NINETEEN MINUTES (Jodi Picoult) - April 13/13

This typically compulsively readable novel by Picoult feels at least twice as long as it needs to be, and yet I was pretty much riveted from start to finish. The overlength is a problem in the middle, though, especially as Picoult lays on flashback after flashback. The end result is a striking yet erratic novel that feels, admittedly, awfully familiar (ie it possesses all of Picoult's trademarks, from the climactic court case to the twist ending, though the latter was telegraphed way too early this time around), but the book was certainly a breath of fresh air after the last few duds. ***1/2 out of ****