Perfect Match : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: could not put it down!
Review: I love Jodi Picoult's books! And this was no exception for me. I found myself totally drawn into this story. After reading the book and reading the reviews here, it occoured to me that I didn't nesessarily like or dislike Nina, just found myself gripped by the story and horrified by the events. I definitely found myself thinking of this book for a few days after reading it. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because Jodi's book, "The Pact," is one of my all time favorites, and it would be the one to give the 5 stars to. If you are looking for a good summer read (and a quick read!) "Perfect Match" is a great pick.

Rating:
Summary: chilling tale
Review: Nina, Caleb and Nathaniel Frost are the typical happy American family. Nina is an assistant district attorney in York County, Maine. Caleb is a stone worker, happy to let Nina be the main breadwinner in the family. Nathaniel is the poster boy of a contented five-year-old at least he is until the day he stops talking and nobody understands why.

A physical exam shows that the little boy has been sexually abused. At first, using sign language and hand motions, Nathaniel names his father as the culprit, but later it becomes clear that Nathaniel meant Father as in their parish priest. The cleric is arrested but Nina, not allowing Nathaniel to testify in court, takes justice into her own hands and puts further strain on the Frost family.

PERFECT MATCH is a chilling tale focusing in on one of humanity's worst crimes, sexual abuse against children, and how different people deal with the after effects. Jodi Picoult demonstrates how deep a mother's love can go and how far she will go to prevent her child from further harm. There are no easy answers to the issues this book raises but then there shouldn't be.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Fun and Interesting
Review: What do you want from an author? If you have to have indisputable facts and flawless logic then perhaps non-fiction is for you. The nay sayers of this book are hard to figure. Picoult has offered up a story that is unique and included some pretty good characters. This is not an epic novel to rival Twain or Hemingway but that is not what it is meant to be.

It is meant to be a really good story that is well told with excellent flow of words. Our hero is a prosecutor of child sexual assault cases whose own 5 year old is sexually assaulted. Picoult does not get too graphic but adds enough to give the feel of crime scene drama. The plot blazes some new ground in originality. How she handles having a son as a victim will make you say Holy cow. Don't you get sick of the same stuff over and over? That is not the case here. Here is a new twist with decent characters and what I thought was a very novel close.

I read lots of great stuff and have no qualms about blasting the bad stuff but this is a really well written volume that keeps your interest and has good characters. What more do you want from a book?