First of all, the storyline didn't turn out to be what I had initially expected. I had thought it would focus more on the judicial aspect of the rape case and how the family coped with it.

Secondly, this was a tough topic for me as I have a daughter entering 9th grade.

The first two-thirds of this book were so engaging that I couldn't put it down. I was certain that Jason committed suicide. It seemed logical considering she tested positive for the drug. Then I started wondering, "Now what? How can the story continue since he's dead?" That's when they discovered he was actually murdered. I had suspected early on that Trixie was the one who did it.

I was disappointed with the last few chapters of the book. The story ending in Alaska felt like a lot of unnecessary rambling about the place. I was also surprised by Trixie's encounter with Willie, especially after she had recently been raped. It seemed unrealistic to me, but it also showed that she was going to be "okay."

I'm not a big fan of comic strips either, so that part kind of bored me. I felt the book ended abruptly, with many questions left unanswered.

Overall, it did manage to keep my interest and I couldn't stop reading as I wanted to find the answers. Unfortunately, I didn't like the way some of those answers were presented. I can't decide between giving it 3 or 4 stars. If you had asked me during the first two-thirds of the book, I would have given it 4 or 5 stars. But after reaching the end, I'd probably rate it around 3.5 stars.

5/11 discs completed. I must say that I probably could have continued listening or reading, but unfortunately, this particular story just wasn't as captivating as her other ones.

I found the characters to be rather two-dimensional. They lacked the depth and complexity that I have come to expect from Jodi's works.

It's a bit disappointing, really. Instead of persevering with this one, I would much rather pick up and read some of her other stories.

I'm sure there are many more amazing tales waiting for me to discover.

I have high hopes for Jodi's other works and look forward to being completely engrossed in them.

I borrowed "The Tenth Circle" from a friend, and I truly wanted to like it. I really did. Despite the fact that the plot had an excessive amount of things happening, it might have been acceptable. However, the protagonist - Trixie - completely ruined it for me.

*Spoilers ahead*

As a fourteen-year-old girl, the same age as Trixie, I believe I'm being fair when I say she was one of the most unrealistic characters I've ever read. In fact, all the teenagers in the book seemed unrealistic. I've never heard of anybody playing "rainbow" or "daisy chain" or whatever those games were called. Maybe I just don't attend the cool-kid parties where they engage in that kind of stuff, but it's not really the idea of a fun night for most of the people I know. And her excuse of not wearing underwear because of her low-rise jeans? Come on! It's called a thong, sweetie! Not to mention the fact that she repeatedly lied to everyone around her and then expected them to believe her. Ever heard of the boy who cried wolf?

Trixie was also extremely melodramatic. She was super pretty, super popular, and had a great personality, yet she found a reason to angst away just because her boyfriend broke up with her. Cry me a river! I'm not saying you shouldn't be sad, but I think starting to cut is taking it a bit too far and is kind of insulting to people who've struggled with cutting for legitimate reasons, not just because of breaking up with their silly sixteen-year-old boyfriend. And, oh, by the way, the glass just happened to be "the perfect shape of a tear" was so laughably over the top that I actually had to wonder what came over Jodi Piccoult and possessed her to write that.

So, all in all, this book was ruined for me by the silly, angsty teenage protagonist. Better luck next time, Jodi.

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult is a captivating novel that revolves around a fourteen-year-old girl, Trixie Stone.

Trixie falls madly in love for the first time with an upper classman named Jason Underhill. Jason is not only the star hockey player of the town but also well-known by everyone. However, the sad truth is that Jason doesn't love Trixie; he merely likes her. After their relationship ends, Jason easily moves on, while Trixie is left in a state of depression, desperation, and determination.

To cope with her emotional pain, Trixie starts cutting herself, a clear sign of deep depression. She also creates a barrier between herself and her dad, just as Jason had done to her.

But then, Trixie's best friend Zephyr convinces her to make Jason jealous by hitting on other guys and appearing to be easy. Trixie lies to her dad, telling him that she is staying the night with Zephyr and that Zephyr's mom will be there. In reality, Zephyr's mom is out of town, and they are having a party full of guys, including Jason.

That fateful night, after engaging in various activities like giving oral sex to countless guys and playing strip poker, Trixie finds herself alone with Jason. She realizes that he doesn't want her back but only wants a friends with benefits arrangement. When she tries to get away from him, he rapes her.

Thankfully, Trixie makes the right decision and chooses not to stay the night with Zephyr. Instead, she goes home in the middle of the night and collapses on the bathroom floor. Her father finds her crying and shaking violently, and she finally tells him, "Daddy, he raped me."

After that night, Trixie's life is turned upside down. Her family presses charges, and they await a trial. But what if the suspect winds up dead? What will happen next? I can't reveal more, but you can find out for yourself. One thing I have to say is that things don't always turn out the way you expect them to.

Sadly, The Tenth Circle has been challenged in some high schools around the world due to its inclusion of suicide and sexual content, such as date rape and adultery. However, in my opinion, it shouldn't be challenged or banned. Jodi Picoult is not encouraging teens to engage in negative behavior but rather sending out an important message: Do we really ever know anyone as well as we think we do?

The original article is not provided, so I can't rewrite and expand it specifically. However, I can give you a general example to show you how it might be done.

Let's assume the original article is: "The dog chased the cat. The cat ran away."

Here is the rewritten and expanded version:

The cute little dog with its wagging tail suddenly spotted the sleek cat. Without hesitation, it began to chase after the cat with great enthusiasm. The dog's paws pounded the ground as it gave chase.

The cat, being quick on its feet, immediately took off running. It darted through the bushes and around the corner, trying to escape the dog's pursuit. The cat's eyes were wide with fear as it fled.

But what happened next? The ending will surprise you!

You can replace the content in the example with the actual details from your original article to get the desired result.

Catching up…

I found myself in a deep debate about whether I wanted to re-visit this particular book and add my review to Goodreads.

Why did I have such hesitation?

Well, the reason is that this book contains a multitude of triggers. For many readers, these triggers can make it extremely difficult to get through the story. However, as challenging as the subject matter may be, as readers, we might be more inclined to think, “well, this is perfect as a book discussion selection because it has all the necessary elements to address issues that are not easily talked about openly within families.”

So, let me just lay out the “trigger” issues right from the start. Even though they could potentially be considered spoilers (and I really don't like revealing spoilers), if I didn't share them in this review, I would feel irresponsible.

The triggers in this book include rape, suicide, homicide, promiscuous sexual games by 14-year-olds, infidelity by mothers, assault by fathers, and dead childhood friends.

Okay, I've said it all. It's really heavy stuff, isn't it?

Now, the story delves into the childhood and adolescent struggles of growing up, broken families, disappointments with father figures. And, of course, there are those other horrific issues that I mentioned above.

But Jodi Picoult is typically a very sensitive writer. She did her research thoroughly, especially with regard to the location and her attention to detail about the Alaskan Yup’ik tribe.

Moreover, there is an interesting element involving comic book superheroes. Picoult uses a comic strip at the end of each chapter (fictionally drawn by the father as a way to tell a story as well).

As complicated as everything sounds, the story manages to find its way to a somewhat satisfactory ending. But it's not easy to get there.

Still, it is clearly a Jodi Picoult story. However, to be honest, it wasn't an easy read the first time around, and it was definitely not an easy one to re-visit in order to write this review.

Also, in a final note from the author, she shares that the letters embedded in the comic book drawings spell out a quotation that expresses the theme of the book when they are put together. I've included the quote below. Maybe that can also be addressed in a book group discussion.

Certainly, the book discussion questions provided by the author or publisher might be helpful when discussing this story.

But…when a book is this hard to read, maybe it's better just not to read it. I'm truly conflicted. What are your thoughts?

2.5 stars rounded up.

This wasn't one of my favourites for Picoult. However, I do hold her to exceptionally high standards. So, while this is a 3-star review, it's still really good.

I truly enjoyed the Dante links in the story. They added an interesting and unique element that kept me engaged.

Picoult's writing is always captivating, and she has a way of making the characters come alive.

Although this particular book may not have been my absolute favourite, it still had many redeeming qualities.

The plot was well-developed, and the themes explored were thought-provoking.

I would recommend this book to fans of Picoult and those who enjoy a good mystery with a touch of literary depth.

Overall, it was a solid read that I'm glad I picked up.

The chapters are long and suffer from being a bit slow, but its characters have great depth and the plot has interesting plot twists.

The work deals with very diverse themes such as xenophobia, family relationships, infidelity, self-deception and rape, all with great delicacy and without departing from reality.

In addition to the charismatic characters and the intrigue, it should be added that the work experiments with the mixing of narration and drawing in a very mature way.

The ending is coherent, but hasty, which means that it cannot put the finishing touch on the work.

Full review:

https://paseandoentrepaginas.blogspot...

Books that deal with the topic of rape are extremely challenging to read. This particular book is no different.

It is especially heart-wrenching when the protagonist is only 14 years old. Trixie Stone experiences a traumatic event when she is raped by her boyfriend at a high school party. They had engaged in sexual activity before, but on this occasion, she clearly did not consent.

Soon after, Trixie finds herself ostracized by her peers. She is unjustly called a whore and a liar simply because she "screwed over" the star hockey player.

The story is highly emotional and has a significant impact on the reader. However, a considerable portion of it seems rather unrealistic and veers off track quite rapidly. Additionally, I noticed an excessive amount of symbolism related to Dante's Inferno, which eventually became tiresome.

Nevertheless, despite these flaws, the book does provide a good portrayal of how many victims of sexual assault are unfortunately treated in society. It sheds light on the harsh realities and the unjust stigmatization that victims often face.

Jodi really disappointed this time.

Until the middle of the book, I thought it was a nice little vacation romance for the beach

I truly have a great fondness for Jodi Picoult. However, this particular book did not rank among my favorites. I have a tendency to believe that her newer books are superior to some of her earlier ones, such as this one. This book simply did not fully gel for me.

For one thing, considering Trixie is only 14, the complex emotions of growing up, heartbreak, and peer pressure in high school seemed a little bit exaggerated. She's barely out of middle school! The detective assigned to the case just seemed to be there, lacking much direction in his investigation. I felt as if he was on a witch hunt for a "suspect" without a valid reason. Zephyr's sudden character changes were rather odd. Seth was set up to be of great importance and then simply vanished from the story. And the "plot twist" at the end did not seem to align with the characters or the overall story.

Overall, Jodi is indeed a talented writer, but this is not her finest work.

As always, Picoult's writing flows easily.

However, the plot and story line are a shame. Half way through, I conceded defeat.

I shan't read anymore of this author's works as she seems to be writing now based on the name she made for herself in earlier poignant novels, such as MSK, Shine, and Small Great Things.

It feels like she has lost the magic that made those earlier works so captivating.

Time to call it a day, Jodi. You've lost it.

It's a pity because her previous novels were truly outstanding and had a profound impact on many readers.

But this latest offering just doesn't measure up.

Perhaps it's time for her to take a break and重新evaluate her writing style and approach.

Until then, I'll be looking for other authors who can provide the same level of emotional depth and engaging storytelling that Picoult once did.