Spark of Light
Jodi Picoult
Ballantine Books
9780345544988


A riveting story takes us through the events of a day, really just ten hours. Jodi Picoult begins the book close to the end of the story. The book continues in reverse order and the epilogue brings us back to the finish of the day’s drama. The sharing of the story from evening back through the start of the day really enhanced the story for me. I felt as though I was being pulled deeper and deeper into the lives of the characters. I wanted to keep learning about each of them and how they came to be in the Center. The primary setting is a women’s health center in a small Mississippi town.

Without giving away too much of the story, an angry gun wielding man takes hostages at a care center with unfortunate results. Hostages and shooting victims include the daughter of a police lieutenant who becomes a negotiator before learning who is at risk as hostages.There are many twists and turns in the narrative and most lingering questions are clarified by the last chapter. But, there are no easy answers

When I got to the end of the book, I did go back and reread the first chapter, just to clarify and be sure I understood what finally happened. Now I’m pondering the what next for each character….

This would be an ideal book group choice leading to great conversations about important and current life topics. I really appreciate the opportunity to read this book and can’t wait to encourage others to add it to their reading stash.

This book opens with a hostage situation at an abortion clinic. The book then goes back to examine the lives of the characters and explain how and why they were at the clinic. I felt like the author did a good job presenting both sides of the abortion issue without pushing for either point of view. The story was well done and thought provoking. I do wish we had learned about how the characters were doing after the hostage situation was over. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy of this book.

A difficult, controversial topic is explored in a way that will make you think. Told primarily in reverse chronological order this story explores what brought each person, from gunman to nurse to patient to protester, to the hostage situation at a woman's clinic that performs abortions. This is a story that will remain with you long after the last page is read.

Picoult puts a human face on the battle for reproductive rights. While clearly pro-choice, the book describes a late term abortion which adds weight to the arguments against. Reading this should trigger iconversations ...most likely the author's objective.

Jodi Picoult is a master at storytelling and in this novel and starts at the end and ends at the beginning, she does it again. Although the topic of a shooter in the clinic is a touchy one in this day of mass shootings in schools, public events, and on the streets. Picoult's books are worth the wait.

As usual, Jodi Picoult never fails to write interesting and thought provoking stories. This one in particular is a very sensitive drama of a pregnant woman's rights.

Excellent story base with tremendous insight into relationships.
Definitely stays with you long after the book is finished.

I'm a Jodi Picoult follower and again she doesn't disappoint in her latest release, " A Spark of Light". With all of Ms. Picoult's books i begin to understand and/or question the issue at hand. I've often gone on "searches" to learn more. Abortion, birth control, the laws governing such things has brought me back to a curiosity on this topic more so than before reading her book. It was insightful and well written.

A Spark of Light could be Jodi’s most controversial book to date, and you better make sure your seatbelts are fastened. It’s a fast paced, breathtaking read. There is a crisis at the only womens health center in the state of Mississippi, a gunman has walked in, and opened fire, taking hostages and leaving destruction in his wake. Starting at the end of the day, and going backwards, the reader is treated to quite a few twists and turns. Jodi puts the reader right smack dab in the middle of the action and doesn’t let go until the last page. While the format was hard for me to wrap my head around, she did a really good job with it. I didn't feel like there were any loose ends that needed to be tied up, and each chapter ended smoothly, fitting in with the next chapter seamlessly.

Both sides of the abortion debate are represented in the story. It doesn’t matter where your views fall on the topic, you can bond with these characters. Her characters were so real, I felt that each of their struggles were my own. As with all of Jodi's books my emotions ran the gamut multiple times. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to chuck it into the nearest lake, and to me, that is the mark of a fantastic book.

It’s absolutely clear how much research went into making this book. Her narrative is incredibly well spoken and thought provoking without favoring one side or the other.

This book should be required reading.

Warning: there are a few graphic rape scenes and what could be considered medical gore

In true Jodie fashion she lets the reader learn all about the topic through the characters. No matter how you feel about abortion you can find characters in this book to relate too. This book was a little difficult to follow because of the way it was written but as always it has a twist at the end.

Enjoyed how Picoult unraveled the story. This was not my favorite of hers, but a good read.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the book.

I'm an unabashed Jodi Picoult fan. I've read all of her books and have found them "un-put-downable". This one is no different. As with most of her books, this one takes its premise from the headlines -- the takeover of a women's health clinic that provides abortions. And, as expected, the story is filled with memorable characters that the reader quickly begins to care about. I find this Picoult's strong suit -- characters that are believable and worthy of our empathy. Drop them in a crisis situation and the reader is hooked. Yes, there's a fairly heavy-handed message about respect for differing opinions, but the story is so strong it compensates for the moments of "preaching".

I did have one issue with the structure of this book at first. The story is told in reverse time order -- beginning almost at the end and then each successive section is set one hour prior throughout the day. This was a bit disconcerting and confusing at first, but once the characters solidified in my mind I found the style intriguing. By the end, the complete stories are told and the structure makes sense. The story would not have had the impact had it been told sequentially.

Picoult is an amazing storyteller. This is not her best, in my opinion, but it's certainly a great read and a compelling story.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult is a wonderful stirring novel. It describes the difficult choices women face when dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. It shows the anger they are exposed to when confronted by those who feel abortion is immoral and compares it to killing an actual child. There are heros and villians in the story as well. This is a book everyone should read today.

It's a day like any other at the Center—the last abortion clinic to remain open in the state of Mississippi—until a man with a concealed weapon gains entry to the clinic and starts shooting. In the aftermath, the dead lay where they fell, and the remaining occupants of the clinic (some of whom are wounded) are held hostage. Hugh McElroy is the hostage negotiator on the scene, but this isn't like other hostage situations he's been involved in: this time, his own daughter is one of the hostages trapped inside.

Abortion has been a hot topic for decades, and the debates between the pro-choice and pro-life viewpoints never seem to end. A Spark of Light is a highly relevant piece of fiction, exploring both sides of this controversial topic with characters that represent their beliefs—and the actions they take as a result—with a firm conviction they are doing the right thing. The reason behind that conviction manifested more than once in ways that I found to be surprising and highly provocative (depending on the character in question), making the subtle, yet strong, point that things aren't always as they seem, especially when it comes to something so divisive as abortion.

The story starts at (almost) the end, working backwards in time the further you read along. Seems a bit strange, right? Trust me when I say that it works beautifully as a means of telling the story. I can't say why (spoilers and all that) but I found myself feeling greatly sympathetic to more than one unlikable character as I got closer to the beginning of the hostage situation. Not to mention, there is an explosive plot twist revealed near the end that floored me. I never saw it coming, and it made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about this particular character. It wasn't the only unexpected plot twist, but it was definitely the one that left me reeling in stunned disbelief after (something) was revealed.

Picoult's writing was absolutely fantastic throughout. I was impressed with the way she wrote about such a hotly-debated subject, without the novel ever seeming to side with one set of beliefs over the other. Instead, it was delicately balanced, representing both sides without judgement or bias. That's quite an accomplishment, given the subject.

I highly recommend this book. It's a fantastic novel that is both enjoyable and thought-provoking. In other words, literature at its finest.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Ballantine Books via Netgalley.

No matter what your opinions are on women's rights, pro-life, pro-choice, and Planned Parenthood, A Spark of Light is a must-read. Picoult has done what she does best; creating an intricate, well-researched storyline with a variety of voices throughout that will make readers consider their own opinions and how they came to be. When teenage Wren drags her aunt with her to get birth control pills from a clinic that does abortions, their lives change forever. The waiting room is a melting pot of people with stories and opinions; there's an undercover pro-lifer hoping to uncover some dirty information on the clinic and it's procedures, a religious doctor, a woman who just had a procedure done, a pregnant nurse, and several others. When a middle-aged man comes in, he enters alone and starts shooting; it became a hostage situation. To make matters worse, Wren's father is one of the local police who specializes in hostage negotiations. This novel is timed like an episode of Kiefer Sutherland's "24", with each chapter a different hour of the day. This bestseller should not be missed.

We each have an opinion about Roe v Wade. We are either pro-choice or pro-life, but rarely do we straddle the fence.

This novel, fresh from front page news, is set in a clinic in Mississippi, not unlike the Planned Parenthood clinics in our cities and towns. George Goddard is holding hostages inside, and Hugh McElroy is the police hostage negotiator, whose daughter, Wren, is one of those being held.

Hour by hour, as we are acquainted with the hostages, we see the varied reasons that they have come to the clinic. For birth control. For support. For an abortion. Because it is their job.

I'm not sure this book will change your mind about abortion, but it will certainly help you to see the many motives that bring women to The Clinic, and may help you to further understand this divisive subject. It had that effect on me.

I read this EARC courtesy of Net Galley and Random House pub date 10/02/18

The backwards timeline does not work for me. I find it hard to follow and not at all conducive to this sort of story.

Not my favorite Jodi Picoult book... I guess I wasn't in the mood to read a novel about abortion that made me question whether I was pro-life or pro-choice. But the writing was excellent as always and the characters vivid and memorable.

To begin, Picoult is my favorite author. I found one of her books at my public library in the adult fiction section the first time I roamed those shelves as a teenager, and I’ve read all her books the moment they were published.

A Spark of Light is a view into a day-long hostage situation at an abortion clinic and the feelings, thoughts, and stories of people on both sides. Overall, it was an exceptional peek into the issue of abortions and all sides of the story. Never once did I feel like she was trying to push one agenda over the other, she gave viewpoints from both sides. She makes you think and explore things with your mind that you might never have otherwise and that’s what I love about her writing. Everyone should read this book, especially those who have strong feelings from one side or the other.

I enjoyed this book, but unfortunately I can’t say that I loved it like some of her others. I struggled with the reverse timeline that the book is written in, I constantly felt like I needed to know some information from earlier in the day. But I suppose that was part of her point, and it kept me reading! There were a few characters that I wished we had learned more about, and I wished a few of their stories had been wrapped up more fully at the end.

This book explores the why of decisions made by women/females contemplating abortion and of the doctors who perform the procedures. Author Picoult illustrates that there is no definitive cut and dried answer as to who should have an abortion and why. In the doctor's eyes, he is preserving the lives of women and girls who didn't have a choice about becoming pregnant, who don't have the ability to care for a child, or otherwise have gone through an agonizing decision process about their pregnancies.

Starting at the end of the story and progressing backwards is sometimes a bit confusing for the reader but Jodi Picoult examines the story of each person in a women's health clinic on the day a gunman appears and begins shooting. The reasons for those present in the clinic that day are widely divergent and the author explains each person's story.

The chief hostage negotiator is thrown for a loop when he learns his teenage daughter is inside the clinic, was well as the sister who raised him. This book has a surprise ending as well. It's a thrilling read.

Jodi Picoult has a talent. Not only for writing, but for looking at controversial items from all sides and making the reader think, question, and take a stand. The book is not preachy, the reader has the opportunity to view both sides of a controversial subject. Very powerful story