Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Title: Lone Wolf
Author: Jodi Picoult
Ships Launched: 571
Pages: 421
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre:Tragedy/Contemporary Fiction
Synopsis: Edward Warren, 23, has been living in Thailand for five years, a prodigal son who left his family after an irreparable fight with his father, Luke. But he gets a frantic phone call: His dad lies comatose in a NH hospital, gravely injured in the same accident that has also injured his younger sister Cara. Cara, 17, stll holds a grudge against her brother, since his departure led to her parents’ divorce. In the aftermath, she’s lived with her father – an animal conservationist who became famous after living with a wild wolf pack in the Canadian wild. It is impossible for her to reconcile the still, broken man in the hospital bed with her vibrant, dynamic father. With Luke’s chances for recovery dwindling, Cara wants to wait for a miracle. But Edward wants to terminate life support and donate his father’s organs. Is he motivated by altruism, or revenge? And to what lengths will his sister go to stop him from making an irrevocable decision?

Ahlorha: Honestly, I picked up this book because I had to. I was doing a speed book dating activity with my English teacher, where you read a book for five minutes, checked the "Yes, it was interesting" box or the "No, I hated it!" box, passed the book down, and read another. Honestly, I never would have read this book if it wasn't for that. Not that I have anything against Jodi Picoult, or anything; I just am more of a dystopian person than a sob story person. 
Like almost everyone else, I have heard of Jodi Picoult before. How could I not, what with My Sister's Keeper being so famous? But Lone Wolf was the first book I read of hers, and, well...
Let's just say I wasn't too excited about it.
I really liked the beginning of the book. I loved the descriptive and beautiful writing, and the plot seemed rather unique and interesting. The characters were somewhat likeable. Overall, the beginning was good.
See how I said the beginning? 
Then came the middle. And the end. And everything went wrong.
Cara turned out to be whiny and really reckless. She did not think about the consequences of her actions; she just went right out and did whatever she wanted to. Yes, she was determined, but she was also ignorant and selfish. I did not like her. 
Luke seemed like a really awesome dad and nice guy, but then you keep reading and you're like, "What?" The new, scandalous info that gets revealed seems like the it's about a completely different person than the Luke you get to know in his first person accounts throughout the book. 
And let's not forget Edward! I'm not going to give away any spoilers for those of you who have not read the book, but he was reckless too. And, well, no. Just no. I did not like him. 
The only character I can honestly say I liked was Helen Bedd. And she was in maybe ten pages. 
And when the end came, the end that was supposed to make you cry, I just went "Really?" I could not feel any empathy for any of the characters. Not even Luke. I don't know, I was just really disappointed with this book. SHIPS LAUNCHED: 541 

 Gemma:
         Usually, I love Jodi Piccult and her heart-wrenching novels. However, this novel spurred intense emotions in me. Not the good kind. In the beginning I loved the book. The first person wolf accounts from Luke were inspiring and beautifully written. His relationship with wolves was unbelievable and he seemed like a wonderful person. 
     As the story progressed, Cara and Edward (Luke's children) were introduced and everything went downhill. Cara acted like a bratty child in a serious situation and I really wanted to shake her and tell her how stupid she was. I thought Edward would be better but sadly not by much. 
      Then it got even worse. Slowly information was revealed about Luke that proved he was not who everyone believed he was. 
      Although when I finished reading the book I wanted to scream, the novel was good in some ways. Even though the feelings I had of the story made me angry and frustrated, I imagine that when Jodi Piccult wrote this book, her goal was to make readers feel the anguish, the shame and the regret that the characters feel in the novel. In the end (after screaming for awhile) I came to the realization that even though the characters made dire mistakes, they were still a family and they had to stick together. SHIPS LAUNCHED: 600