This is the first time Jodi disappointed me. I had this book figured out from the beginning and felt it was a cop out. She could have removed several elements of the book and it would have been a more interesting read.

I enjoyed the book, however it was not the usual Picoult book. It made me think about capital punishment and religion.

This is an excellent book club selection because it deals with a very controversial topic, which virtually guarantees a lively discussion. Jodi Picoult writes in a formulatic style and everyone in the group had early on in the readin, guessed the "twist" at the end that she is so famous for. Despite the predictable writing and the obligatory girl finally gets guy love interest chapters we all felt the book brought up excellent points and often do so beautifully. Many people discussed there favorite quotes and parts they cried over. Also, the book really makes you examine your own feelings about the death penalty as you view each character's emotions and reasons for their own opinions. We asked a lot of questions regarding the characters, "What would you do if you were him/her?" We felt some of the characters weren't fully fleshed out by Picoult so it was difficult to understand fully why they made the choices they did. However, this led to good discussion by the group.

Some predictable plot points which I feel Picoult always has, but on the whole a well written, thought-provoking book. I liked the style of having each chapter told from the point of view of different characters. She brought up a lot of hard questions about religion and capital punishment. The book was extremely well researched and had tons of tiny details which made reading it a joy. I would recommend it for book clubs because, as we found during our discussion, everyone has different points of view when you are talking about religion and death. Each of us brought up past experiences which we felt the book touched upon.

This is now on the top of my 'Book Suggestion' lists. As always Jodi Picoult wrote an amazing story. I was so into the book that I couldn't put it down. I love how she does her research on each subject included in her story.

This is typical Jodi Picoult. She always has a very controversial issue that is woven into the story. In this story we grapple with the death penalty Jodi certainly creates much to talk about in a book club. I love her ability to develop characters that you feel part of and usually I'm rooting for the "bad guy" because you get to know him. Lots of twists and turns to keep your interest.

Excellent book club read. There was alot to talk about with this controversial
topic. It is creatively written with educational as well as some miraculous twists and turns that leave the reader wanting more answers. Definitely recommended by all!

If you've read her other books, this feels like a re-hash. Although she tries to make you think about the death penalty, her premise is too simplistic. Without giving too much away, let's just say an innocent man shouldn't be on death row.

I enjoyed the book a great deal and even though it wasn't my favorite by her, I would still recommend it.

I was not impressed at all with this book. I listened to it as an audio-book. I should say that one of the actors really annoys me. The voice is very off-putting and the acting in general isn't very good. The pauses are too long which makes this is a very slow-paced story. I am aware that this may have had an effect on my experience of the story. But I was not impressed with the story overall. As many people have already said, there is a lot that has been stolen from The Green Mile. It's basically The Green Mile with a heart transplant added in. I had a hard time relating to the mother, although I do like the actress reading her part. I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. So my expectations going into this book were quite high. But there is a ton of religion in this book. I'm not opposed to books about religion. But I wasn't expecting it in this story, which makes it less pallatable. There are large sections that feel more like a study of religious history and conspiracy than a book about human tragedy. I kept thinking, "is this book over yet?" Not a good feeling to have as your reading (listening to) a book. I don't recommend this book to others. If you're new to Jodi Picoult, read Nineteen Minutes instead.

A bit expected and predictible, but good nonetheless.

I personally hated the book, but there is a lot that could be discussed in book club-organ memory, capital punishment, and religion,.I have read and enjoyed three other of her books. They are all highly controversial, but their storylines kept me involved with the characters (even though I wanted to shake some sense into some of them) and the choices they made (whether I agreed with them or not). However, I just could not get into CHANGE OF HEART. I finished it only because I hate to give up on a book.
It is similar to GREEN MILE, and I really don’t like plots about life in prison. All the Gnostic stuff just made me very uncomfortable. I couldn’t tell if Picoult was trying to make a statement against organized religion or was trying to show how even a priest could be sucked into believing in a false prophet. The ending was better than I expected, but not good enough to make me not regret reading it.

While the book had an interesting premise, I found it to be carelessly written and rather predictable. For example, one of the main characters is repeatedly described as being inarticulate, yet every time he speaks his words are clear and well-spoken. The author borrowed shamelessly from several Stephen King novels - The Green Mile in particular could be charitably cited as a major influence - but tried to cram too many elements into the story at once. The overall effect was of an ambitious work which was under-edited. Plot twists were signaled far in advance (honestly, did we ever really believe the crime happened as presented in Shay's original trial?) and characters who should have been central to the story were merely sketched in (June, in particular.) I was disappointed.