Product Description

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens – until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone inside and out. The daughter of the judge sitting on the case is the state’s best witness – but she can’t remember what happened in front of her own eyes. Or can she?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1029 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Released on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Review
'Jodi Picoult is not one to shy away from fictional controversy; in fact, the more tangled and messy a moral dilemma appears, the better she likes it. (Daily Mail )

'Picoult has been incredibly successful in dissecting the pain that family members go through when faced with sensitive and emotive issues' ( Daily Express )

'Picoult, once again, grabs a razor-sharp issue and uses her brilliantly intricate pen to expose all the shades of grey with PERFECTION.'

Synopsis
Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone inside and out. The daughter of the judge sitting on the case is the state's best witness -- but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. Or can she?

About the Author
Jodi Picoult grew up in Nesconset, New York. She received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master`s degree in education from Harvard. Her previous novels include Keeping Faith, The Pact, and Mercy. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.

Customer Reviews

"They Started It"
This novel tells a very powerful story and should be required reading for anyone who has dealings with growing children. Given the nature of the story - a teenager's killing rampage following years of bullying, it was never going to have a happy ending. Long after I'd finished reading, I found the horror of it wouldn't leave my mind - I can't remember when I was so affected by a novel. Jodi Picoult was brave to tackle this very controversial issue, but once again she's pulled-off a remarkable feat. Strongly recommended reading.

Another must read from Ms Picoult!
I am a huge Jodi Picoult fan and this is one of my favourites by her.If you haven't read anything by her before then i'd say this is a good place to start.Filled with all the usual Picoult magic,nineteen minutes has a courtroom,a situation and a victim (who might not be who you would asume at first) and alot of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.You'll be thinking about this book along time after you've finished it.

I wish it only took nineteen minutes to read!
This book was a sort of paradox: A pageturner, but only because I was desperate to see if it would ever come to life.

This was my first Jodi Picoult novel, and very probably my last. It's a big book, but in my opinion only the last 100 pages are 'exciting' - and that's being generous. I found some of the scene setting a bit self-indulgent on the author's part, ad it didn't really add anything. In fact, it reminded me of GCSE creative writing at times - writing for writing's sake.

As for the subject matter - nothing really original. A plot based on real life news stories, with a supposed moral dilema that, to be honest, never went further than the 'choice' on the front cover.

Sorry Jodi, but I felt like I was reading out of duty to finish a book rather than a desire to see what came next.