Thought provoking.
This book is not a relaxed read, it is not for the faint of heart, and certain parts of the book not for the weak of stomach. It is however, we’ll worth the read. No matter which side of the aisle you’re on or what you identify with- pro/anti life, pro/anti choice, pro/anti abortion, etc. you will find yourself engrossed in the text.

4.5 stars to 5 stars. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one. Jodi Picoult hit out of the park yet again. It was he most controversial of subject matter, but she represented each side fairly and equally. Originally, I started out listening to this on audio, but ended up "soft" DNFing it until I could get a Kindle version from the library. I had an e-ARC from NetGalley, but decided I'd read the final copy on the Kindle, since the story is told in reverse chronology and there is a large amount of characters. After reading the book from beginning to end, it made sense why Ms.. Picoult decided to tell the story in reverse chronology.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. Jodi Picoult is a writer who creates books that speak to you. Well written, great premise and interesting characters. I will be recommending this book. Thanks again for letting have a chance to read it.

Very interesting read with a unique writing style starting with the "end" and going back in time recounting a violent event taking place in a women's health clinic. Timely and thought provoking regarding women's health as it evolved over time during the timeframe of this novel. A number of characters introduced, each representing a different perspective on their lives and life choices. A little slow at time, and it takes awhile to really recognize the shifting time as the novel progresses, but an intriguing way to present a timely narrative.

A Spark of Light is a waterfall of trigger warnings. The story starts off with a clinic that is under hostage, there’re shootings, abortion, rape, domestic violence, infidelity, child neglect, and many others that’ll make you contemplate whether this book is worth the sacrifice for your mental health.

The story follows several people: a child who wants to partake on contraception; a father who feels like he’s losing touch with his child; a grandmother/ a mother who’s trying her best to become sufficient; a nurse who’s lost between the choice of keeping herself and letting her personality go; a doctor who despite the cruel circumstances holds true to his principles; a pro-life activist who isn’t with a ghost of herself; a girl who made a choice; and a hostage taker who is marred by anger.

This book started off really strong. It levels you to be curious about the situations the characters are in and the reasons behind it. You begin to question the morality of the people within the building and what their stories are — not placing any sort of negative judgement towards them in the hopes that you’ll eventually know them better.

Jodi Picoult led us to an interesting choice of how the narrative is unraveled. The story began with the ending and ended with the beginning. I wouldn’t say that it is a bad choice; however, it did has its negative sides. Already knowing the ending means you’ll want something extremely distinct for the story’s beginning, and I don’t think the story had that. Moreover, a huge chunk of the book requires so much focus as it jumps from one person’s perspective to another without any distinct rhythm (or did I just not have that focus that I was telling about).

I believe that the story would have been better told if there were recognizable swaps between the story. As it was, it became nothing more but a jumble of storyline which, of course, you’ll eventually patch together. But at the moment of reading, it would be such a dissatisfying moment.

There’re strong violence in this book. I was shocked by the amount of it when I started getting them thrown at my face. Yes, I did expect dreadful moments — because who wouldn’t when you’re reading a book with hostage taking — but I did not expect a book that had violence every other page. The amount of shouting, crying, and blood within this story drowned me.

Despite these things, the book isn’t without beautiful moments. I value the moments where the book shows us not only the dark parts and repercussions of the choices that we made but also the beauty of life and the chance of being given a choice. It’s true that some things that we do are bad, but we must also learn to understand the reasons behind the conditions that which caused this actions. It gives us room to become more loving and understanding instead of being hateful just because it’s easier.

The story and its message were strong. I would’ve easily given this a higher rating if it wasn’t for the dissatisfaction with the flow of the story and the placement of each story cuts — this very reason resulted in a lot of confusion and it [at the moment of reading] threw me off my momentum.

I just wanted to have this quote in here too because I’m at a loss. I am questioning the necessity of this “protocol for a shooting”. If, in the first place, better security and government regulations of armaments are available, there wouldn’t be any necessary protocols for such violent events. It begs to question the authority and their priorities. These are schools we are talking about here. I can’t even imagine the horror of going to school. What is to be a place where children are supposed to learn and engage with new people became a soil drenched in the blood of youth.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in knowing more about abortion — you’d want to find someone to relate to or you are just a curious soul trying to broaden your mind in the possibility of choice. As much as this book is eye-opening it is also something that you must read with extreme caution.

Another great novel from Picoult. I love how she tackles difficult and timely topics in her works of fiction. This novel deals with an abortion clinic and the pro life gunman who enters. It follows a cast of characters as they navigate this difficult situation.

I tried to read it, but it just wasn't for me. I'm not really a fan of the backwards timeline and I think that's what put me off. I'm sure others will really enjoy this one, though.

A gunman enters a clinic with those seeking help, one who is a protester pretending to need help, and others who are there for support. Reading about what is happening from the end to the beginning, you learn about each character and why they are really at the clinic. A tense read, and in today's political spiral, this is a timely book. Picoult has put a human face on the choices one has to make in life.

I used to LOVE Jodi Picoult books. I would read them religiously when one would come out. However, I don't think she has put a decent book out since NINETEEN MINUTES. While the subjects change, the general plots stay the same. It is getting old and tired and this book was no exception.

I read this over the summer and loved it! Jodi Picoult always delivers winning novels! I’m also in love with this cover!

I have read several of Jodi Picoult's books. She is definitely a gifted writer. While this book was not my favorite of hers, I did find it quite enjoyable. I recommend it to any of her many fans.

I like Jodi Picoult's writing style and her characters. But something about this book just didn't work well for me.
The jumping around was a bit confusing. I felt like a few of the characters weren't quite wrapped up and we got left hanging. I did like the way she dealt with the issue of abortion through the various characters. Not my favorite of her books, but still relatively well done.

This one is really, really hard to review. I enjoy Jodi Picoult's writing style, even though she writes about a lot of really dark and deep emotional topics. This one was a little over the edge for me. I felt like there was a lot of influence of the author's personal opinions in the book. Which is completly understandable! I just felt there was a lot of politics and religious beliefs and unsettling themes. I know, it is good to expand viewpoints and read about sensitive world topics (in this case shooters and abortion clinics). There's just so much ugly in the world that the majority of the time when I'm reading fiction, I'm reading to escape. All that being said, it was still a really intense and good book!

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult and anxiously await new books from her but this book is told out of order and is hard to keep track of the characters.

As with most Picoult novels, this one provided a fascinating take on a current topic.

Picoult, Jodi, A Spark of Light is unlike other Picoult novels which may be why I liked it and some of her longtime fans didn’t. Working backward and told from several points of view after a shooting in a Mississippi abortion clinic occurs, the novel shows how the shooter, victims, hostage negotiator, and a girl in jail for self-abortion illustrate a nuanced picture of individuals with unique lives and problems. Picoult’s usual fast-paced plot drives the novel, but her characters and the time reversal technique force the reader to think. The book shows the good, bad, and the squeamishly ugly of abortion. As Kirkus Reviews noted, “Novels such as this extensively researched and passionate polemic are not necessarily art, but, like Sinclair Lewis’ The Jungle, they are necessary.” This one is also an issue-driven page turner.

This novel is set in a women's reproductive health clinic. A shooting occurs at the clinic which offers abortion services. The author delves into the issue of abortion from several characters points of view. It was thought provoking and intense. Jodi Picoult is a great writer and always draws you into her stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

While I haven't read very many of Picoult's titles I have noticed that in recent years her books have tackled some controversial topics. This title is no exception. Picoult's storyline rushes headlong into the issue of abortion and women's rights. I'm a recovering black and white person. I used to interact with life and people as if there was a wrong way and a right way and nothing in between. I'm not that way anymore, I have realized that rarely is anything completely wrong or completely right, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle - or in other words, grey.

The story involves a variety of characters who all end up in a women's center in Mississippi one hot summer day. They are all there for a variety of reasons, some are working there, some are there for the variety of services the clinic offers, and others are there because they have a mission they think can be accomplished through being at the clinic. There are some fringe characters who contribute to the story as well and are not contained within this women's center. They help provide background and context. To give specifics is, in my opinion, to give away the unfolding of the story. I mean, the ending isn't a surprise since Picoult starts at the end.

Picoult chose to tell this story backward. She starts at the end and walks us back throughout the day and the events leading up to the end. Each chapter is devoted to an hour of the day and contains the backstory of the characters involved. Critics of the book have cited Picoult's obvious pro-choice stance. She's the author, it's her story to craft and share - she can have whatever stance she wants. While I think Picoult's position on abortion and women's rights are made very clear in this story I think she deserves credit for giving anti-abortionists a viewpoint and voice. Critics have also said she makes the antis seem crazy. I didn't think so at all and I was an anti so I'm coming from a place of personal experience with the anti-abortion camp. The voice she gives them is a fair representation of what the majority of antis do and say.

This is not a book for everyone. People who are in the "it's either wrong or right and there's no in-between" camp should not even bother to pick up this book. For those who can entertain the grey of life then it's a solid read.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another Picoult winner. She is one of my favorite authors and she doesn’t disappoint in this one, with a hot-button topic looking at a Reproductive Health Clinic through they eyes of those inside when the all too frequent and horrific event of a gunman inside occurs. The various perspectives of characters and moving times are what Picoult does best.

I'm not ordinarily a huge fan of Picoult, but I really enjoyer this book and will highly and frequently recommend it to my customers! Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance copy!