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: #58887 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 512 pages

Review
'The author's insights into her characters' deep-seated emotions brings this ripped-from-the-headlines read chillingly alive' -- Publishers Weekly 'Expertly crafted, thought-provoking, and compelling' -- Entertainment Weekly 'Picoult, once again, grabs a razor-sharp issue and uses her brilliantly intricate pen to expose all the shades of grey with PERFECTION.' -- Cosmopolitan '[Jodi]writes articulately and clearly, making her all too much of a rarity among authors.' -- Scotland on Sunday 'This is powerful writing ... Set against a fascinating legal backdrop, providing twists and turns at every stage, Nineteen Minutes is an utterly compelling novel: Picoult at her very best' -- Waterstone's Magazine 'impossible to put down and stayed in my mind long after I had finished' -- Observer 'Slick, emotive and as readable as ever.' -- Daily Mail 'Her unique ability to take a life-changing incident and explore it from all angles with empathy is fast becoming her trademark. It makes this an intriguing and moving read.' -- TheLondonPaper 'This gripping, sensitive book looks at the aftermath; the effect on Peter himself, his mother, his victims, the girl he was in love with, and the shock for the small-town community. INTENSELY POWERFUL.' -- Easy Living 'Bestselling author Jodi Picoult has done it again, with the griipping novel about a shooting incident ... THIS SUMMER'S BEST PAGE-TURNER.' -- She 'A grim subject, but Picoult is a best-seller for good reason -- tight plots and a style that reads easily, but is never glib.' -- Marie Claire 'Picoult, once again, grabs a razor-sharp issue and uses her brilliantly intricate pen to expose all the shades of grey with PERFECTION.' -- Cosmopolitan 'Her addictive prose hooks you ... she also has an uncanny talent for capturing the complex details of human interaction. ... her mission: to keep readers on the treacherous edge of making their own minds up.' -- Good Housekeeping 'A horrifying, close to real-life read, this novel is incredibly thought-provoking ...' -- Sun 'Superb, many-stranded and grimly topical ... Picoult binds together precarious alliances with sensitivity, giving depth to characters without losing pace. Inhabited by contradictory, flawed individuals, this intelligent novel draws suspense, moral complexity and a stunning final twist out of what initially seemed a monochrome situation' -- The Times 'Under the subtle, practised pen of Jodi Picoult, the emotionally and politically charged subject of a high-school shooting is deftly handled.' -- Good Book Guide 'Jodi Picoult's clear ear for dialogue quickly establishes a diverse cast in this superb love story...It's hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes. Like Louise Erdrich, she suffuses complex, exciting, big plots with the subtle pace of Native American affairs, producing unsentimental, passionate sagas' -- Financial Times '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.' -- Cosmopolitan 'This is powerful writing ... Set against a fascinating legal backdrop, providing twists and turns at every stage, Nineteen Minutes is an utterly compelling novel: Picoult at her very best' -- Waterstone's Magazine 'impossible to put down and stayed in my mind long after I had finished' -- Observer 'Slick, emotive and as readable as ever.' -- Daily Mail 'Her unique ability to take a life-changing incident and explore it from all angles with empathy is fast becoming her trademark. It makes this an intriguing and moving read.' -- TheLondonPaper 'This gripping, sensitive book looks at the aftermath; the effect on Peter himself, his mother, his victims, the girl he was in love with, and the shock for the small-town community. INTENSELY POWERFUL.' -- Easy Living 'Superb, many-stranded and grimly topical ... Picoult binds together precarious alliances with sensitivity, giving depth to characters without losing pace. Inhabited by contradictory, flawed individuals, this intelligent novel draws suspense, moral complexity and a stunning final twist out of what initially seemed a monochrome situation' -- The Times

Picoult's 14th novel (after The Tenth Circle, 2006, etc.) of a school shooting begins with high-voltage excitement, then slows by the middle, never regaining its initial pace or appeal.Peter Houghton, 17, has been the victim of bullying since his first day of kindergarten, made all the more difficult by two factors: In small-town Sterling, N.H., Peter is in high school with the kids who've tormented him all his life; and his all-American older brother eggs the bullies on. Peter retreats into a world of video games and computer programming, but he's never able to attain the safety of invisibility. And then one day he walks into Sterling High with a knapsack full of guns, kills ten students and wounds many others. Peter is caught and thrown in jail, but with over a thousand witnesses and video tape of the day, it will be hard work for the defense to clear him. His attorney, Jordan McAfee, hits on the only approach that might save the unlikable kid - a variation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder caused by bullying. Thrown into the story is Judge Alex Cormier, and her daughter Josie, who used to be best friends with Peter until the popular crowd forced the limits of her loyalty. Also found dead was her boyfriend Matt, but Josie claims she can't remember anything from that day. Picoult mixes McAfee's attempt to build a defense with the mending relationship of Alex and Josie, but what proves a more intriguing premise is the response of Peter's parents to the tragedy. How do you keep loving your son when he becomes a mass murderer? Unfortunately, this question, and others, remain, as the novel relies on repetition (the countless flashbacks of Peter's victimization) rather than fresh insight. Peter fits the profile, but is never fully fleshed out beyond stereotype. Usually so adept at shaping the big stories with nuance, Picoult here takes a tragically familiar event, pads it with plot, but leaves out the subtleties of character.Though all the surface elements are in place, Picoult falters in her exploration of what turns a quiet kid into a murderer. (Kirkus Reviews)

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.'