A Theory of Relativity (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "They died instantly..." (more)
Key Phrases: Big Ray, Tall Trees, Greg Katt (more...)

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 the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

When real life inspires fiction, an authentic and convincing voice is often the happy result. Here Mitchard draws on her own experience as an adoptive parent and as a one-time participant in a custody suit to produce gripping fiction on a par with her Oprah pick, The Deep End of the Ocean. Once again, she excels in rendering domestic scenes and family relationships while providing a suspenseful story that tugs at the heartstrings. Keefer Nye, only a year old when her parents die in a car crash near Madison, Wis., is the focal point of a bitter, protracted and precedent-setting custody battle. Keefer's bachelor uncle, 24-year-old science teacher Gordon McKenna, seems the most appropriate custodian for his tiny niece, since he helped his elderly parents care for Keefer while his sister (Keefer's mother, Georgia) battled cancer. Challenging his claim, the affluent Nye grandparents, country-club Floridians, believe that their niece and her husband, born-again Christians, should get custody. Mitchard's nuanced character portrayals are her strong suit; no one is without frailties. But she subtly favors the McKenna family, conveying their anguish when Keefer is swept out of their arms by a court order. The decision hinges on the fact that both Georgia and Gordon were adopted by the elder McKennas, and a state law decrees that adoptees are not considered blood relatives when they themselves wish to adopt a family member. Keefer becomes a pawn in legal maneuvering as the ability to nurture is weighed against genetic connection. A weeper that tackles provocative issues, this novel pushes all the right buttons. Agent, Jane Gelfman. 10-city author tour; simultaneous audio and large print editions; rights sold in France, Italy and the U.K. (July)Forecast: After the disappointment of her second novel, The Most Wanted, Mitchard hits her stride again in this bound-to-be bestseller. The circumstances of her own life as a widow with five adopted children, the popularity of her syndicated newspaper column, and the recent movie version of The Deep End of the Ocean will be factors in a fast take-off.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch; First Thus edition (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061031992
• ISBN-13: 978-0061031991
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #241,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little slow, October 17, 2001

By A Customer

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

After purchasing and reading 'The Most Wanted' and 'Deep end of the Ocean', I was quite disappointed with 'A Theory of Relativity'. The book delves into the legal world of adoptions and whilst i have learnt a great deal, I found the book somewhat slow and hard to get into. The author tends to go too deeply into the legal jargon and I feel that the book loses the real emphasis of the story- the relationship between the child and uncle. Above all I must commend this talented author