J. Mervin, Mrs. Brown, Harvesting the Heart

Jodi, Picoult. Harvesting the Heart. 2nd. New York: Penguin, 1995

 

Harvesting the Heart is a novel in which a young mother searches for her place in a world that seems to trap her.   Paige is just 18 when she runs away from home in search of a new life, to get away from her shameful past.  Her own mother left her when she was young and she needs to start a new life.  She moves to a city and meets Nicholas who is a cardiac surgeon built on prestige and everything she is not.  They fall in love and soon marry and have a child.  However Paige is overwhelmed feeling she never had a mom to show her, and she will never fit in with Nicholas’s lifestyle. She does exactly what her mom has taught her and runs, leaving Nicholas and her child behind.  Through the search of her mother she finds herself and decides if she should ever return to her family.
Picoult writes simply including imagery and emotion in her novel.  Every page entices you not to not put it down, it is a sad and dramatic read.  Easy and realistic, and mother or child can relate to the family issues in this novel.  I recommend this book to anyone that likes love stories packed with emotion

J. Curtis, Mrs. Brown, As Simple as Snow

J. Curtis, Mrs. Brown, As Simple as Snow
Gregory Galloway. As Simple as Snow. Publish Group: United States, 2005.

Anne Cayne was not like your everyday new girl in town, she loves secret codes, short-waved radios, old music, and she notices all the little things. Her boyfriend and she would send each other puzzles and codes to decipher, and he loved doing them until deciphering them was a matter between life and death. With puzzles, secret codes, and numeric maps hidden all over town, he is the only one who can find her, when she goes mysteriously missing. As Simple as Snow, by Gregory Galloway, is a mind-bending mystery that looks at young love, loss, and family. Each character plays a significant role, which the reader must understand from the beginning. Galloway includes suspense and imagery as a way to keep the reader intrigued. His writing is simple to comprehend, and this book is a quick and easy read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read a good mystery, with love, family and friendships tied in as well.

book review directions

Book Review Blog
CP English 12

Objective: Write a 200-250 word persuasive book review of your 2nd Quarter Self Selected Reading

Requirements: Subject which includes your name, teacher name and book title

MLA Bibliography

Concise and engaging plot summary that does not give away the ending of the book

Overview of main characters and their role within the text

The importance of setting in the text

Your comments on author’s style and readability

Persuasive language


Process: Type the review as a Word document

Copy the document into the Blog post (see directions on back)


Interaction: Read the book reviews of other students

Choose 2 books that you are likely to read for your 3rd Quarter Self-selected Book

Make comments on the Blogs of 2 Book Reviews
Þ Why I would read this book
Þ What appeals to me


Follow Up: After Reading 3rd Quarter Book
Make a new post
Bibliography
Whose post inspired you to read the book?
Did you agree or disagree with their review?
What did you like or dislike about the book?