19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult.

I finally finished this book last night and I find this fact sad. Have you ever picked up a book and as the pages left rapidly dwindle you find yourself wishing it would never end? That a page would mysteriously appear just as you finish one? This is how I felt about this book. I didn't want it to to end, I wanted to keep reading on.

19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult is a novel focusing on School Shootings. In 19 Minutes a student at Sterling High led a rampage through the school shooting kids. The bullies who tormented him daily and even people who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. As the victims of the shooting try and cope with the aftermath a Trial is being prepared to send Peter Houghton to prison. The story is told from a wide range of different perspectives ranging from Peters parents, to the Detective, and a Judge whose daughter was at Sterling High. The book also explores the past of Josie Cormier and Peter Houghton. Their life before the shooting at Sterling High.

I remember reading the back cover and there was a quote from a review. 'A brilliantly told tale, one that dares to remind us someone loved the killer too' I have to agree with this. When you hear about something like Columbine or the Virginia Tech Shooting, you tend to think of that shooter as evil. you forget that someone loved them, someone cared deeply about them. That once upon a time, they were like you and me. As the book unfolded I found myself torn in half. Part of me wanted Peter to be found not guilty, the otherside wanted me to throw away the key.

The description in the book is wonderful, the dialogue is great. The characters, all of them it seems, are full of emotion and life. They are all unqiue. The struggles found within the book are not all related to the shooting. How we precieve ourselves and how others precieve us. Abusive boyfriends, touching lightly on prolife/prochoice, a mother and daughter distance from each other, and even gun safety. How could parents be so oblivious to their own son? How bullying goes on in school. Father abandoning his kid. Many topics it touches on and makes you stop and think about. Oh one more. What does it take before something changes?

One of my favorites has to be what others think of you. Josie Cormier appears to have the perfect life. She gets good grades, she has the perfect boyfriend whom everyone else is jealous of, and she is popular. However we quickly learn that this is a mask. That she is so wrapped up in trying to remain popular and is worried that one day that it will be taken away from her she almost loses herself.

I suppose this is no real spoiler. But after the shooting Josie watches as one of her 'friends' throws some spitballs at a kid. Her friend turns to her asking whats wrong and saying something about how you wanted it to go back to normal. She realizes that nothing has changed, not really.

This book also offers up one hell of a mystery. What exactly happened in that locker room where Peter Houghton was apprehended? This is the one thing that kept me from wanting it to be a 'never ending book' because I feared I may never get to it.

Great characters, great subplots, an a amazing book. Though I have one complaint and its minor. I have read that writers should avoid using pop culture references that could become dated fast. While it was amusing seeing Josie and a friend read a bio of the actor who played Sawyer on Lost. I found one particular popculture reference... well more like celebrity reference, was that one of Josie's friends compared her actions to Hillary Duff. From context I can piece what she means by it together. But I dunno it was my only real complaint about this book. Which is really small when you think about it.

Spoiler Alert(wish I had a clip of Stewie-vader saying that...) But seriously yeah, spoilers that reveal alot about the story.

Spoiler:

If you ever get a chance to read this book, I would highly recommend it. Its was well written, the characters are more then alive, and I know I am going to be looking forward to seeing Jordan McAfee in The Pact. Because apprently he appears in both books.

I can't really recommend this book enough to be honest. I almost want to go over and start from page 1 again.

I just hope someday that I can create a bunch of characters that people fall in love with, that my story will leave them a bit haunted as they walk away.

I love Jodi Picoult. It has been a while since I read 19 Minutes. I might have to read it again. I remember not being able to put it down. And when it ended, I too was sad.
Have you read any of her other books?

x_mia_x wrote:I love Jodi Picoult. It has been a while since I read 19 Minutes. I might have to read it again. I remember not being able to put it down. And when it ended, I too was sad.
Have you read any of her other books?

I know exactly what you mean. I couldn't almost refused to put it down(I ended up staying up until 6am reading.) I wanted it to keep going and going and going. I loved how it ended though. Well sorta.

Spoiler:

I do know that this is easily going to be one of those books I will keep rereading. lol

I haven't read any other books by her yet. When I bought 19 Minutes I also bought The Pact by her. Which I am looking forward to reading. In part because I hear Jordan McAfee was also in it.

Unit7 wrote:

x_mia_x wrote:I love Jodi Picoult. It has been a while since I read 19 Minutes. I might have to read it again. I remember not being able to put it down. And when it ended, I too was sad.
Have you read any of her other books?

I know exactly what you mean. I couldn't almost refused to put it down(I ended up staying up until 6am reading.) I wanted it to keep going and going and going. I loved how it ended though. Well sorta.

Spoiler:

I do know that this is easily going to be one of those books I will keep rereading. lol

I haven't read any other books by her yet. When I bought 19 Minutes I also bought The Pact by her. Which I am looking forward to reading. In part because I hear Jordan McAfee was also in it.

Matt was an awful boyfriend! There were so many times I wanted to slap him.

Spoiler:

I had kind of forgotten how it ended until you said that. Now I want to read it again for sure!

The Pact was also a very good book. I didn't like it as much as 19 Minutes but I did have trouble putting it down as well. When you finish it let me know so we can talk about it!

Spoiler:

Heh thats kind of disapointing. But I am sure The Pact is a great book anyways. When I get done with it I will create another thread like this. Going over what I liked/didn't like and such.

I am sorta disapointed that either no1 but you has seen this thread or that we are one of the few on here who may have actually read it.

I read 19 Minutes last summer. I, like you, found it so hard to put down. Although, now, I can't remember most of the details. In fact, some of what you said seems new to me. In short, I can't give much of an opinion on the book other than it was great, I couldn't put it down, I'd reccommend it to friends.

I also read The Pact. It had to be at least two summers ago. My memory's even more fuzzy on that one, but I remember enjoying it. I liked the style, in that she wrote between flashbacks and then in the present. Out of the two books, I liked 19 Minutes more, but I'm sure you'll enjoy this one, too.

After this thread, I really want to go reread both books now

xTSNI2008x wrote:I read 19 Minutes last summer. I, like you, found it so hard to put down. Although, now, I can't remember most of the details. In fact, some of what you said seems new to me. In short, I can't give much of an opinion on the book other than it was great, I couldn't put it down, I'd reccommend it to friends.

I also read The Pact. It had to be at least two summers ago. My memory's even more fuzzy on that one, but I remember enjoying it. I liked the style, in that she wrote between flashbacks and then in the present. Out of the two books, I liked 19 Minutes more, but I'm sure you'll enjoy this one, too.

After this thread, I really want to go reread both books now

So The Pact is told in a similar fashion as 19 Minutes? Where sections are about the past that lead up to the suicide pact? While some sections are of the after math? If so then good. I was hoping that The Pact would be told in a similar way because I feel that, like 19 Minutes, it would be best told this way.

Well I would recommend reading them. I hope some day that I will look back it will be fuzzy, because I would love to have the chance to reread this as if it were new again. Not that I wouldn't or couldn't enjoy it if I picked it up right now. lol

I'm going to have to say yes. I for some reason don't remember 19 Minutes being written that way (yet I do remember when it describes how Peter and Josie were friends when they were little through their mother's relationship, but I guess I thought that was just a random flashback), but The Pact goes from Chris and Emily when it happened and the aftermath to the past. The past meaning, in their mother's wombs gradually going up to when it took place.

I think I might just have to reread them. My mind's definitely fuzzy enough that it'll seem new, lol. Now if I can only find the time.....

Have you read other books by Jodi Picoult?

Yeah 19 Minutes started with the morning of the shooting, and then jumps back to when Josie was still in the womb and gradually shows their relationship and how they changed.

Yeah finding time to read is a difficult sometimes. Hope you find the time.

No I have yet to read any other books by her. But I am keeping my eye out for some.

Yay me for picking this one!

Unit I read the review (not the spoilers, no worries!) and it sounds really interesting. I might just verge away from my genre rut and check it out!!

pinkcupcake wrote:Yay me for picking this one!

Unit I read the review (not the spoilers, no worries!) and it sounds really interesting. I might just verge away from my genre rut and check it out!!

Oh good because... well I could never fogive myself if I spoiled it like I did with Lost. I mean how was I supposed to know you didn't get to the part where the Island goes into space? o.O (by any chance do you remember that?)

Its always a good idea to stretch your legs and wander a different genre and types of books.

Okay yeah, The Pact is very similar to that. Basically just a different story, same set up.

I haven't read all of her books, but what I've read so far has been wonderful. I'd reccommend all of them, except Vanishing Acts. It was the only book by her I couldn't really get into. I read it, but it wasn't as good as the others. To me, at least. Again, this was..hmm, had to be 4yrs ago, so I don't remember much except it was one of the books I wanted to put down.

Happy reading

xTSNI2008x wrote:Okay yeah, The Pact is very similar to that. Basically just a different story, same set up.

I haven't read all of her books, but what I've read so far has been wonderful. I'd reccommend all of them, except Vanishing Acts. It was the only book by her I couldn't really get into. I read it, but it wasn't as good as the others. To me, at least. Again, this was..hmm, had to be 4yrs ago, so I don't remember much except it was one of the books I wanted to put down.

Happy reading

I really enjoyed Vanishing Acts! What didn't you like about it?