Too long and too much religion - might discourage people from organ donation. Shay Bourne, a carpenter, homeless, shows up at June's house and she hires him to do some work. He walks in on the policeman Dad sexually abusing his daughter and shoots him. Daughter gets in the way and is also shot. (He just could n ot let her live that life - his sister Grace had gone through it.) THe mother is pregnant and Shay is on death row and wants to donate his heart to her 9 year old daughter Clare. Does she want the heart of a murderer? What if it is her only chance to live? The heart is a match (?) She takes his heart and seems to also have his miraculous powers - bringing people back to life, curing diseases, turning the water in the prison from water to wine - just a little too hard to believe! ( )

This is the fourth Jodi Picoult novel I've read and they all follow pretty much the same formula : A vunerable child/teenager. Loving parents/parent. Concerned professionals i.e. cops, doctors, lawyer,and or teachers. And a kind stranger.
And while Jodi uses a basic formula, her novels are anything but simple or predictable. The other novels I've read have covered stem cell research, teenage date rape, and school shootings.
What makes me such a fan of Jodi's novels is that rather than use an omnipotent narrator, her stories are told from the point of view of the various characters. There's always two sides to any given story, and by using this method of story telling, the reader receives compelling and personal arguments from both sides of an issue. Most people would never think of taking the side of an accused rapist, a school shooter, or a cop killer, but Jodi's characters are so fairly drawn, that's exactly what happens.
Change of Heart involves many current and important issues. It's core issue is the validity of religion in modern day society. Another theme is the use of capital punishment. And in that vein, the rights of prison inmates are also thoroughly discussed.
Some of the main characters includes Maggie an atheist lawyer who begins to find God. Mike a priest who begins to question his faith. And June who goes through quite a number of Changes of Heart.
Because Shay, a man on trial for his life, is a keeper of many secrets, and as these secrets are slowly revealed, June and the other characters, are taken on many emmmotional roller coaster rides. As a consequence, we the reader get taken along on that same ride. What more could a reader ask for ?
Oh yeah, we can ask a novelist to make as laugh. And boy did I laugh, while reading the passage where a prison inmate named his pet robin, get this, Batman the Robin !
Funny, informative, and emmotional. Just a few of the reason why I love Jodi Piccoult. ( )

Not as good as "My Sister's Keeper" but still a good read. ( )

Very though provoking. I have always been a big fan of Jodi Picoult (after all she lives in New Hampshire!) and this book was a winner. ( )

Huiveringwekkend dilemma in de nieuwe, verbijsterende roman van Jodi Picoult

Het ene moment ziet de toekomst van June Nealon en haar gezin er rooskleurig uit, het volgende moment wordt ze geconfronteerd met de moord op haar man en een van haar kinderen. De dader, Shay Bourne, wordt ter dood veroordeeld. De wereld heeft hem niets gegeven, en hij heeft de wereld niets te bieden. Dan gebeurt er iets wat alles verandert voor hem. Nu krijgt hij nog een laatste kans op verzoening. Junes elfjarige dochter Claire heeft een nieuw hart nodig en dat wil Shay haar geven. Maar zal June zijn aanbod kunnen accepteren?

Zou jíj je wraakgevoelens opzij zetten om je dochter te redden?