winning movie. Kudos to Jodi, she is an amazing author.
|
|
|
Copyright 2008 - RailroadBookstore.com
| |
