A Theory of Relativity [Mass Market Paperback]

Jacquelyn Mitchard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2002

Jacquelyn Mitchard's first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, launched Oprah Winfrey's Book Club and riveted millions of readers worldwide. Now this supremely talented author offers her most powerful work to date. The emotional story of a fierce custody battle over a little girl, A Theory of Relativity is an unforgettable tale of love and the bonds that unite us all.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"They died instantly." When it comes to first sentences, it's hard to beat the car-crash immediacy of A Theory of Relativity. What follows, alas, is even more wrenching, if not nearly as black and white. Having perished in the wreck, Georgia and Ray McKenna leave behind an orphaned 1-year-old girl named Keefer--and handsome, self-involved Gordon McKenna decides to adopt his adored sister's child. Unfortunately, that's not what his affluent in-laws have in mind. The ensuing custody battle turns into a protracted legalistic horror show: a kind of Bleak House for the Oprah age, complete with appeals, retrials, PR campaigns, and even last-minute legislation.

The case is all about what's best for Keefer--right? Actually, it's also about what constitutes a family, how much genes determine our fate, and the precise meaning of blood relative. Author of the gripping family dramas The Deep End of the Ocean and The Most Wanted, Jacquelyn Mitchard is no stranger to this fictional territory. To her credit, she has created a story without heroes or villains--but also one that could have used a little more editorial nip-and-tuck. The narrative is strongly weighted toward monologue and exposition, and as a result, a compelling story ends up hampered by an awareness of its own consequence. (There's also an abundance of dialogue like "no wettie!" and "uckie," which reminds us that fiction is one place where toddlers should be seen and not heard.) Still, Mitchard is a canny student of the human heart, and in the age of cloning, in vitro fertilization, and alternative families, the nature versus nurture debate seems more relevant than ever. The author may be no Dickens, but you could call her sentimental in the same way: unafraid, that is, to appeal to her readers' strongest emotions. --Chloe Byrne --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Gordon McKenna is a handsome 24-year-old science teacher who thought life was as tough as it could get when his only sister, Georgia, was diagnosed with cancer. Then she and her husband die in a car crash, leaving behind their one-year-old daughter, Keefer. Gordon willingly gives up his self-involved bachelor life and adopts his beloved niece. Georgia's in-laws, however, have different wishes for their granddaughter. Well heeled, conservative and wealthy, they believe their born-again Christian niece and her husband should get custody of the child. Their challenge to Gordon's custody lies in the fact that both he and Georgia were adopted children, with "only" love, not blood, connecting Gordon and Keefer. Thus begins the custody battle which makes up the bulk of this book. Mitchard is known for her bestseller, The Deep End of the Ocean (Oprah's very first book pick, back in Sept. '96), as well as for her nationally syndicated newspaper column about family life. As a widowed mother of five adopted children who was once part of a custody suit, Mitchard is an expert on how even the most loving and functional households can be thrown into turmoil and chaos without warning. She writes with grace and authority, and Juliette Parker's gentle and even reading of the text gives a slightly upbeat feel to this suspenseful and emotional tale that challenges the legal definition of "family." Simultaneous release with HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, Apr. 23).

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061031992
• ISBN-13: 978-0061031991
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,140,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacquelyn Mitchard was born in Chicago. Her first novel, The Deep End of the Ocean, was published in 1996, becoming the first selection of the Oprah Winfrey Book Club and a number one New York Times bestseller. Eight other novels, four children's books and six young adult novels followed, including The Midnight Twins, Still Summer, All We Know of Heaven, and The Breakdown Lane. A former daily newspaper reporter, Mitchard now is a contributing editor for Parade Magazine, and frequently writes for such publications as More magazine and Real Simple. Her essays and short stories have been widely anthologized. An adjunct professor in the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at Fairfield University, she lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their nine children

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Story, Not-So-Good Telling, July 6, 2001

By 

BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Theory of Relativity (Hardcover)

I have been looking forward to this book for a long time as I have followed Mitchard's adoption travails in the press. I faithfully read her weekly column and think it is wonderfully done.

The premise and story in this book were interesting and emotional. As I read the first 100 or so pages, I was immediately drawn into the terrible grief these families were suffering. I felt my heart pounding and breathlessness that comes when one is overwhelmed by life's tragedies.

I really and truly wish that I could say that I loved this book and that it was masterfully done.

However, the quality of the writing in this book was a major disappointment. There were many grammatical errors, the writing was disjointed and thus confusing, characters were undeveloped, and so on. References were made to things that never were revealed to the reader. I often found myself having to re-read sections of the book to see what the author was trying to say. I had to force myself to finish it----it became a chore to try to find the story and emotion in the morass of confusing verbiage that surrounded it. I ended the book wondering what the editor had done.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3/4 Magazine Article - 1/4 Good Novel!, July 18, 2001

By 

JJ Stark (Cicero, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Theory of Relativity (Hardcover)

I have to be honest - this was the first Jacquelyn Mitchard I have read. I never read DEEP END OF THE OCEAN because the storyline was troubling to me, and by the time I decided I might want to give it a try, it was a movie, which ruined the book completely. So when I heard about THEORY back in April, I anxiously awaited and counted the days until its release. I knew Ms. Mitchard is a popular and, I heard, fantastic author and the advance reviews all predicted great reading with a heartwrming story. What book were those reviewers reading? The dialogue in this book is great and the second to last chapter really moves along with quick dialogue between two of the characters - but that's it. The first half of the book is nonstop descriptions - the car accident, the illness, the farm, the school, Gordon's teaching background - on and on and on it goes. It feels like you're reading an article in a woman's magazine about a local family's custody battle. Where's the story, where's the character development, where's the dialogue???? The few conversations that do take place are pointless - two in particular left me asking "HUH?" What was the point? (Ch. 13 - between Nora & Hayes and Ch. 15 between Gordon & Lindsay) Many of the conversations and dialogue between characters are pointless and lead to no where - some of the descriptions are also pointless and seem to have been written to just fill a page (what was the point of Nora's thought on the farm? It was never mentioned again and was never the topic of conversation or even an issue) This book could have been so much better if Ms. Mitchard had just written more interaction between characters and dialogue. The characters are often alone in a room with their thoughts and that's what you're reading - what is going on in the minds of the main characters. Not enough interaction or speaking to each other. The most important events are skimmed over too quickly leading to more reading about what the characters thought of what just happened. I would probably give Ms. Mitchard another chance based on her history and what other people have said about her writing - if the next book was about a subject I was interested in reading about that is. Hopefully, this was just a "slump" and the next book will be as good as her first.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER BESTSELLER FOR MITCHARD!, June 30, 2001

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Theory of Relativity (Hardcover)

Jacquelyn Mitchard, the Oprah anointed author of "The Deep End Of The Ocean," opens her third novel with a sure grabber: "They died instantly." Once again using family tragedy as a springboard Ms. Mitchard has created an emotionally charged work filled with very real characters who are compelled to reassess their long held beliefs in love and forgiveness.

Gordon McKenna, a handsome 24-year-old bon vivant, has cared for his niece, one-year-old Keefer, as his sister, Georgia, battles breast cancer. The unthinkable occurs when Georgia and her husband , Ray Nye, are killed in an auto accident.

Gordon and his parents quite naturally assume that they will be Keefer's guardians. However, Ray's parents believe otherwise. There is little time for each family to mourn their losses before an ugly and protracted custody battle ensues. The suit is muddied by the fact that Georgia and Gordon were both adopted, thus, by state law are not blood relatives.

Ms. Mitchard who has adopted five children and was once involved in a custody battle draws on personal experience to craft this heart wrenching tale. It's a two hanky read, and undoubtedly another bestseller for this author.