Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous story, a book that can't be put down
Review: This is the first novel I have read by Jodi Picoult and now all of her other books are on my list of "books I must read very soon." I felt that the prose was beautifully written and the character development was superb. I found the dynamics between the two families to be so interesting and the book forces you to think about how you would react to such tragedy. You could feel Chris's pain as the story develops and although I don't agree with what he did, I understand it. I could not put this book down and I was immersed in the story from the very first page. I would highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: I was mesmerized by this story.
Review: Jodi Picoult writes a compelling and beautifully paced novel of love and angst, a tale that mixes the lives of 4 adults and 3 children with a satisfying lifestyle, who can't believe or find peace with the traumatic events created by suicide within their circle. The characters are well drawn and sympathetic, and Picoult's writing style, which moves from current day events back to the past and weaves the story to its roots, wins the reader over immediately. It's a particularly well drawn account of what happens to a young person imprisoned for a long period of time while the justice system slowly moves through its motions - Chris is the character that centers the book, and grows and changes through the aftermath of suicide, although Emily, with all her flaws, is the heart of the story. I generally read thrillers & mysteries and took a break from them with this book. I was rewarded with a rich reading experience and a book I will cherish for a long time and recommend to friends. Moms & Dads - please read the book. There are so many clues to what can happen to your teens without you being aware....if something similar has happened to your family, "The Pact" will give you comfort. If it has not, it will make you more self-aware of the dynamics of your family, and how you may need to examine and change them as your children grow.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy read with potential for more.
Review: The other reviewers before me have also noticed that although "The Pact" is subtitled "A Love Story," most of the novel is spent exploring the tragedy spawned by that alluded-to love story, and love in its many manifestations and mutations. Picoult has done an excellent job in multi-faceting her novel with romance, family tragedy, and oh -- even a courtroom drama. Without allowing the Grishams of our age to cheapen my notion of a courtroom drama, the murder/suicide mystery is certainly suspenseful -- I finished the book in five days and couldn't resist being lured towards its resolution. However, that's a telling sign, too, that the book is light and contrite at times, so that it is in the danger of being classified as an Oprah book of the month. You can tell Picoult's attempt is to surface her characters' emotions and to heighten simple human frailty to Sophoclean standards. And while I am a big champion of letting the human emotion supercede physicality, I must admit that Picoult was unconvincing in her attempt. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the likes of Steinbeck and Hardy, but the irony of human emotion is that it's subtlety which enables it to overshadow its body encasement, not vice versa. Regardless, perhaps this book does not deserve such harsh reactions, for it did serve its purpose well. It begins most effectively -- opening declaring to readers that if they're seeking to lose reality in picture-perfect characters, they've come to the wrong novel. The jarring jumpstart gets the book off and running, and without it, everything would have seemed too comfortable to turn the pages.
Rating: 
Summary: A chilling tale of love
Review: I'm a huge fan of Jodi Picoult's already, and *The Pact* only re-emphasized my adoration. Jodi can literally bring her characters to life right in front of your eyes and her stories are so realistic, it's almost impossible to put her novels down. In *The Pact*, two families are brought together and torn apart by an undying love. Emily and Chris grow up together and are virtually thrown together as siblings, as their parents are best friends. Inevitably, Emily and Chris fall in love, as their parents expected all along. But one night changes everything. At their favorite hang-out, Emily is shot and killed, and Chris takes the blame. Initially, he proclaims they had a suicide pact, but over the course of his nine month stint in the county jail, the truth emerges. This book will keep you up at night, as you wonder how far love can go. In the days when going to school can be a nightmare, this novel rings true.
Rating: 
Summary: Not For The Serious Reader
Review: The Pact resembles nothing so much as a puchero, the Spanish stew made of leftovers and highly spiced in an attempt to marry and mask the component ingredients. Picoult pulled stock characters out of her refrigerator--gorgeous weepy teens and upset mothers (one capable, one dizzy)--and put them into the old cast iron love story. She then spiced it up with a suicide pact and attempts to serve it in the context of a criminal prosecution. Completely missing are (1) character development; (2) acute observations of love, loss and commitment; and (3) cleverness. By the way, doesn't New Hampsire penal law embrace lesser included offenses? Someone needs to do a little homework. But not me, I am busy reading more serious stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Very thought-provoking
Review: On Tuesday I was almost glad to take a sick day from work because, despite the flu, I could finally finish The Pact--only several days after I started it. Needless to say, this book was hard to put down. Several times throughout I found myself dreaming or thinking about the characters, a sure sign of a book that has really captured me. This book is about two kids, a boy and a girl, who grew up next door to each other. From the time they were little their families expected the two to get together. When they are in high school, they finally become a couple. Unfortunately, as you find out at the very beginning, there is a tragedy one night and the girl ends up dead. Piccoult spends the rest of the book exploring each character and his or her relationships in detail. The book culminates with a tense trial to discover...just who is responsible for the girl's death? Despite the subtitle ("A Love Story") The Pact is not a romance. It, does, however, explore several kinds of loving relationships in interesting ways.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Being a college student with an attention span of a two year old when it comes to things other than the three B's(boys, beer, and bootie)this novel captured me in a way that no other author has ever been able to(as proven by my high school english grades). Picoult does a fantastic job in incorporating the reader into the lives of the two families. There were nights when I was up till 3 just reading to see what happens next. It is a wonderful love story with Law and Order style mysterioso.
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Summary: WHAT A GREAT HEARTBURNING READ
Review: Well, I work in a bookshop & have been reading since I was a young little thing, but I must say that of all the books I have read in such a long time none have come close to touching me so deeply as this book. It deals with all the issues; young love, family pressures, friendships, and that all in the first few pages!! Jodi Picoult really knows how to write exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. None of her books have been a disappointment, & believe me, out of all the booksI recommend to friends, families & customers, this would have to be one of the few which I always get great feedback about. So, If you're thinking about getting this great book, hesitate no longer, do yourself a favour. Put your feet up, make free a whole afternoon, & get immersed!!
Rating:
Summary: fellings
Review: Jodi Picoult is an amazing writer. The book was so real. I felt as if I were in the story with the characters possibly as a by-stander to everything the jail- the suicide. The book really helped me think about our society today and difficult life really is when you're all alone.
Rating:
Summary: Knocked my socks off!!
Review: How deep is love? How much do we really know our children? Our friends? What do we know about community? About family? These questions are raised in Jodi Picoult's psychological drama, "The Pact." They've been neighbors for 18 years, the Hartes and the Golds, sharing everything together (food, family, fun). They're best friends, the parents and the kids, and soon Chris & Emily's friendship blossoms into something more. They're soul mates. There's a phone call late one night from the hospital. Emily is dead at 17 with a gunshot wound to the head. There's a single unspent bullet in the gun that Chris took from his father's cabinet-a bullet Chris says was for him. But a detective has doubts. Picoult, a novelist living nearby, gives a portrait of family, the dynamics of relationships, and the minds of teenagers. The book is a perfect blend of character and tension.
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