Sing You Home: A Novel (edition 2011)

As always with Jodi Picoult, she has made a story with every twist and turn a reader could dream of, with absolutely gut wrenching story lines. I absolutely love reading her books because she follows through on the topics that normally would be unspoken and unknown. My Sister's Keeper was the first book that I read by Jodi Picoult and I must say that it has made an everlasting impact on me. That is one book that I will never forget. I enjoyed every single bit of this story and was amazed with the twists and turns of every chapter! I would not hesitate to recommend this story to everyone. It definitely did not end up the way I envisioned it would, however had an amazing ending! She was able to capture the raw essence of the character's emotions throughout the book and really was able to tug on all of those little heartstrings while reading! ( )

I have read every one of Jodi Picoult's books, but just couldn't get into this one. It just didn't engage me in the same way. Still well written, just not my favorite. ( )

I gave this book 4 stars, but I'd really like to give it 4-1/2 or even 4-3/4. There are things that happened at the end that I didn't like that kept me from giving it a full 5-stars. The worst is the epilogue, which jumps almost 7 years into the future, and jumps from step A to step G without telling us how we got there. It leaves too many questions for me. But having said that, I REALLY liked this book! I've read a lot of Jodi Picoult and enjoyed them all. Until now though, none has been as good as the first one I read (My Sister's Keeper). Finally, I can say, 'This is the best Jodi Picoult book I have read!'

The story is about Zoe, a music therapist, who is married to Max, a gardener/lawn service business owner. They have been married for 10 years and trying to have a child for 9 of those. The have undergone numerous in vitro fertilization attempts and suffered several miscarriages. Finally, Zoe is pregnant and nearly to 28 weeks, when her mother throws a baby shower. Tragedy strikes at the shower and Zoe once again loses her baby. When she starts talking of another attempt, and the doctor explains the risks to not only the baby, but herself, Max has had enough, and storms out of the doctors office and out of the marriage.

IF you haven't read other reviews, I suggest you stop reading now. The reason is, I did NOT read others and because I didn't, I have no idea what was coming next. In some ways, I'm glad I didn't, because I think not knowing added to the story for me. If you read the other reviews......read on.

(The first spoiler only gives a hint of what's to come that is included in most reviews. It won't spoil the end for you)
Still here? Okay. I loved all the issues tackled in this book. While doing music therapy with a HS girl, Zoe falls in love with the student's counselor. They marry and decide to use the remaining embryos to have a child together. But Max objects and a 'custody' battle ensues. Rights to the embryos would be a big enough issue to tackle, but JP turns it up several notches by making the HS counselor female. So now, not only is the book about an embryo custody battle, but also about same-sex marriage and adoption by gay parents.

(This one is a real spoiler. Do NOT read if you don't want to know how the book ends.)
Max becomes a 'born-again' Christian, a very fundamentalist Christian. His brother and sister-in-law, who have had fertility issues of their own, want a child. Max decides the solution is to give the embryos to his sister-in-law. He has always 'coveted' his sister-in-law. One thing I really didn't like in story was the relationship between Max and his sister-in-law. I particularly didn't like how poorly the story was developed at the end....meaning it was NOT developed. The other thing I didn't like was the quick resolution of the court-case, and how it was settled 'out of court'. I would really have liked to have seen how a judge would rule on this case.

Though I had problems with the ending, I really did enjoy this book. If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult, be sure to pick this one up! ( )

Felt too much like a story designed around the issues in order for the author to educate the reader. Not what I was hoping for. ( )

it is nice, especially for the fact about lesbian and how true woman can find same sex more appealing and helpful at the time of crisis.

Nothing good in this book.

To begin, I should state that I have read and enjoyed many of Jodi Picoult's books, though they do become rather formulaic if you read too many of them. I always find that I learn something as a result of my reading.
On this occasion I made the mistake of reading a book by an author I enjoy and respect, without first studying the content of the book. I avoid books with same sex love scenes, not because I don't have sympathy for these people but because I really don't want to read about what goes on behind closed doors. Similarly, I never choose fiction with a heavily evangelical theme. I was listening to the audio version from Audible, so I didn't have a back cover to check out before reading, having ordered the book simply because it was by Ms Picoult. And as if this wasn't enough, the audio version has some truly chronic singing throughout the book - I had to keep fast forwarding this because I simply could not listen to it. In addition, both the male and female narrators gave little differentiation between their characters and I was often unsure who was speaking (unusual for an Audible book).
So, why did I finish this book? Well, it has been highly rated by several reviewers whose taste I generally share and because it was in audio version and I can never get enough audio books. Ironically, the last time I looked at Audible's site I discovered that I could have returned the book for something else but I was nearly at the end by then.

Max and Zoe are a happily married couple but they seem to be unable to conceive. They undergo several expensive cycles of fertility treatment but in spite of two miscarriages and a stillbirth, they remain childless. When the marriage breaks under the strain, Zoe finds happiness in a same-sex marriage (is this possible - to suddenly go from a heterosexual marriage to a lesbian without knowing that you have this tendancy? No halfway house of being bisexual??) The inevitable Picoult court case revolves around the fate of three eggs frozen since the last round of fertility treatment and which now, both Zoe and Max wish to use. I may be legally naiive, but I kept thinking the eggs should be given, one to each, with a spare for back-up.
The ending was a bit of a cop-out, though I can't say why without spoilers. The final chapter also created as many questions as it answered.
All in all a very unsatisfying read. I shall study the content of audiobooks more thoroughly before buying in future.

My previous reads and ratings:
House Rules 4*
Handle With Care 3*
Vanishing Acts 4*
My Sister's Keeper 5*
The Tenth Circle 5*
Keeping Faith 5*
Mercy 4*
Harvesting the Heart 4*
Change of Heart 5* ( )

I'm impressed with the way Jodi Picoult was able to show both "sides" of the issue of homosexuality, gay marriage and gay adoption (as if there could be a "side" other than human rights). I'm not sure why she had to make Zoe, the main character so unbelievably naive. I guess it was just a mechanism to allow plot progression. It's well worth reading, naivete aside. ( )

Jodi Picoult tackles gay rights, a controversial subject, in her latest novel. Zoe, a music therapist, has just suffered a stillborn birth. This is another tragedy in the midst of infertility treatments, miscarriages and financial and mental stress. Her husband, Max can not handle anymore and asks for a divorce after Zoe announces she wants to "keep trying."

Zoe, then meets Vanessa and is comes as the biggest surprise of all to her when she discovers she is falling in love with a women. Eventually Zoe and Vanessa want to use the frozen embryos from Zoe and Max to start a family of their own. However, Max is now a part of a deeply religious church group who decide to support Max in his quest to retain custody of the embryos. What follows is a battle between two groups at odds with each other.

I thought the story was pretty good. It was interesting to see how the story would play out in the courtroom. I would have liked to see how Lucy's story ended, that was left pretty unresolved. But the story was moving and kept me wanting to read more. ( )

I usually really enjoy Picoult's books but this one never gripped me. I was able to get about 1/2 way through before I finally gave up and moved on. The beginning was very sad and depressing and it eventually picked up a little but not enough for me. The subject matter may be a problem for some people as it does deal with lesbian relationships (I was not aware of this before starting in). Although not a problem for me, it was a surprise.

I downloaded the music that is to go with the book which I thought was a great idea. However, I didn't feel like the music really went with the chapters it recommended and most of the songs sounded the same to me.

Overall, not my favorite book by Jodi Picoult. ( )

http://cozylittlebookjournal.blogspot.ca/2012/02/sing-you-home-by-jodi-picoult.h...

I sincerely love when authors--and, perhaps more accurately, publishers--expand their notion of traditional storytelling by writing a book that follows a slightly different format: novels in verse, illustrated novels for adults, stories that are told in a multitude of media. Sometimes the risk doesn't always pay off, but I really enjoy the effort. Jodi Picoult's novel, Sing You Home, falls into that category by being the first novel that I've read that comes with its own soundtrack. The book has a CD included that acts as a companion to the story being told.

The novel's main protagonist is Zoe Baxter, a music therapist who uses music in every aspect of her life, both professionally and personally. While the novel isn't really about music, the author felt that the reader should hear Zoe's voice, since the character uses music and singing so much. Jodi Picoult's good friend Ellen Wilber acted as the voice and musical composer behind all of the tracks on the CD.

While I don't think the novel really needed the soundtrack and the resulting CD is probably not one I would buy just to listen to, I really like the idea behind it. I like the multi-media approach very much. And the novel certainly isn't hindered by the music, even if it does stand up perfectly well on its own.

The story centres around Zoe's failed attempts at conceiving and carrying a child to term, followed by her divorce and subsequent remarriage to a woman named Vanessa. Her lesbian relationship and her attempt to find a way to have a child with her new wife brings a world of criticism from her community and her ex-husband Max, a recovering alcoholic who "finds Jesus" in the form of an anti-gay Evangelical Christian church. The narrative is divided into sections that correspond to the tracks on the CD and the individual chapters are from the first-person perspective of Zoe, Max and Vanessa alternately. The "Max" chapters were actually a little difficult to read sometimes because they were written with such detail and sincerity but what his character was saying and feeling was so hateful and anti-gay.

In the end, though, the book was an incredibly rewarding read. I was emotionally invested in all of the characters, even the ones whose opinions I found challenging. More than once I found myself in tears, particularly by the end. Granted, it hit me on a lot of points personally: as an educator, an atheist with many very religious loved ones, an advocate for gay rights, a parent who also has friends who struggle with infertility, a proponent of women's reproductive rights and a person--like most--who has struggled with the meaning of love marriage. I felt like the novel was written for me personally. But I also felt like a lot of people would feel exactly the same way when they read it. ( )

Max and Zoe Baxter have tried for 9 years to have a child. After Zoe miscarried a child at 28 weeks, Max decides he can't handle it anymore and divorces Zoe. Zoe and Max go their separate ways...Max lives with his brother and sister-in-law who belong to an evangelical Christian Church. After nearly being killed after a drunken accident, Max embraces the church's teachings and becomes "born again". Zoe meets and becomes best friends with the guidance counselor at the school where she performs music therapy, Vanessa Shaw. Vanessa is a lesbian and eventually, Zoe realizes she is too and the two women marry. When Vanessa and Zoe decide they would like to have a child, Zoe remembers that there are three frozen embryos left from when she and Max were trying to have a child. When she contacts the fertility clinic to use the embryos, she is told that she must have Max's permission since they are biologically half his. When Max discusses the issue with his pastor, the pastor convinces him that homosexuality is a sin and that the embryos shouldn't be given to people who live a sinful life. A court battle ensues.

This is a typical Picoult book that takes a controversial issue...in this case, homosexuality from a religious and a scientific point-of-view. Picoult presents the conflict from all points of view in her fast-paced, emotional and instructive way, so the book is a fast, entertaining read. Unfortunately, this story featured too many sub-plots which were not fully explored and, at times, left unresolved. This would have been better if it were more tightly plotted. ( )

Sing You Home is Jodi Picoult’s 18th novel. As always, Picoult deals with big issues. This time it is homosexuality and the attitude of society, government and, in particular, organised religion, to those who are openly homosexual. But other issues also make an appearance: as Picoult herself says, this book is about a lot of things. This novel details the single-mindedness, the almost obsessive lengths to which some people will go to overcome infertility. It asks about the fate of frozen embryos: are they people or property? Who has rights over them when a marriage breaks up? It touches on the importance of music in our lives. It examines in detail the arguments of certain religious leaders against homosexuality: the faulty logic, the quotation of scriptures out of their historical context, the convenient interpretation of biblical quotes, the power of charismatic preachers. Most of all, this novel asks the question: what is a family? As she usually does, Picoult tells the story in voices: in this case, Zoe, who has spent ten years trying to have a baby; Max, her husband, who has finally had enough, divorces her and finds God; and Vanessa, a guidance counsellor who becomes Zoe’s friend and eventually, her lover. As with all of Picoult’s novels, this one is thought-provoking and highly enjoyable: an excellent read! ( )

This book was not a mind blower for me as most of her books are. It touched on a very deep topic and was every bit a page turner I just didn't get the character connection that is typical for me when I read her books. In fact, with the exception of Max and Zoe's lawyer I didn't like any of them.

I found the book to be predictable but not in an irritating way.The one thing that really bugged me was that events seemed to be rushed at you. I would have liked a little more development. And especially the ending with the girl Lucy I mean....huh...tell me what happened. That was kinda a let down. Also the relationship between Max and (will not say as it would give some of the drama away) although I saw it coming,in the end it was just BAM with no thing further. I HATE that. It's okay if you know the book is a part of a planned sequel. But this is not and that defiantly brings the rating down a notch.Still a good book just not a 5 star and not what I'm use to with Picoult books. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. Usually I get bored somewhere around the middle with other Jodi Picoult books I've read, but that wasnt the case with this one. I do understand how people could feel that it was controversial and one sided, obviously not all church goers need to be put into the same category as the Westboro Church attention getters. Unfortunately that is the feel you get from the story.
While this book will not be for everyone it really is a good story with a little bit of humor, emotions and controversy all rolled into one. ( )

I have read very few Jodi Picoult books, however the ones I have read all have one thing in common for me, I don't like any of the characters. Why, because they are all self-absorbed. While I'm sure that is more realistic, I can't help but want my books to be tinged with a little bit of optimism. A little bit of hope for humanity.

Sing You Home makes you think on a number of levels. It is well-written and the plot does drag you in and make you want to keep reading. If there had been at least 1 character I liked, this would have gotten 4-stars, instead of 3. ( )

As a wannabe novelist, I am fascinated how Picoult’s painstaking research is woven into the narrative about a woman whose life is driven by a desire to become a mother. In less skillful and adventurous hands, it would have been simply that: a tale of a personal voyage to motherhood. Instead, Picoult draws us into the world of a music therapist at work, the clash of values when a gay person comes out, a courtroom drama about the rights of a fetus, and much more. She never resorts to the easy way, to simply saying, for instance, that Zoe’s and Max’s IVF attempts were met with failure and the failures took a toll on their marriage. That would certainly have made it a shorter book—and maybe readers would have been no more the wiser. But Picoult doesn’t take the easy way, and we follow the young couple through the details of the procedure— the medical facts, as well as the emotional ups and downs. We even follow the husband into the tiny bathroom, where he must fill a cup with his juice of life, fearful that too little will reflect on him and too much will be worse.

Drawing a picture of conflict between conservative Christian activists and gay rights activists, Picoult never takes a cheap shot, never makes one side unerringly right and the other the face of the devil. Each portrait is sympathetically drawn. The only cardboard, stereotypical character is a lawyer, who even manipulates his client in the service of victory, a victory that is being sought solely for personal aggrandizement. Judging from the number of legal experts Picoult consulted, this guy (or someone like him) exists in real life.

To make Picoult’s yarn even more lifelike, the hardback comes with a CD of the original music that her character Zoe composes. (Paperback readers can download the music from the Internet at no cost.) I find two flaws in the work, the first negligible (and a little embarrassing to even mention), the second a gnawing dissatisfaction that is forgivable when balanced with the enormous accomplishments of the work.

The first is the very thing that gives the writing so much authenticity: the researched detail. I can see the writer’s mind at work, carefully choosing the woof of fact to bring texture to the warp of plot. I would rather it had been more hidden. Admittedly, I was looking for it. The second was the unexplained outcome for a character who was so skillfully written that, at the end, she was (for me) a giant question mark in the center of an otherwise well-drawn ending. I miss her. I worry about her. I want to look her up on the Internet and find out what happened to her. Maybe I’ll find her in another Picoult novel down the road.

In all, a stupendous effort! ( )

I checked this book out not knowing what it was about. The description tells you nothing if you know that Jodi Picoult invariably writes about a major topic, such as a health condition or a politically charged medical issue.

From the back:
"When tragedy turns her life upside down, Zoe Baxter settles down and begins her life anew as a music therapist. Music has always been Zoe's passion, and as a friendship blossoms into more, her life seems to be getting back on track. However, there are those close to her that, for one reason or another, want to quash her newfound happiness."

When I started listening and figured out the Baxters were dealing with in vitro fertilization and multiple miscarriages and then the wife delivers a stillborn son, I almost stopped listening. But I didn't. When Zoe still wants to try again for a baby, Max files for divorce, moves in with his conservative and deeply religious brother and sister-in-law and drinks himself into oblivion. Zoe becomes best friends with a client who hires her to help a depressed teen through music therapy. That friendship turns into romantic love and they go to Massachusetts to get married because Rhode Island, where they live, does not recognize same sex marriages.

Zoe comes out to Max and asks his permission to use their frozen embryos for her new wife to carry the baby. And that's the set up.

Picoult is VERY PREACHY in this novel. There is no doubt which side she empathizes with. There is very little positive about the characters representing the evangelical Christian right, and the characters who have to work with them to move the plot along are painted as weak and impressionable (so we can forgive them easily?). Some characters who start off seeming like good guys turn into bad guys due to their ultra conservative beliefs and wealth.

Of course, there is the courtroom drama. And Picoult uses her signature style of telling the story first-hand from the viewpoints of the main characters. The ending was super predictable, a little too sweet for me. And some loose ends were left hanging. I really did care about Lucy, the depressed teenager who needed therapy, and although she played a pivotal role in the book, we don't find out what happens to her.

While she wrote this novel, Picoult's teenage son came out to her and her husband. She says she knew from the time he was about 3 years old that he was gay, so she was happy that he was self-aware enough to recognize it and secure enough to tell them. Her website also discusses her contact with the evangelical Christian right and their assistance in helping her write the book. ( )

I chose this for my first Jodi Picoult, after having heard recommendations from many people whose opinions I respect. It was kind of an obvious choice--Sing You Home is one of her most recent novels, and features a lesbian couple.

What did I end up thinking of it? Well, I can absolutely see why Picoult is such a popular author. I compulsively read my way through all 400-odd pages over two nights. She knows how to write in such a way that you really, really want to find out what happens next. Almost all of the characters were living and breathing to me by novel's end. Despite TOTALLY KNOWING what was going to happen almost every step of the way, I wanted to get to the ending I saw coming from about halfway through the book.

Predictability was not the author's biggest problem. Quality of writing was. Like I said, she's a really good storyteller...but so is J. K. Rowling, and I would never say that she's the world's best or most eloquent writer, either. I was struck more than once by stilted language, things that would never come out of someone's actual mouth. More than that, the message (and oh, boy, does this book have a message) was banged into my head over and over and over. Granted, I was not the audience for that message: Jodi Picoult's typical conservative middle-aged female reader was. And I am grateful that a mainstream writer was brave enough to step out and write a story about an LGBT character. But I do wonder if there was a more graceful way to get the point across.

On the whole, though, I was pretty charmed. I'm going to read another one of her books at some point, for sure. ( )

Zoe and husband try for years to get pregnant. Their failures strain the relationship and it ends. When Zoe meets the woman of her dreams, they marry in Mass. and ask for the IVF eggs left from Zoe's tries with Max. I care for all these characters and find them all believable. Zoe's longing for a baby is deep. The drama comes when Max and Zoe both want the eggs, Max to give them to his brother and sister-in-law who are also suffering the pain of infertility. I will remember these characters a long time. Jodi Picoult is accused of always writing on headline issues but what's wrong with that and she does a great job of it. ( )

You may also read my review here: http://bookbybookreview.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-sing-you-home.html

Where to begin? This book is full of so much emotion that it was hard to not feel swayed one way or another. As someone that works for an Evangenical church, I found this book very hard to digest but not because of the 'anti-Christian' context, because of the 'Christian' context. I guess I am one that falls outside the box when it comes to religion. Believing that a person has a right to choose how they live their lives without it affecting my day-to-day life.

Having also gone through minor infertility issues myself, I found Jodi Picoult's account of the feelings and emotions involved with each failed cycle to be bang on. Understanding the devastation that parents/partners go through is so hard to describe and she did it beautifully.

While I will never be able to fully wrap myself around the 'same-sex' issues (because I haven't dealt with them first or really, second, hand), Sing You Home, has made me realize that there are people out there who struggle each and every day just to get by in a world that is unaccepting, a world that judges/hates/bullys, a world that is cruel. I hope that this book hits home in some of those 'unaccepting' people and makes them realize that it really isn't about them... it's about us.

Overall, this book was wonderfully written and hit home on each and every basis of the story. Never going to far one way or the other and showing each side of the 'story' fairly and accurately (sadly). Another great book by a great author!! ( )

I have read many of Picoult's novels and have enjoyed them for their insight into significant social issues. this case she presents the idea of bio-engineered zygotes and who would make a better set of parents. The issue is whethere or not a homosexual pair is better suited or a heterosexual pair. Usually, she allows the reader to think utside the box of our lives and decide for ourselves the "right" or "wrong" of an issue. This time, however, she presents too obvious a stand toward the side she believes in. I'm not saying that I disagree with her, but she lost her objectivity which is normally her strongest trait as a writer. ( )

I purchased this book thinking it was mainly about music therapy. While one of the books main characters is a music therapy, the book centers about her lesbian relationship and people from a very conservative church trying to get her and her wife to get possession of embryos that were created when she tried to have a baby with her husband. The last part of the book centers a great deal around the trial. It is an interesting read but not mainly about music therapy. ( )

I always enjoy Jodi Piccoult books, and I was especially keen to read this one as an LGBTQ advocate. Max and Zoe Baxter spend years and thousands of dollars attempting to bring a child into their family through invetro-fertilization. After the still-birth of their child, emotionally withdrawn from his wife, Max asks Zoe for a divorce. The gist of the book follows a "custody battle" over the fertilized embryos that Zoe wants to use to create a family with her new wife. Max, a born-again Christian after his marriage to Zoe ends, sues for "custody" of the embryos to give to his brother and his wife who are also have fertility issues.

Suffice to say, I enjoyed this book and read compulsively through to the end. HOWEVER, there are a few threads that she failed to tie-up in the epilogue that left me a little dissatisifed. ( )

I am a big fan of Jodi Picoult, so I read this expecting to enjoy it. I did. I have always maintained that you cannot help with whom you fall in love, regardless of gender, social status, or even their relationship to you. This book is just one example. After a failed marriage, Zoe finds herself falling in love with someone completely unexpected - Vanessa, at the same time as her ex-husband finds religion. As usual, Picoult is unafaraid to address the hard issues - in this case, the status of frozen embryos. Zoe wants to use her previously frozen embryos to have a child with Vanessa, but her newly religious ex-husband objects to his child being raised in a Lesbian household. Sing You Home is a fascinating and engaging story about the controversies surrounding gay marriage, gay parents and fertility treatments. It is definitely well worth reading. ( )

Picoult does it again, blending contemporary issues in a dramatic way. The sum total is an engrossing story told from the viewpoint of each of the main characters. This is about a couple unable to conceive, even with IVF. The couple divorce and the fate of each of them along with the frozen embryos comprises the rest of this. Excellent. ( )