Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Book Review : "Lone Wolf"

Lone WolfLone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some things about this novel bugged the heck out of me, first among them the seemingly mandatory shifting point of view. Does anyone write single POV anymore? This book changes POV every time there is a new character, doing so well past the mid-point of the book (and even at the end, but that was okay. You'll see.) There were several times when I had to flip back to remind myself who was the narrator of the moment.

Another thing I hated was the silly names. Helen Bedd? There's one chapter where it's Stupid Character Name Jamboree time. I didn't see any point to it, just Picoult amusing herself or something.

However, all of that said, there is a reason why I keep returning to this author even though she makes me nutty sometimes. She is really good at portraying families in crisis. In addition, when she chooses to write about animals, she obviously does her homework first and the result is both fascinating and enlightening. In "Leaving Time" it was elephants; here it's wolves. Luke Warren is a man who leaves his family for two years to go into the wilds of eastern Canada to insinuate himself into a wild wolf pack. What happens there, and what it ultimately means for everyone who loves him, is top drawer stuff. This novel is also about making an end of life decision. Who makes the call, and what guides them?

All in all, I liked the book and do recommend it, but with reservations if, like me, you aren't a fan of continually shifting narration.



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2 comments:

  1. Shay--You are definitely right about Picoult and the research she does. I learned a lot about wolves from that book, and about elephants when I read "Leaving Time."

    Apparently I'm "easy" when it comes to book. I probably gobble them down so fast, no discernment is possible...

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  2. I truly hate that shifting point of view thing. To me, in most cases anyway, it interrupts the narrative flow, sometimes to the point where you feel you are reading two or three separate books. I don't mind a little of it, but when it's constant, I usually lose interest. And Helen Bedd??? Really?? Like Myra Mains,that joke was ancient when I was in grade school(MANY years ago.) But good that you found enough of interest here to redeem such superficiality.

    As always Shay, a spot-on and informative review.

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