Save Me

By: Lisa Scottoline

Narrated by: Cynthia Nixon

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of Think Twice and Look Again comes an emotionally powerful novel about a split-second choice, agonizing consequences, and the need for justice

Rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly's school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who's been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Rose is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Rose finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Rose's sight. In an instance, Rose goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda's injuries on her. In the days that follow, Rose's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda's mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Rose must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family.

In the way that Look Again had listeners questioning everything they thought they knew about family, Save Me will have listeners wondering just how far they would go to save the ones they love. Lisa Scottoline is writing about real issues that resonate with real women, and the results are emotional, heartbreaking and honest.

©2011 Lisa Scottoline (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Are you a good mother if you save your child from disaster? What if it means sacrificing another's child? In SAVE ME, Lisa Scottoline walks readers into this charged moral dilemma and then takes them on an intense, breathless ride. You won't be able to put this one down.” —Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of SING YOU HOME and HOUSE RULES

“Heart-pounding! Scottoline provides the perfect combination of explosive action, twisting turns, and genuine emotion in this exciting novel of an ordinary mom going to extraordinary lengths for her daughter. Open up SAVE ME, and save yourself with a great book.” —Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of Love You More

“At the quick pace of a thriller, Scottoline masterfully fits every detail into a tight plot chock-full of real characters, real issues, and real thrills. A story anchored by the impenetrable power of a mother's love, it begs the question, just how far would you go to save your child?” —Booklist

Ho hum

I'm a big fan of Scottoline, but this was not one of her best. The main character seemed whiny, and a bit predictable. Also, I didn't care for the narrator Cynthia Nixon.

Not up to par with Scottoline's older books.

This book took me almost 200 pages to "get into" the story. I was just about to give up when the storyline finally picked up. This was just not the case with any of her older books. And this isn't the only recent book by this author to disappoint. Her other recent book, Keep Quiet, was just ridiculous and I only rated it 1 or 2 stars. The dialogue in this book was immature and too simple. It was if a new, inexperienced author wrote the book, not the accomplished writer that Scottoline has been in the past. It feels like she has lost her zeal for writing and I sincerely hope she gets it back or her writing will continue to go downhill. I know she can write better books then this. I certainly hope she gets inspired to write something great again! A generous 3 stars!

Not what I expected from Scottoline

I expected the fast pace and likable characters I have grown accustomed to in Lisa Scottoline's novels. While the storyline was interesting, I never really cared much about any of the characters.

Excellent

Very well narrated by Cynthia Nixon. I couldn’t stop listening.
Very good novel.
Would recommend.

A tale of two halves

SAVE ME is almost two books. The first half of the book, I'd rate 5 out of 5 stars. When an explosion and fire hit the school cafeteria Rose, lunch mom for the day, must make the unenviable choice of finding her 8 year old daughter or walking the two girls who bully her to safety. She points the girls toward the door, then finds her daughter. At first hailed a hero, she's later vilified for leaving one girl, who lies on a coma, 5to perhaps perish on the fire. Rose faces possible criminal charges.
The second part of the book I'd give 1 out of 5 stars. It's a convoluted story of arson, murder, political intrigue, with Rose as super sleuth.
The first half of the book is good enough to recommend the book, barely.

Okay, but.......

The story line seemed interesting when I read the write-up and it had the ability to be an interesting story. However, the main character is such a WIMP! I wanted to reach through the audio, shake some sense into her and yell, "Stand Up For Yourself"!! By the end, I'd had just about all I could take - she turned from wimp into Wonder Woman (under a somewhat different storyline) which, in my opinion was so idiotic. Can't stand up verbally to the other moms, but could stand up to gangsters. Yeah.... right.

Different kind of story

What did you love best about Save Me?

It started out as a mom who was completely misunderstood and she was only trying to do the right thing to save her child.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The heroine mom

Which character – as performed by Cynthia Nixon – was your favorite?

The mom Rose

Any additional comments?

I haven't listened to anything read by Cynthia Nixon before and I was very impressed with her performance.

Awesome Thought Provoking. Emotional Read

This was a very powerful read. The content makes every mother, grandmother or sister stop and think what they would do if faced with the same choice. It is a very emotional and thought provoking book and grabs the reader’s attention at the very beginning and keeps it until the end. Lisa Scottoline hits it out of the park with this one.

Cynthia Nixon is a great narrator!

I loved listening to Cynthia Nixon narrate this book. I found the book quite compelling and though the story was far fetched at times, there are real topics that need to be written about like bullying in a school setting. As a mother, I would be moved to do some of the things the main character had and needed to do. I gained a lot listening to this book. Thumbs up!

Disappointing for Lisa Scottoline

I'm an avid Scottoline fan but this book disappoints. Yes, all of her plots are far fetched but the relationships are the best part of her writing. In Save Me, the entire premise is ridiculous "How dare you save your daughter before my daughter was completely, 100% safe?
The narrator was mostly great but her reading of the "Mean mothers" was irritatingly dramatic and aggressive. So that's my Review.
Please, Lisa, bring your on more of Mary and Judy and Bernie!!