Promising, interesting until the Winterfest; then it's completely unbelievable ...unbelievably silly

books:


	• The Tenth Circle: A Novel Jodi Picoult Washington Square Press, 2006 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 231 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Not all that good

I love Jodi Picoult. She is such a wonderful writer! I didn't really like this book but I will definitely continue to read her work. They can't all be 5 stars.

Promising, interesting until the Winterfest; then it's completely unbelievable ...unbelievably silly

Jodi Picoult did a fine job researching Dante, Inuit culture, comic books, and crime scene investigation. She started with an interesting plot: Two dysfunctional parents and an empty, dysfunctional daughter. Mom is having an affair; Dad is making peace with his screwed up past within the pages of his graphic novel. (For the adults who are too grown up for comic books!) Beatrice "Trixie" Stone can't recover from her break up with upperclassman hockey hotshot Jason Underhill.

The party, which is the catalyst of Trixie's life changes, is disturbing. Best buddy Zephyr convinces Trixie that by providing fellatio to the male partiers, she will make Jason jealous, and then Jason will come back to her. (This is explained in detail as a Rainbow, you can also read about teens having sex in conga line formations and guessing what lucky guy is getting sucked off. Lovely, no?) I was appalled to read what Trixie was going to do....

Trixie gets raped. I predicted all of the things that happened to her as a result of this "mess". (I had a hard time believing she was raped.) Yes, we've got it all folks- self-multilation, suicide attempts, degrading comments....

And, yes, we're still figuring out what's wrong with Mom and Dad. Both feel guilty for not having known Trixie was heading down a bad path. Mom regrets her extramaritial affair; Dad is still trying to make ammends with his past. Unfortunately, we never know what happens with Mom and her ex-lover. The last we see of the ex-lover is his attempt to tell Mom about a drug deal gone sour. We're left to wonder if Jason Underhill drugged Trixie before he raped her.

Dad is so stressed out that he can't complete the next issue of his comic book. Will he ever complete it? Probably not, because he's too busy snow mobiling through the Alaskan Tundra as his daughter is bathed by a random boy she meets on her own Alaskan trek. (More to this...)

Trixie runs away a few days after Jason Underhill commits suicide. She hitches from her hometown in southern Maine to New Hampshire, then over to Vermont. Zephyr stole money in order to finance Trixie's trip. (What a great example for the kiddies!!!) Then, Trixie steals a credit card and license from a teen mother. Sooo, Trixie flies all the way to the Alaskan Tundra, poses as a "Jesuit Volunteer", is chauffered by Willie, an Eskimo boy, gets naked with Willie (to keep warm, but Picoult reminds us that he's got a "boner") takes a bath with Willie, then Dad comes to rescue her. Dad takes her back to a larger Alaskan town where Trixie is arrested for Jason's murder. Trixie is in juvenile hall; Mom is in the holding cell. Trixie makes a confession to dad, which includes "stuff" about her mother's ex-lover. Mom also confesses a lot more to Dad.

TOO MUCH GOING ON!!! I skipped over the parts of Trixie and Willie's "love affair" on the tundra because the whole thing was sooo farfetched!!! I also didn't like reading about young teens engaging in sex, drugs, and alcohol. Trixie, Zephyr, and all the other kids are not good role models. Trixie's parents and other parents also can't parent. Is Picoult trying to tell us that we're all dysfunctional?

INCONSISTENCIES: Dropped plots!!! And, somewhere along the way, we are told that Trixie played soccer that fall. But it was mentioned toward the end. Also, in the very beginning, which "fastforwards" to Trixie and her dad on the Tundra, Trixie thinks of Moss and Zephyr as her friends. Moss was a complete jerk to her- they were not friends by the time Trixie got to the tundra!!!

This is a good book if you want to read about icy cold Maine winters, Inuit culture, or the symbolism of Dante's inferno. If you're a graphic novel aficionado, you'll appreciate the comic book chapter interspersed between chapters. (I skipped them!) Also, if you're looking for a big messy, over-thetop-plot, you'll at least tolerate this book.

for more information click here

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

hot

not?

What's your opinion?

Write a review and share your thoughts!

recommendations

Books/movies with Si, cutting, self harm in them
2009 Illinois High School Book Award List
Davenport's Recommended YA List
Good Books I've Read page 6
50 in 2008!

search for books
circle, novel, tenth

Impressum / about us