Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15920 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 417 pages

Review
"'The narrative never slips into straightforwardly familiar territory, and successfully avoids being overly sentimental.' - Guardian 18/06/2005"

Woman & Home
'Picoult takes a red hot topic and turns it into a gripping and thought-provoking novel'

Ann Walker, Ottakar's
'Gripping, moving and thought-provoking . . . Jodi Picoult is an author to watch'

Customer Reviews

Not up to her usual high standards
I've read all this authors books and absolutely loved them. The plots have been tightely woven and the characters come alive on the page.
However I found this story more laborious. I didn't bond with any of the three leads - Eric, Delia or Fitz - as they each seemed selfish, one-dimensional and uninspiring.
The strands of the story weren't knitted together as tightly either as in previous books. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone but the final suprise seems thrown in with no reference to anything that has come before. There was no build up in the book - nothing to make you think that this was a believable situation - and when the outcome of the books rests on this fact / situation it seems strange not to have reader think 'oh right, now I see what has happened here'. So I'd have to say that whilst she remains a great writer, if you're thinking about sampling Jodi Piccoult for the first time, don't start here. Read the other reviews - My sisters keeper, Plain Truth and The Pact are all miles better than this.

Good but not great
I really enjoyed Sisters Keeper, but Vanishing Acts was not quite as good. The story seemed drawn out to me and the fragmented scenes told by the different characters didn't hold the book together well. The ending felt unsatisfying but a lot of the book was gripping and interesting, just not quite in the league of Sisters Keeper.

not as good as the others
This is the fourth book by Jodi Pilcoult that i have read. Although it is good it is nowhere near as good as My sisters keeper, The pact and Salem falls. If you have never read a Jodi Pilcoult book before dont read this one first as it doesnt show what a good author Jodi Pilcoult is. I found this book a struggle to finish which is a first for me with one of her books. Jodi Pilcoult is a great author but this isnt a great book.