Lone Wolf in Bound Together

Feb 04, 2012 Glenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, books-read-in-2012

Luke Warren is obsessed with wolves; in fact he is so obsessed that he leaves his family for two years to literally live within a wolf pack. His wife, Georgie. his daughter, Cara, and his son, Edward have become secondary in his life as Luke finds himself becoming more and more a part of the wolf’s nature. He returns after two years and finds it very difficult to assimilate back into the human world. Georgie can no longer handle the changes in their lives and divorces Luke. Edward, after a confr Luke Warren is obsessed with wolves; in fact he is so obsessed that he leaves his family for two years to literally live within a wolf pack. His wife, Georgie. his daughter, Cara, and his son, Edward have become secondary in his life as Luke finds himself becoming more and more a part of the wolf’s nature. He returns after two years and finds it very difficult to assimilate back into the human world. Georgie can no longer handle the changes in their lives and divorces Luke. Edward, after a confrontation, with his father leaves home and has little or no contact with his family for six years. It is only after Luke and Cara are in an automobile accident that leaves Luke comatose that he returns home. Edward and Cara are faced with the decision to take Luke off of life support but find that they are in total disagreement. Cara is desperate for her father to come through, for him to live whatever it takes. But Edward, her older brother, thinks Luke wouldn’t be satisfied to live a life that would be so altered from how it was, and so restricted compared to who he was before. Will they be granted a miracle, or will they have to let their father go? Should they remove the life support for their father, let him die, and allow his organs to be donated to help save others?

If you read Picoult's books, then you know her style - multiple narrators, current controversial topics, twists to the story, strong character development, court/legal scenes, and characters with issues/secrets. What brought this to a five star level for me was the ability to move beyond human relationships and to explore the closeness that man can feel with animals; it’s a fascinating portrayal of a man who has devoted his life to wolves. His involvement with wolves is depicted in sections throughout the book. There are many clever likenesses and parallels drawn between wolves and humans, and between aspects of the wolf pack and of the human family; the various roles within a pack and the roles human family members take on. Picoult based her story on a true story, that of renowned wolf researcher Shaun Ellis, also known as the Wolfman. His research has fed into Luke Warren's accounts of his life with wolves, from the science-y side as well as from the vulnerable human side.
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May 21, 2012 Penny rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary

This is an account of a man who has lived wild with wolves while abandoning his own wife and children. He then has an accident and suffers a catastrophic brain injury.

I found the wolves sections where the father speaks in detail about his life with the wolves fascinating and amazing. However the lack of responsibility and complete disregard for the care, love and involvement with his family shows him to be selfish and self-absorbed.

His daughter, who fights for his right to remain alive on life ...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Lindsay rated it it was ok

I have mixed feelings about this book. I generally LOVE Picoult's writing, but this book was a little much for me. It was kind of creepy. A man living with wolves...it was a hard to relate to. The story itself was ok. Although I was a little annoyed with Cara. You could tell she loves her dad and doesn't want to lose him, but you also know she is lying and hiding things for the entire novel. Her secrets made me dislike her. I felt like screamng JUST TELL THE TRUTH ALREADY!!!!
Edward is the absent ...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Pat rated it liked it

I have read all of Jodi Picoult's books, and this is my least favorite. I just didn't like the main characters - Luke, Edward and Cara, and there was too much wolf "stuff". I understand that she was making the case for the similarities between wolf packs and human families, but it didn't work for me! The 3 main characters were selfish each in their own way and were responsible for lots of needless heartache. Their lack of communication made their life way to hard, and Jodi is getting a bit predi ...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Elissa Schaeffer rated it liked it

This was my first Jodi Picoult book and I did like it. The different perspectives were well done, although it felt a little crowded there in the second half when she introduced more character perspectives. I like most of the characters...although I had a terribly hard time relating to Cara. For the most part I felt like she was a spoiled child and it detracted from the overall book for me. The stepfather, though, was a fantastic character and I truly enjoyed reading those chapters from him. I th ...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: animals-dogs-cats-horses-other

Luke only thinks about wolves. He wants to be with them, act like them, be them. He gets accepted into a wolf pack and does research to help other people understand how wolves behave.

Kara and Edward are his children and when Luke gets involved in a accident the kids are pitted against each other as to what to do about life support. Kara wants to keep her dad (Luke) alive. Edward wants to end life support. Kara has lived with her dad for six years, Edward was no where to be found till the accide ...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Angie crosby rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, favorite, checkedout-library

I really loved this book. The intertwining of wolves with Luke and his family really was wonderful. I love wolves which made this book appeal to me even more.

At its heart this is a heartbreaking, sad book about the decision to discontinue life support and what brings families together and rips them apart.

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Jun 30, 2014 Angie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, fiction

After raeding "My Sisters Keeper" I vowed to never read another Jodi Picoult book again. They're too sad and too real for me and I don't like crying when I read. But this book was beautiful. It was sad and real but I really enjoyed it. ...more

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