A wonderfully written story of the problems associated with and the reasons why terminations ( abortions ) are necessary. Gave a good insight into the lives of the various characters and the journey that had brought them to the clinic . Sometimes a little confusing as the story transfers backwards and forwards to the various characters history and the present time.

I loved this sneak preview of Jodi Picoult's next book. I did however think that it would be the full book, but I'm excited for the release of the full book.

I'm a great fan of Jodi Picoult as she doesn't shy away from controversial themes for her books. This one is no exception as it centres around a catastrophic event at an Abortion Clinic in USA and we have the story told from different people perspectives both pro and anti abortion. I loved the way the book was constructed going back in time hour by hour on this fateful day. As you reach the end (beginning) you want to reread it backwards in chronological order. This novel leaves you angry, weeping, shocked, surprised, sympathetic and exhausted! Jodi doesn't disappoint.

Another divisive novel by Jodi Picoult told in a sensitive manner which tries to deal with all sides of the abortion debate. It is honest, gritty and hard hitting and doesn't shy away from the emotions and horror abortion brings.
It revolves around the stories of those at a women's centre in Mississippi when a gunman attacks - these include a 15 year old girl, her aunt, doctor and nurse and unusually told in a reverse chronological order taking you from the end of day to the beginning. This could have awkward but Jodi Picoult's style and talent carries it off. It tugged at my heartstrings and I felt an attachment to all characters whatever their beliefs.
It is a story about life and one that should be read to start a conversation.

So sorry - this was just not to my taste. It wasn't the subject matter but the way the book seemed to bounce around to different characters - those who I understood and had sympathy for but it just didn't capture me as a whole. I found that I kept skipping, retracing and then tuning out - but perhaps that is just me. I see that others really enjoyed and felt a connection but not me on this occasion. However, judge for yourself, do not be disheartened or swayed by my opinion, please read this book.

Not what I would have expected from this Author, I'm not sure if I liked it or not.. It jumped about a lot. I think this book will only appeal to women.

Have read all of Jodi Picoult’s books and this is another one that didn’t disappoint. Intricately weaved around the characters in the beginning and brought to a dramatic conclusion. Invoked much thought about both sides of the subject. Loved in particular the title reference. Would recommend.

Jodi is not shy to a controversial topic and again she has given us a novel that is thought-provoking and poignant and powerful . It was only a matter of time before Jodi tackled the subject of abortion and like normal she wrote a true balanced view that really made you think. This story moves backwards and then flashes forward to a fantastic ending. What a story! absolutely loved it.

A difficult subject sensitively told. Interesting characters which are woven into the story gradually. It starts in the heart of the action and goes back in time to outline the build up to the event. A harrowing read.

This is a really thought provoking novel told in a dispassionate/rational way which is rare when the topic is abortion and its relative rights and wrongs. Despite having heard about the author for a number of years this is the first novel by Jodi Picoult that I have read and I was impressed. She has quite clearly done an awful lot of research about the status of abortion in the USA and she depicts fairly the views from both sides. I knew it was a pretty controversial topic; much more so than it is in the UK and her narrative really reflects this.

The story is told from a number of viewpoints and that achieves the aim of demonstrating the disparity of beliefs. There are also some very clever interconnections which become apparent as the narrative progresses. A man is holding a number of people hostage in an abortion clinic, not all of whom are there for a procedure. It is up to a police negotiator, Hugh McElroy, to talk the man into giving himself up, a task made even more vital because his daughter and sister are two of the hostages.

This is an incredibly thoughtful novel which addresses the choices women have to make and why those choices are put before them. If I had one small criticism it is that the novel is a little over-long but that really is minor. I would highly recommend reading this book whatever your views on this topic are.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

I have read a few Jodi Picoult books which I have enjoyed but I found this one a bit harder to read than some of her others. The content is an emotional subject around abortion but I also found it a bit confusing in parts as it jumps from present day to past and I sometimes wondered what or who it was talking about, maybe that’s just me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Jodi Picoult for my arc of A Spark of Light.

I'm always amused to look back and remember what first got me into reading Jodi Picoult's books. I was 16 and she was the only other person I'd ever seen who's name was spelt the same way as my little sister Jodi's. Since then my sisters name was changed to be spelt as 'Jodie' but my love for Jodi Picoult's books has remained the same.

A Spark of Light like many of Jodi's books covers a sensitive and controversial topic. Abortion in America. And not just any part of America but Mississippi. It covers the different arguments of 'pro-life' and 'pro-choice' or 'anti-life' 'anti-abortion' depending on which side of the fence you're sitting on. (And yes I had to use the song from Matilda to remember how to spell Mississippi).

The story begins in the middle of a crisis. A woman's health clinic in Mississippi has been taken over by a lone shooter. George Goddard believes the clinic hurt his daughter and is out for revenge. Meanwhile Hugh McElroy the hostage negotiator finds out his own daughter Wren is inside. But Wren is not alone, also inside are a number of other characters. A pregnant nurse, an old lady, Wren's Aunt Bex, the Doctor, two patients. And all of their lives are at risk.

The story is told in a unique narrative structure. Like many before it begins with the tragedy and disaster and moves back in time, but rather than going back to the beginning it moves back in hours. So an hour before, 2 hours before etc. I can't say that I was a huge fan of this way of telling the story particularly with so many povs but the writing quality and the story more than made up for that one small point.

We hear from everyone involved in the story, both the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys'. I still don't feel and will never feel that there is an argument for 'pro-life' although I'm definitely a person who considers it to be more 'anti-abortion'. I'm also a person who believes that religion can ruin people and make them lose all logic. But hey we're not here to talk about my personal views, I purely make that point because other reviewers have noted that convincing arguments were made for both sides and I don't believe this to be true. There shouldn't even be an argument about a woman's choice to do what she wants with her own body. I'm probably slightly misquoting here but a line in the book sums it up for me it was something like this 'people ask at what stage a baby should be entitled to human rights, but we should ask when does a woman stop being entitled'.

I enjoyed the story because it was interesting, the characters were easy to empathise with and build a connection with. But what I really urge you to read is the bit at the end of the book where Jodi gives statistics and facts about the issues raised in the book. Truly fascinating, but also troubling, that in 2018 we still live in a world where women are suppressed to the point of not being allowed to make their own choices, or punished when they do.

As always, the author brings us a moral dilemma with many shades of grey. She crafts a wonderful balance of opinions and delicately balances both sides of a thorny issue so you can easily see every angle even if you thought it was not in your ideology. Well written and thought provoking drama.

Set in a women’s clinic, the subject of abortion and the legality behind it made for an interesting read. The stories behind each character told of the circumstances leading upto their attendance at the clinic. Pro life protesters make life difficult for the staff and one day this goes to the extreme. I wanted to really like this book, but found it difficult to keep track of who was who and what their story was. It flips from past to present but I kept confusing people and it made it a long read. I finished the book but felt the end was rather abruptly told and the actual finale somewhat rushed.

Jodi Picoult does it again!

An extremely powerful novel.

A story told in reverse and as we go back hour by hour we gather more information, more detail and slowly piece together to find out what led to the events that have us on the edge of our seats right at the beginning, where chapter one gets you immediately hooked.

*Trigger warning*

This book talks about abortion and actually although quite sensitively done, it is told in quite some detail. But this is what I love about Jodi's books, you can see time has been spent researching the content, it isn't haphazardly put together.

If I've counted correctly, the story is told from ten points of view. Different characters each with their own reasons for being in a place where they now wish they weren't, all with varying backgrounds and back-stories.

And what transpires leads us to think about how our actions can not only affect ourselves, but others around us too and not just the people we know, but those strangers that unexpectedly happen to come into our lives, sometimes for the better but at other times the outcome might not be what we'd choose if given the choice.

I think we always tell ourselves how we'd act if faced with certain situation but what A Spark of Light shows us is that how we think and how we act can actually differ greatly when faced with uncertainty.

Another fantastically realistic novel, I'll be writing a more in-depth review on my blog nearer to the publication date!

I always looked forward to a new book by Jodi Picoult but have to admit to being a bit disappointed by the last three. This one, however, grabbed my attention right away and restored her to her place as one of my favourite authors. Ms Picoult is definitely back to her brilliant best with this hard hitting, no punches pulled view of the abortion issue in America.

The novel is set in a Women's Health Centre which opens for business on what should be an ordinary day but that day is shattered and becomes anything but ordinary as a distraught gunman comes through the doors and starts shooting. The author uses the clever device of telling the story backwards, counting back from the tense stand off between police hostage negotiator, Hugh McElroy and gun man,, George Goddard.

The clinic provides abortions and into the story come pro-choice and pro-life campaigners, women who have chosen to have terminations and a woman and a girl who are there for quite different reasons. Hugh's daughter, Wren, is in the clinic with her aunt and it also becomes clear that the gunman is there because his daughter also visited the clinic. There is also a background story about a young girl who attempted an abortion at home and is now charged with murdering her baby. The author cleverly involves us in the stories of the various characters as she takes us back in time and this novel about family, relationships and, above all, choice, shows us that we should not judge other people - full possession of the facts can give us quite a different view.

The short epilogue perfectly pulls the story together. This was a moving and thought provoking read which I would definitely recommend.. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this wonderful book.

Emotive read, and it dealt with the subject material very carefully. Another winner from Jodi, i love reading her books. Nearly on par with the Storyteller

Jodi Picoult is one of my all time favourite authors, I was so looking forward to reading this book!! 😍
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'The Center for women's reproductive health offers a last chance at hope - but nobody ends up there by choice.
Its very existence is controversial, and to the demonstrators who barricade the building every day, the service it offers is no different from legalised murder.
Now life and death decisions are being made horrifyingly real: a lone protester with a gun has taken the staff, patients and visitors hostage.
Starting at the tensest moment in the negotiations for their release, A Spark of Light unravels backwards, revealing hour by urgent hour what brought each of these people - the gunman, the negotiator, the doctors, nurses and women who have come to them for treatment - to this point.
And certainties unwind as truths and secrets are peeled away, revealing the complexity of balancing the right to life with the right to choose.'
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Wow....I loved this book!! Another fantastic and thought provoking read from @jodipicoult! I wasn't too sure on the backwards timescale at first, I found myself having to keep going back to check what I'd read but once I got into it that was gone. The book is amazing ❤ It brings all sides of abortion to the forefront, it talks about the moral, religious, ethical and all other elements of this divisive topic. Jodi Picoult has clearly researched this so thoroughly and that comes through when you read it, there are no biased opinions and it's factual, as well as being super emotional for each of the characters in the novel, for different reasons. It made me feel for each character and as I learnt the reasons behind what happens, I felt engrossed and emotional and needed more, Jodi Picoult delivered that! I will definitely be re-reading this when my copy come in October, go and pre-order it if you are a fan of hers!!!! 💕💕
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Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy for me to read and review.

I found this book a little disappointing, having read a number of Jodi Picoult novels. It covers the difficult topic of pro choice vs pro life advocates in America. As you would expect the characters on both sides of the argument are well portrayed, but I found the story ultimately a bit static.

Any fan of Jodi Picoult will know that she isn't one to shy away from controversial issues, and her new book, set during a hostage situation at an abortion clinic, is no exception. With her usual sensitivity, Picoult explores all sides of the debate, and delivers her message with gentle clarity. The characters are well-developed and appealing, and although the whole book takes place over the course of just a few hours, you feel connected with them. The timeline of the book is back to front, starting at the end of the day and working backward, which took some getting used to - each chapter represents an hour, and ends where the previous chapter started. But once you get into the flow of it, this format is a clever way of challenging your perceptions and the assumptions made in the first few chapters. Any Picoult fans will be pleased with this latest offering.