Wow! I was truly enthralled around page 180. At that point, I was completely hooked. This book is simply engrossing. I'm attempting to work my way through a large box of books that belonged to my grandmother. It includes works by Jodi Picoult, Danielle Steel, and Nora Roberts. And I'm currently so addicted to these authors. Usually, I mostly read sci-fi and fantasies, but I'm glad I'm reading these now. It has been a nice change for a while.

Overall, it's a profound story that delves into injustice, lies, love, and small town life. The cast of characters is a diverse mix of lovable, obnoxious, vulnerable, eccentric, and more. It's extremely interesting! Each character brings their own unique charm and personality to the story, making it a truly engaging read. I can't wait to see what else unfolds as I continue to read.

I wasted a significant portion of this weekend engrossed in "Salem Falls", the tale of Jack, a high school history teacher. Wrongly accused of sexual assault, he attempts to restart his life only to have a similar incident occur in the new town.

It was a facile read, with a captivating story. However, certain aspects of the narrative drove me to distraction. For instance, the dates were persistently inconsistent. Addie, Jack's love interest, had a daughter who passed away at some point in the past. At one juncture, it was stated that she'd died ten years earlier, then eleven years earlier, and yet another time eight years earlier.

This might not seem overly consequential, but it mattered to me as it was the sole means for me to estimate Addie's age, given that I knew she was twenty-seven when her daughter died (or was she?). At the conclusion of the book, they mention that Jack went to jail in the summer of 1998, but the story is set in 2000, and he was incarcerated for eight months, so clearly he went to jail in 1999. Such details drove me crazy.

Moreover, although the story compelled me to keep reading, it felt like literary junk food. Not truly excellent, not at all intellectually stimulating, yet it somehow kept drawing me back for more. It most definitely solidified my belief that Jodi Picoult is the female equivalent of John Grisham.

Ummmmmm

I think this is the weakest Picoult book I've read so far. Well, OK, Change of Heart didn't win a Pulitzer with me either. When I pick up one of her books, I expect a certain amount of cheap romance and schmaltzy cliches. However, I also anticipate both a real twist in the plot and a thought-provoking analysis on a current issue. Sadly, this one didn't really deliver.

The quick synopsis is as follows: The protagonist, fresh out of 8 months in jail for a statutory rape charge, arrives in a small town and falls in love with the owner of the local diner. Then, he is accused of raping another girl, and the whole nightmare begins again for him.

On the plus side, I love literary references and plot lines that comment on other plots. So, I really enjoyed the references to The Crucible. Although, I thought setting it in a town with a historic association to witch trials was a bit overdone. Another pro is that I raced through the book to reach the ending, but then I was left feeling let down. I also like that Picoult left a certain amount of mystery about the supernatural in the book.

On the cons side, first, there is an unbelievable amount of sappy cliches, presumably intended to make the reader swoon in vicarious passion and pity. It felt like the romance parts of the novel were written by searching for the most popular cliches in trashy books, rather than out of any depth of understanding. And the corniness doesn't end there. The author does everything possible to turn the protagonist into a naive Prince Charming, but he ends up looking like a moronic Dudley Do-right. I was really hoping he would turn out to be the rapist in the prior case, just to break the unrealistic and monotonous theme of "innocent man with the world against him". But of course, he and his lady love are perfect in every way. The author even goes into how he intellectually inspired all the inmates and managed to avoid being raped in jail. This is because he wouldn't be fantasy material for sentimentalists if he'd been homosexualized and degraded. But I think Picoult misses the opportunity to draw an intriguing parallel between a rape happening to him and being ascribed to him. It also gives the impression that having enough dignity and personal strength will prevent someone from being raped (wow, if only the victims in the book had known that).

The thing that really, really annoyed me was the fact that the "surprise" ending (that the victim is being molested by her father) is obvious from very early in the book. So, I was just waiting for the satisfaction of seeing it revealed. Instead, the book puts it in the very last paragraph, and the molester goes unpunished. Presumably, this is because the girl "deserves" what is happening to her (no effort is spared in making her out to be a spoiled, selfish, and vindictive vixen - because of course, that's what teenagers from broken homes are like when they act out). But the end message is that it's okay for the real crime to go unnoticed and unpunished - the important thing is that the two lovers are able to ride off into the sunset together.

This is my first acquaintance with this author. I was truly very satisfied with the discovery.

The writing style is very easy to read and accessible.

The plot of the story is led in a truly intriguing and detailed way, and the heroes of the book are really well-developed and full of individuality and uniqueness.

I think that there was nothing lacking in the book, perhaps only in some places it was a bit overly detailed and the entire legal process was drawn out.

But the story itself really made my blood boil and made me hold my breath and open my eyes.

Really bravely pick it up and enjoy this book.

I don't know what I would really rate this book.

I felt that it was well-written (I would expect nothing less from Jodi Picoult) and well-planned. However, the subject matter was something I struggled with.

I think that's why it took me a lot longer to read this one than some of Picoult's others.

I was mostly bothered by the fact that Picoult perpetuated the idea of blaming the victim.

The whole trial was basically a way for the defense to discredit Gillian.

Regardless of whether or not she was telling the truth, the fact that they raked her name through the mud is the reason why actual rape victims don't come forward.

Gillian was made out to be a slut who was on drugs, and regardless of whether or not she was, that doesn't mean she couldn't be raped.

Picoult added to the stereotype that women are vindictive and will accuse men of such things when they do something bad to them, and seeing as Picoult is a woman herself, I had a major problem with that.

I know this is just a work of fiction, but it still really bothered me.

I felt like Jack was supposed to be a sympathetic character, however that didn't really translate well to me.

I thought he was a privileged white kid who went to a good school and wasn't that great of a guy.

I wasn't a fan of what his soccer team did in college--which he participated in--and he should have known his relationship with Catherine Marsh was inappropriate, if not sexual.

I had a teacher in high school once say that if another teacher was doing anything that even remotely could come across as inappropriate, he had crossed a line, which I think is a good rule of thumb for high school teachers.

I didn't like how everyone in town seemed to disregard the fact that Jack's first sexual assault conviction had nothing to do with a violent rape.

It didn't really make sense to me the witch hunt that ensued regarding him; shouldn't they be more worried that he'd start a relationship with their daughters, not randomly and violently rape them?

But, clearly the townspeople weren't really thinking, they were just doing whatever Amos told them to do, which is ironic in itself.

I was really bothered by Amos' character (for obvious reason when you've read the whole book), but also by Charlie's character as well.

Seeing as how they had both committed the same crime, I thought they shouldn't be so quick to judge (and say things like they thought his penis should be cut off, or when Charlie made him take out 30 pubic hairs for testing) when they should really be saying those things to themselves, especially since they never had to pay for their crime.

As others have said, the "surprise" twist at the end wasn't that big of a surprise.

There were definitely hints throughout the book.

It did succeed, however, in making Amos out to be an even bigger hypocrite than I had originally thought.

This book offers a story that is rich in emotions and truth. It unfolds a complex narrative that is filled with mistakes and misunderstandings, and is intertwined with a storyline about Wickens and teenage witches.

At first, I was somewhat skeptical about the combination of these two elements - a story of a wrongly accused high school teacher who, after leaving prison and moving to a small town, is again charged with rape, and a group of teenage girls who practice magic. However, Picoult managed to incorporate these two concepts into a story, and a very good one at that. It is about much more than just witches and rape. It delves into the themes of identity and self-discovery, love and acceptance, and how people should not be judged solely by their pasts as the truth may not always be immediately apparent.

I'm not entirely sure what else to add... but goodness, that ending was truly something remarkable. It left me with a sense of awe and a desire to reflect on the deeper meanings within the story.

This is one of those long reads that truly allows you to get to know the characters on a deep level. The story is set in Salem Falls, the quintessential American small town. It's a place where not much seems to happen, and people are drawn to it because of its low crime rate. It's the kind of safe haven where families can be raised without much worry.

However, the peaceful existence of the residents is about to be disrupted with the arrival of Jack St Bride. He has a past that he is desperate to keep hidden. He has just been released from prison after serving eight months for a sexual assault, a crime he firmly insists he did not commit. When Addie Peabody, the local diner owner, gives him a job and a place to stay, it seems like he is finally getting his life back on track. Especially when he and Addie start to grow closer and become friendly. But the story really takes off when his secret is discovered. I don't want to spoil the read for anyone else, but we are soon plunged into a complex web of lies and betrayals.

The storyline managed to hold my interest throughout with all its twists and turns. Although, to be fair, it was a little predictable in certain parts. When the twists did come, they didn't so much surprise me as confirm the suspicions I already had about what was likely to unfold. There is a particularly huge surprise at the very end, but again, I had already had my inklings about that.

It is a long read, and there are times when the author has a tendency to deviate from the main path a bit. This is especially noticeable when she delves back into Jack's life story. While these flashbacks do help to shape your impressions of Jack and the man he has become, in all honesty, they don't really contribute all that much to the overall plot.

On the whole, though, it is a good read that offers an engaging look into the lives of the characters in Salem Falls.

I read this some time ago. However, I remember thoroughly enjoying it. In fact, it is probably my favourite by the author!

This piece of work had a certain charm that really captivated me. The way the story was told, the characters that were developed, and the overall atmosphere that was created all contributed to my enjoyment.

I found myself completely immersed in the world that the author had crafted. Every page turned was like a new adventure, and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The author's writing style is also something that I really appreciate. It is engaging, descriptive, and easy to follow. I felt like I was right there with the characters, experiencing everything that they were going through.

Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great read. It is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

This book is an absolute disaster.

The entire plot is centered around false rape accusations, which is a major issue. Although false rape accusations are statistically rare, the media tends to exaggerate them, leading to survivors being disbelieved, especially when they know their rapists.

Incorporating a narrative about Wicca along with false rape accusations makes the situation even worse.

Writing a book like this is irresponsible, and it was also irresponsible for it to be traditionally published.

If this book were released today instead of 17 years ago, the author's career would likely have suffered a significant setback from which she might never recover. The outcry on social media would have been sufficient to undermine the book and blacklist Picoult.

I own a copy of this book, and while I considered donating it to the library, I have decided to put it at the bottom of a box that I will never open again, reducing the number of copies of this book in circulation.

This is a dangerous narrative to promote, as it could potentially have a negative impact on the lives and futures of people.

Here’s the thing.

The ending, which was very sudden, especially considering it came after 500 pages, would have been a godawful realistic travesty if we, the readers, didn’t know for sure that Jack was innocent.

The justice system is already so fucked up, and we don’t need books like this trying to twist it in the wrong direction.

It’s bad enough that in real life, there are many cases where the innocent are wrongly accused and the guilty go free.

Adding such a false and unjust ending to a story only serves to further distort the truth and make people lose faith in the justice system.

Moreover, the love story in this book was also ridiculous.

It seemed forced and unconvincing, lacking the depth and authenticity that a good love story should have.

Overall, this book had many flaws that detracted from its overall quality.

Nem tudo é o que parece!

Life is full of surprises and appearances can be deceiving. What we see on the surface may not always be the true reality.

For example, a person may seem confident and successful, but inside they could be struggling with self-doubt and insecurities. Or a situation that appears to be hopeless may actually have hidden opportunities waiting to be discovered.

We should always be cautious when making judgments based solely on what we see. Instead, we should take the time to look deeper, ask questions, and try to understand the full picture.

By doing so, we can avoid being misled by appearances and make more informed decisions. After all, in a world where things are not always as they seem, it is important to have a discerning eye and an open mind.