Released in March 2005, 'Vanishing Acts' is Jodi Picoult's twelfth novel. Turning out usually one novel a year, Picoult tackles all kinds of moral dilemmas and human emotions, usually in the form of a courtroom drama.
Most famous in the UK for the book 'My Sister's Keeper', Picoult has ... Read review
Advantages: compelling to read,really descriptive,easy to relate to Disadvantages: none
Released in March 2005, 'Vanishing Acts' is Jodi Picoult's twelfth novel. Turning out usually one novel a year, Picoult tackles all kinds of moral dilemmas and human emotions, usually in the form of a courtroom drama.
Most famous in the UK for the book 'My Sister's Keeper', Picoult has discussed issues such as murder, suicide, babies born just to keep their siblings alive and, in the book I will be reviewing today, 'Kidnapping'. I ... ...involved in such extreme circumstances, as Picoult does.
I have been a huge fan of Picoult's, ever since I read 'My Sisters Keeper', and I now have four of her thirteen books. I didn't really go into the book with any expectations as each of her books that I have read, have all been different in some way. Some I enjoyed more than others. However, now after completing the book, I can safely say it was one of the best that I have read ... more
Released in March 2005, 'Vanishing Acts' is Jodi Picoult's twelfth novel. Turning out usually one novel a year, Picoult tackles all kinds of moral dilemmas and human emotions, usually in the form of a courtroom drama.
Most famous in the UK for the book 'My Sister's Keeper', Picoult has discussed issues such as murder, suicide, babies born just to keep their siblings alive and, in the book I will be reviewing today, 'Kidnapping'. I personally haven't found another author who captures the raw emotions involved in such extreme circumstances, as Picoult does.
I have been a huge fan of Picoult's, ever since I read 'My Sisters Keeper', and I now have four of her thirteen books. I didn't really go into the book with any expectations as each of her books that I have read, have all been different in some way. Some I enjoyed more than others. However, now after completing the book, I can safely say it was one of the best that I have read from her.
*** The Plot ***
Delia Hopkins can't imagine having a better life than the one she has had. Raised by her widowed father in New Hampshire, she now has a great job finding missing people with her trusted companion 'Greta', a faithful bloodhound, and a beautiful daughter named Sophie, whom was fathered by Delia's first love 'Eric'.
However, as she plans her dream wedding to Eric, she starts to have flashbacks that she does not recognise. These flashbacks are of a life she has no knowledge of, and as she struggles to find the answers that she so desperately wants, the police knock on her door to bring devastating news that will change her world forever.
*** What I think ***
As an avid Picoult fan, I was really pleased with this book. Once again it tackles a really difficult subject and shows the reader the raw emotions involved, in such a complicated, yet realistic situation.
Told from the viewpoints of each different character, this book shows the emotions of everyone involved, from Delia to her father, and her fiancé Eric and their mutual childhood friend 'Fitz' as well as some new characters along the way. Each chapter is dedicated to one of them. This really allows you to get the full story compared to just hearing it from Delia, as there is always more than one side to every situation.
The story gripped me from the very beginning. A lot of the time I really don't get into what is happening until a few pages into the book, but in this one I was right there with Delia as soon as the story began. The characters also always usually take a while to build up and to get into, but again this wasn't the case - each character felt real and familiar, right from page one. As with a lot of the subjects within her books, this one had the potential to become a little tedious. However, there were enough twists and turns within the plot, that it was hard to find anything boring within the whole book. At times it had me gasping 'Oh My God' while at others I felt really confused, an emotion Delia had throughout the whole plot.
Something I always find fascinating, is the fact that as well as the main, complicated story, Picoult always manages to squeeze in other sub plots, equally as complicated as the main plot. This book dealt with relationship issues, alcoholism, life in prison, the strength of a mother/daughter relationship, as well as the issue of what memories we can trust and whether or not they are correct.
I saw the book unravelling, as well as reading it. Everything is described perfectly and Picoult really does have a way with creating believable, realistic characters. When it got to the courtroom drama, it wasn't boring to read, it was like I was actually there. New information came about from witnesses and it made me imagine what it would be like in an actual American courtroom. That is another point to make, Picoult is American and therefore her books are written in American English, so there may be some words or places that you are unfamiliar with. I personally haven't found this to be a problem but it could affect some people so it is worth mentioning.
It took me around two weeks to finish this book but I could have easily sat and finished it in two sittings. I found it compelling and I always wanted to know what was going to happen. I even found myself taking it in the bath (something I have never done previously).
I was watching a program called 'Prison Break' which has recently been re-shown on the UKGold channel on digital. Parts of the book reminded me of this program and were really well described. I found the part of the book that was dedicated to life in prison, really fascinating and I could imagine being in there, and that was a little disturbing I have to admit. I tried telling my boyfriend all about the book because I was so excited by what was happening, and even he got interested.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book, even if you haven't read any of Picoult's earlier books. I will definitely be getting her newest book 'The Tenth Circle' and hopefully there will be many more books to come. I can reveal that she is working on her next book called '19'. I eagerly await that and in the meantime, I highly recommend this one.
You can buy the book from most book shops including Borders, WHSmiths and Waterstones. I bought mine from Asda for only £3.99 so it is possible to find it quite cheap if you shop around.
Advantages: Excellent structure, raises interesting issues, isn't afraid to be complex Disadvantages: Some of the similes were a little off-kilter for me
...when the paperback edition of Vanishing Acts was staring at me one the supermarket shelf for only £3.74! I was apprehensive at first: would this be another author from the 'chick lit' camp who writes solely about the romantic escapades of women leading superficial lives or would Picoult prove to be one of the best contemporary authors I've come across? Based on this book, it would have to be the latter.
Delia Hopkins is a regular woman in her early ... ...how good do I think Vanishing Acts is? Well, I've just finished the novel at four-thirty on Sunday morning and felt compelled to write a review so I came down and wrote it. Fair enough, I'm not sleeping anyway, but a lesser novel would have had me reaching for the next book instead of coming all the way downstairs. If you take my word for it and read this, be prepared to question your own life as deeply as Delia's: how is your identity formed? How ...
DoubleFantasy11 01.05.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
Advantages: interesting, gripping, unique, strong characters Disadvantages: a bit lengthy
...the pale pink cover of Vanishing Acts. Each chapter told in the point of view of the main characters, it is a story which I imagine many people out there can relate to, though thankfully I cannot do so myself. Delia Hopkins, who lives with her father Andrew, and her fiancé Eric and daughter Sophie, is a search-and-find officer, who goes out looking for the missing with her bloodhound, Greta. We soon learn that this is an ironic profession, when the ... ...out that he had taken Delia away from her mother when she was just four years old. He is taken to Arizona and put in jail, awaiting his trials in court. Eric is also Andrew's attorney, so he flies out to Arizona to work on his case, soon followed by a confused Delia and Sophie, along with their good friend Fitz. Though, Fitz is a journalist and is supposed to be writing an article about the events. Whether he goes through with it is a different story ...
Amy69 08.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
Advantages: good start, good end Disadvantages: missing the middle goodness
Jodi Picoult Vanishing Acts Delia Hopkins is the main character of this book by Jodi Picoult who works along side her search dog finding missing people and loved ones for people from all types of places. Living in the New Hampshire area Delia is happy with life as it is even though she still lives with her father and her relationship with Eric, the father of her child Sophie, is not as steady as she would like it to be a. Sophie however is the pride ... ...without her.
After a series of memory recalls of random things that simply couldn’t have taken place in Delia’s life she begins to wonder where these flashbacks stem from and if they really belong to her. Lemon Trees and such just don’t grow in New Hampshire so why was she so certain she had been sitting by one as a child? Delia soon learns that all is not what it seems when her father is arrested and taken away on charges of kidnapping! Delia herself ...
newby2 01.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Vanishing Acts - Jodi Picoult
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Advantages: Great story. Disadvantages: Unappealing front cover.
I cannot recommend this author highly enough, even though I have only read two of her books, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed and couldn't put down.
JodiPicoult creates characters that we cannot help but feel emotionally drawn or attached to. I enjoyed 'VanishingActs' so much because of the combination of gripping plots and appealing characters. Delia's life is turned upsaide down when her father whom she adores is arrested for kidnap. Delia is the kidnapee!!!!! Her father is arrested for kidnapping her 28 years before. We then join Delia on this emotional rollercoaster as she meets the mother that she believed was dead.
What a brilliant read - I highly recommend it! Once you start you won't be able to stop. ...
Advantages: Intriguing and well-crafted plot, a good read Disadvantages: Cringe-worthy covers
dilemmas in her work, and “VanishingActs” is no exception. Like her other works, I’m sure the actions of the characters in this book and their rights and wrongs could provoke heated discussion in reading groups. (Some of her novels, though not this one, even include “Reading Group Guides” at the back, which makes me laugh for some reason.) Ironies and “coincidences” abound, such as the fact that Delia, whose job involves finding missing persons with the help of her bloodhound Greta, was once, unbeknownst to herself, just such a missing person. The events of the novel clearly place Delia’s relationships with those around her under immense pressure, and this is sensitively drawn.
I do recommend this and JodiPicoult’s other novels for a good read, if you enjoy “relationship” ...
Advantages: A relatively easy read. Disadvantages: Very little substance.
the difficult and make it seemingly effortless and natural. The third book that I read was The Pact, where she dealt with adolescents, and the deep rooted and problematic background that lead to a very sad conclusion.
It was because of my experience of Picoult that I bought this book, and expected it to follow in the footsteps of other books by the same author. The premise of the story showed promise, and a little phrase on the cover got me pulled back into the world of JodiPicoult, with a huge tug of anticipation. It stated that it takes two people to make a lie work, the person that tells it, and the one who believes it.
VanishingActs is the story of Delia Hopkins whose life is pretty comfortable and lives in New Hampshire in the present day, and whose job is finding missing people. As the story unfolds, Delia is having flashbacks of her ...
Delia Hopkins has led a charmed life. Raised in rural New Hampshire by her widowed father Andrew, she now has a young daughter, a handsome fiance, and her own Search and Rescue bloodhound - which she uses to find missing persons. But as she plans her wedding, she is plagued by flashbacks of a life she can't recall. Then a policeman shows up at her door, arresting her father for the kidnap of a little girl. And Delia's past and present fracture into little pieces.VANISHING ACTS is a book about the very nature and power of memory. It explores what happens when the past we have been running from catches up to us, and questions who we trust to tell us the story of our lives before we are capable of remembering it ourselves.
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