Học Mà Chơi - Tô Màu Hình Dạng tải xuống LIT miễn phí

Yvonne Lin yvonnelin19b3c — Jodi Picoult’s most recent novel, “The Tenth Circle”, is, on the surface, a story of a family in transition. Daniel Stone is a loving husband and father. A comic book artist, Daniel put his family before his career, working from home so that he can take care of his daughter Trixie, while his wife Laura pursues her career as a college professor. From the outside, the Stones are a perfect close knit family but, as is often the case in real life, things are not perfect. Daniel loves his family, so he turns a blind eye to the rift that has formed between him and his wife. He stays silent when he sees Trixie growing up just a bit too quickly. He works on his graphic Novel “The Tenth Circle” and imagines that inaction will keep his family together. One night his world falls apart. Fourteen year old Trixie comes home from a party in tears, her clothing ripped and her childhood gone. She accuses her 17 year old boyfriend of raping her. As Daniel rushes her to the hospital, he tries to reach his wife who is supposedly working late at the University. This is when the truth of her affair can no longer be denied. In just a few hours the fa�ade of the Stone family has been chipped away, and Daniel, Laura and Trixie lay broken in the rubble. What follows is an often gripping story of love, betrayal, guilt, and responsibility. Through the first half of the novel, I found myself unable to put the book down. The story was powerful, I felt connected with the characters, and I wanted to know what would happen next. Picoult packs her novel with so many sub-plots and themes, that is it easy to lose oneself in the story. This, however, is also the book’s fatal flaw. Halfway through the novel, my interest began to lag. I wanted to know what happened, but there were so many sub-plots shooting off from the main story, that I started to feel removed from the family and what they were experiencing. What began as a strong foundation for a great novel became complicated with so many twists and turns, that I lost my way. Surprises in the plot became predictable. I stopped believing in the plausibility of the action, and this made it impossible to enjoy or to even identify Picoult’s ultimate message. So many things are right about this novel. Tying the story to Dante’s Inferno and his nine circles of hell was an ambitious endeavor, and Picoult makes it work. The idea that betrayal of one’s self will lead one to a new tenth circle of hell is interesting- the simple truth that we often create our own hell. The discussion of teen sexuality in today’s society was well explored, and is in some instances shocking. Picoult takes on the issue of identity, and of whether or not people are capable of change. There is so much to chew on in this novel, but ultimately, while it is tasty, it is hard to digest. One interesting thing that Picoult does is to include a graphic novel within her book. Working with comic book artist Dustin Weaver, Picoult intersperses Daniel Stone’s graphic novel throughout her own. Between each chapter we are treated to a chapter of Daniel’s novel, which helps us to better understand his emotions. Daniel communicates most effectively through his art, so while he remains calm and supportive, it is only through his illustrations that we can see the depth of his rage and fear. I am not and have never been a fan of comic books, but I am a lover and a student of art, and I enjoyed the way Picoult included pictorial communication in this novel. It is something new and it is effective. With “The Tenth Circle” Piccout has spread herself a bit too thin. Rather than highlighting her message, she buries it under too much detail and action. Instead of posing the questions, the final third of the novel tries, but fails, to hammer a message home. Ultimately, “The Tenth Circle” left me disappointed.

Diana Balayan dianabalayan — this book is not for everyone. if you are going to read this to feel good or in an attempt to read what everyone else is reading- forget it. start it with an open mind, a dark sense of humor and a desire to kill an entire evening.

Blanca Paola _lanca_aola — Sad content but makes me have more of an understanding of what the German/Jewish people went thru during WWII.