Well, I finished “Second Glance” by Jodi Picoult the other day and have been meaning to write up my thoughts… So here we go!
Here is a blurb from Amazon that is a pretty good summation (despite the extremely long sentences):
Ghosts and ghost hunters collide in this compelling tale of the paranormal set in Vermont’s green mountains. When the patriarch of the Abenaki Indian tribe that was nearly eradicated by that state’s eugenics project in the 1930s encounters Ross Wakeman, the miraculous survivor of several attempted suicides who wants nothing more than to be reunited with the woman he loved and lost, they set in motion a chain of events that will unravel an ancient murder and lead to a second chance at life and love for the victim’s descendants. Picoult brings the past alive and peoples it with a cast of extraordinarily well-realized characters whose reach into the future touches the lives of a dying boy, a frightened girl, and their mothers–two women who’ve given up on love until the revenants stirred up by a plan to develop an ancient burial ground show them what they’re missing. -Jane Adams
Now that you know the basic premise- my thoughts:
The first thing that I look for in a book is the cover. Yes, yes. I have heard the old adage not to judge but I do! There is no reason for ugly covers. There, I said it.
This one is kinda cool- there is a woman holding her hand up to a pane of glass that you can barely see and a spooky forest in the background. It took me a while to actually see the woman but now I think it is cool- the cover definitely reflects the story well and I appreciate that.
I would probably give the book a 3.75 out of 5- it was a good read. The story flowed well and the characters were lovable and human. It is a ghost story, a murder mystery, and a love story. It was a little predictable in some areas (she gives you lots of clues) but it is not a book that talks down to you either.
I also love books that get you interested in the first couple lines and this book definitely does that. “Ross Wakeman succeeded the first time he killed himself, but not the second or the third.” Cool first line. (“What does she mean by that?”)
Another focus of this book was on the Vermont Eugenics Project. I did not know anything about eugenics, except maybe in relation to Hitler. Nancy Gallagher (Univ. of VT- one of Picoult’s sources) describes eugenics on her website as” the idea of human population improvement through selective breeding.” Picoult brings this movement to life through the story of the husband of Cecilia, Spencer Pike. He truly believes that this movement can reduce crime, immorality, and insanity among Vermont’s citizens by encouraging “voluntary” sterilization. It is appalling and it did happen in real life. Nancy Gallagher has a site that is supposed to talk more about it but it seems to be only the introduction right now. hm.
So, in conclusion, I would recommend this book. I have read other books by Picoult and this one did not disappoint. I think that I may have liked Keeping Faith a little bit better but I read it a long time ago!
_
As a side note, I think this book has got me thinking about a name for my future daughter… One of the character, Cecilia, goes by Lia and I think that is so pretty… Cecilia is a family name on my mother’s side. It is my mom’s middle name and my great aunt’s name. I love Lia… Time to consult with Casey to see what he thinks! 
