Quite a hefty topic in this book so be prepared to take a break every so often just to lighten up. I have read quite a few Jodi Picoult books and unfortunately this was not one of my favorites. It will still have a place on my library shelves although I don't see occupying it for long. This book is sure to be devoured by loyal Picoult fans.

On the whole this book brought many sides of an important issue to light. The beginning and ending chapters were the best. I didn't care for the reverse order of time the middle was written in although I understand why the author did it. The passages which correspond to the title are points to be pondered

Thank you. Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I love Jodi Picoult. I really do. I would say this is the second novel I didn't fall in love with. Humpback Whale... not a fan. This one... it didn't pull me like the rest.

Not sure if it was the style, how each chapter was an hour previous? It wasn't the subject matter. Just something was off. The ending was rushed and halted.

Maybe I need to re-read it again. Or sometimes you are in a mood when you read a book. Was I disappointed. A little. But hey, not all can be perfect, right?

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It was definitely a book that kept you thinking! I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. Thank you!

This book was well written. The author did a good job of describing the location and the characters to the point I could imagine it all. However, I didn't care for the backwards timeline. I felt it was hard to pinpoint what I should know and what hasn't happened yet. The subject was controversial but is ok. I was able to see the story from everyone's point of view and it makes you think. Plus some of the facts about abortion in the book I didn't know and helped broaden my own opinion.

As always Jodi Picoult out does herself with another book that makes you question how you would handle a similar situation. The subjects of her books are always on the controversial side, hopefully causing the reader to consider long held beliefs.

I was thrilled to receive this ARC as I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult. I’ve had this on my list for month when I saw she would have a new release this fall. The author always takes on touchy subjects with sensitivity and tact. It pains me to say I struggled through this one (took me 6 days). I’m not a fan of reverse storytelling and it detracted so much for me.

So here’s the deal. I absolutely adore Jodi Picoult and will read anything she puts out. In all fairness, I always have unusually high expectations for her stories. Maybe that’s unrealistic because this book disappointed me. It started off well enough with an intriguing storyline. But then it became very disjointed, hard to follow, not compelling. I mean, it took me nine days to finish which is an unheard of amount of time with me for a book by a favorite author. And honestly, I probably would have abandoned it if it were by most other writers. But I stuck with it, hoping the pendulum would swing back. Sadly, it didn’t. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it is that threw me off. I will say, though, that the time reversal aspect of the storyline was a huge downside for me. By the time I got to the end, well actually the beginning, there was no element of intrigue. No suspense, no plot twist to bring it all home. Sure, there was one little moment. But that’s not enough to save the story in this case. My review is not meant to dissuade anyone from reading this one, as it won’t keep me from eagerly anticipating her next one. It just is what it is.

First of all, I'd like to start off that I have never read any of Jodi Picoult's books. I didn't pick any of her book due to the hypes. I don't like to be influenced by other people's opinions. I received this copy about a month ago from Net Galley but I didn't jump into it due to the fact I was reading books by their published dates. However, the cover of this book kept beckoning me. Finally, picked it and started reading it Friday and finished the next morning.
I appreciate the fact that Ms. Picoult did her research on one of the most controversial and sensitive subject of all time. She did this from all different perspectives of all of her characters in this book.
However, I was irated that the book went into reversed timeline which made it more disconnected with the characters and the topics the author was conveying. Just annoying to the point where I vowed to DNF any book with reversed timeline in the future.
I would give this book 3 3/4 stars for this book, for good research, perspective, beautiful cover (the reason of the colors is in this book) and plot. Negative: reversed timeline, disconnection, storyline too general which will not stay with me long after I read this book.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and Random Publishing House/Ballaline in exchange for my unbiased and honest review.

Generally I either love or hate Picoult's novels, this one fell squarely in the middle, which is unusual.

Initially it felt the story was comprised solely for shock value, and I disliked the reverse timeline. However as the story progressed, I liked it more and more. With the author's note at the end, it felt complete. (Or as close as one can get regarding a subject as divisive as abortion.)

A teenaged girl asks her beloved aunt to take her to the local reproductive clinic to obtain birth control. While they're seated in the waiting room, a gunman enters the clinic and opens fire. What follows is a compelling narrative following each of the hostages, along with the gunman, his family, and the hostage negotiator and his family, tracking back through the past to see what brought each one to where they were on this day.

Taking place over the course of less than 12 hours, A Spark of Light is an incredibly intense, well rounded exploration of a deeply emotional and complicated issue. There were a few times I felt the author was redundant and unnecessarily graphic, which I've encountered previously in her writing. Fans of Picoult will enjoy this reading experience, as well as readers looking for a fast paced novel.

This is another home run for Picoult, who is an amazing storyteller. This is a creatively told story of a women's clinic, in Mississippi, in fact the only clinic in Mississippi that performs abortions. It is told on one particular day, backwards. That's right... the story starts at almost the end of the day and goes back an hour at a time, to tell the story of what took place on this day. This was done AMAZINGLY well, because you do not know what you do not know, until you know it, as the day goes backwards. On one side of the clinic, there is a fence, and behind it are the anti-abortion group, that does their best to change the minds of any women who enter the clinic to have an abortion. They do this through both kindness and insult. In addition to individuals from this group, the story centers on a number of amazing characters. There is George Goddard, a born again Christian, who is responsible for turning the day upside down, for all the individuals who are at the center, or near it, on this particular day. His daughter, apparently, previously visited the clinic, and he has now returned with anger and a gun, to teach them all a lesson for what they have "done" to his daughter. There is Wren McElroy, a 15 year old girl who is raised by her Dad, and is visiting on this particular day with her Aunt Bex. Olive, an older women who is there to go over some medical information with the nurse practitioner, who she has regularly seen for her gynecological needs. Hugh McElroy, the hostage negotiator who arrives on the scene, after the announcement over the police radio of an active shooter on site at the clinic, who also happens to be Wren's Dad. Janine Deguerre, who is at the clinic to have her initial appointment at the clinic, to be able to get an abortion. However, Janine has a secret, as well, that will change how everyone at the clinic sees her. Joy Perry, who had her abortion performed at the clinic, on this monumental day, and gives kindness, even where others think it may not be due. Izzy Walsh a nurse who comes to the clinic after her late shift at the hospital, she is pregnant with her first child and not 100% sure what to do about this. Her boyfriend Parker does not know she is pregnant. Dr. Louie Ward - an amazing doctor who performs abortions, who is also a devout christian. He is devoted to the care of women, and as such, does not want women to have to take abortions into their own hands, where they jeopardize or lose their own lives, like his mother did when he was a child. Rachel, a part time angel, who guides the women through the chaos of the anti-abortion protestors, from the parking lot into the clinic. Vonita, the brave and kind clinic owner, who works tirelessly to run the clinic and keep it open, even after it was burned down, in previous years, and Beth, a 12 year old girl who finds herself handcuffed to a hospital bed, after she was brought in post hemorrhage, and a brush with death due to tremendous blood loss, after giving herself an abortion, when she was unable to get one at the clinic. Soon after, she finds herself under arrest for the death of her unborn child.

The story is expertly woven in and around all of these characters, and you learn how each individual is connected on this day. The story starts where most stories end, and builds on the lives of these individuals, until you understand all of them well, and the reasons why they are all together or connected on this particular day. Having read this, I feel I know more about the human psyche, particularly in the area of abortion and reproductive health and what drives each person to do what they need to on this one day in their lives. The characters are so sharp, they practically leap off the page.

I cannot say enough good things about this novel. I love all of Jodi Picoult's books, and am amazed by each new book she writes.... how could they possibly be better than the last book she wrote? But they are... and this is likely the best book yet.

This book feels...well, like every other Jodi Picoult book. Which is a good in some ways. It is well researched and very readable. So readable I tore few it in just a couple of days. But at the same time feels overly familiar and formulaic. And what I imagine were meant to be twists or surprises in the plot were pretty predictable for the most part. I also didn't love the reverse timeline. Overall, though, it's a solid book, and probably one of the better Picoult books I've read in recent years. Every time I read one of her new books I say it will be the last time. And yet I keep coming back, I think I've read just about everything she's ever written.

I could hardly finish this book. I finally skipped to the epilogue after the “10:00” chapter.

1. I did not like the backwards storytelling. The first couple chapters were good, but I grew weary of going back one hour earlier over and over again while each character shared their memories.

2. It was hard to keep all the women in the clinic straight—which ones were there for what.

3. Picoult’s pro-choice agenda triggered a “here we go” eye roll....that soon led to my “get off your soapbox and tell the story!” reaction. She is free to voice her theories but I don’t have to agree. I do not support any part of this political agenda. People need to stay out of womens’ business and their choices. Stop using this to support or take down political candidates.

4. There were loose ends everywhere when the story ended. It seems Picoult was sidetracked by the political agenda and forgot that she left several characters hanging.

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

A SPARK OF LIGHT
Written by Jodi Picoult

I used to own a signed, First Edition of every single book that Jodi Picoult has ever written. Every year when she published a new novel I would attend an Author reading and book signing by her. I still to this day find her to be one of the most warmest, personable and intelligent Authors. A SPARK OF LIGHT, which will be published in March of 2019 is my favorite book by her. As with all of her books this one is very well researched and we as readers are the lucky recipients of gaining new information about a topic we all thought we previously understood.

In A SPARK OF LIGHT, Jodi Picoult managed to make me stop and think about abortion in a whole different light. I loved all of her character's and could empathize with every one of them.. Hugh who is the hostage negotiator who is trying to stop a gunman who kills several workers and gravely injures several others at an abortion clinic. The shooter who commits the most heinous crimes is motivated by his religious beliefs and because he is exacting revenge on those who gave his teenager daughter an abortion.

The setting for this novel takes place in Jackson, Mississippi could happen anywhere in the deep South that lies within the bible belt. By reading this book and identifying with these brilliantly fleshed out characters, I was able to gain a new perspective on abortion. Thank God I have never had an abortion and find myself in the camp of it is always a woman's right to choose. I found myself sympathizing with women who need to get an abortion for their own personal reasons. It really is in most cases a heartbreaking decision for women who have no options other than choosing abortion for their personal reasons.

I think the doctor in this novel who is inspired by a real person who Jodi Picoult got a chance to shadow is a deeply compassionate person. I think this book will inspire much interesting points of view in discussions of book groups. I particularly appreciated the Author's Notes in which Jodi Picoult informs the reader in just how divided and how strongly rooted the two polar opposite opinions that exist not only in the United States but other counties as well. While I strongly disagree with people committing acts of violence in all forms. This book makes me appreciate the selfless service that those who provide abortions. This is definitely one of the best written and memorable book's that I have read in the last five years. I will definitely be purchasing and spreading the word about this book to everybody I know. I would give this book one-hundred stars if I could.

Thank you to Net Galley, Jodi Picoult and St. Martins Publishing for providing me with my digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.. It is very much appreciated and was my pleasure.

Jodi Picoult is no stranger to controversial books. I have read and enjoyed many. When I had the opportunity to get and read this one, I jumped at the chance. This book deals with another controversial subject: abortion and abortion clinics. In this case, a gunman enters and begins shooting up within a such a clinic. Police hostage negotiator Hugh McElroy arrives on the scene and sets up a perimeter, hoping to start communicating with the gunman. However, Hugh soon discovers that his daughter Wren and sister are within the clinic, much to his horror. In addition, there is an interesting cast of other characters: a nurse who calms herself while caring for another seriously wounded victim, a doctor who continues his work despite his faith, an abortion protestor who has come to the clinic disguised as a patient, a woman hoping to end her pregnancy, and, of course, the disgruntled shooter, who hopes he can make a point. The story moves backward from the end to start, as we learn who each of these characters is and their reason or reasons to be at the clinic.

This book was definitely moving. I did not like the way the author began at the ending and moved backwards to present this moving story. I did enjoy reading about each of the characters, their back stories and reasons for coming to the clinic. I would have also preferred chapters or some sort of break in the various sections, as I like to stop every now and then to digest what I have read, and breaks/chapters serve this purpose well. Finally, I thought there was a bit too much introspection and not enough action/discussion. I like to figure out what is going on in a book as I read through a myriad of ways: the author’s words, the characters’ words and actions and everything that has happened, is happening or will soon be happening. This book did not lend to this structure, as written, but I personally think it might have been able to do what it did and what the author wanted it to do using these structures more throughout. It also might have read faster and even more smoothly. However, as I said, the book is well done (the author always writes well, in my opinion). I just did not enjoy this one as much as I have others. The subject is current and a bit controversial. Thus, the story is worth reading, because there are many insights about the subject, the motivation and history of those who might choose to go to such a clinic and the motivation of someone like the shooter. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Jodi Piccoult tackles a tough subject , abortion. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life this book will give you insight into both worlds. This story is multi layered giving points of view from multiple characters. It all begins when a gunman opens fire at a Women's health center. It then takes us into the lives of these characters and their different beliefs. I am pro-choice but this book helped me to understand all sides. The characters are richly developed and I felt like I knew each and every one. I loved how the author gives us reason for discussion. This would be a great book club read. You are there, feeling the fear. You are there for each decision and the why's. I was enveloped in the pages of this book. It made me think. It helped me understand. This is a book for our times. This is a book that must be read. It is a very realistic portrayal of how lives intersect in the world we live in. This book will help you to understand both viewpoints. I will not soon forget this book. Please don't miss this book because the subject matter makes you uncomfortable. This is truly an extraordinary book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the honor of reading this book.

I wasn't a fan of the structure but the story was gripping from the onset. I could not put it down and finished it in two days.

As with most of her books. sometimes the topic is a little difficult to read. Abortion in Mississippi. Everyone has their own story, and the author shows you the stories from each character's own experiences. Yes, some parts were sad and upsetting but as the title states there is a Spark of Light at the end. The book itself is beautifully written. I loved the 2 different father / daughter stories and how they are completely different from one another: how they became single dads, how they raise their daughters, the daughters reason for being in the clinic that day and how each father reacted to the daughter being there. A fabulous twist at the end that I did not see coming, but given the nature of the story, it is fitting ! Excellent book !!!!

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an impartial review.

I have a love-hate relationship with Jodi Picoult. Her latest novel, A Spark of Light tackles one of the most politically charged topics of our time - abortion. Here Picoult takes a subject that many speak about in extreme ways and manages to personalize it so readers understand the emotional, physical, and legal difficulties women face.

First - the love part. Picoult's willingness to initiate conversation on such a polarizing issue as abortion demonstrates that such conversation is exactly what America needs. As I was reading this book, hearings for Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination were ongoing. Many of the Senators questioning this wealthy, well-educated white man were wealthy, well-educated white men. As they skirted the issue of women's reproductive rights from their seats on high, there was no advancement of understanding, no compassion, and no real attempt to address why women might need an abortion. Her inclusion of some of the "rules" regarding abortion and abortion access that were generated by those wealthy white-men quickly establishes the uneven system of women's health care across our country, especially for teens and poor women.

Picoult presents a variety of women, young and old, who find themselves at a women's health clinic. Yes, some are there for abortion services but others are there for basic health care or are employees of the clinic. There are multiple reasons for their presence but all these characters are very real with very real life problems and joys.

Furthermore, Picoult ably presents the views of anti-abortion activists with honesty and empathy. It's easy to dismiss the protestors outside women's clinics as one-sided zealots but Picoult, especially through the character of Janine, presents a viewpoint that needs to be understood and shared in order for any advancement in the dialogue concerning women's reproductive rights.

Her depiction of Dr. Ward, who actually performs abortions, is so well-done. His reasons for choosing to participate, choosing to sacrifice much of his life to travel around the country visiting various clinics, and his compassion provide a different viewpoint than what readers might expect. Much can be learned from this man.

Okay, now the hate part. Picoult never sticks to a single point of view. Usually each character's perspective is separated into chapters. Stylistically, it's predictable for Picoult but it works. In A Spark of Light, there are way too many points of view that are in a single chapter. Additionally, Picoult arranges this novel by hours so in a single hour (chapter), readers flow in and out of the large cast of characters. Additionally, she works backward in time so readers know the fate of some characters prior to really knowing anything about them. At times it can get confusing.

Picoult also provides us with her traditional penultimate chapter surprise. I'm not sure how I feel about this one.

This novel is not one that can be read in short intervals. I carry a book to get me through the wait times of life, i.e., dentist office, Home Depot parking lots, etc. A Spark of Light requires concentrated and extended read time. Read this novel no matter what your view on abortion; it truly is a learning experience. Picoult wants us to discuss, converse, share, listen. This novel is a great starting point.

I always appreciate Picoult books and her willingness to take on subjects that rankle. This is no exception despite my zero tolerance for anyone thinking they have a say over what a woman does with her body. I would have liked it better if it was told forward. Still a quick read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.