What readers think of The Laws of Gravity, plus links to write your own review.

This is a thought-provoking book which examines family ties, medical ethics and the law. Good character development, although there were several areas which could have been more developed, particularly the years between Nicole and Ari's childhood and adulthood. I especially liked the use of the secondary story of the judge's family. I thought it added another layer to the theme of family. This book will make a great book club selection.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down once I started it. The author creates an ensemble of believable characters with a lot of depth, a quality which puts this book on a higher plane. The story is intriguing - it makes the reader think. This novel is well worth reading, and I'm looking forward to more of Liz Rosenberg's work.

"The Laws of Gravity" is a heart-wrenching tale that will capture you from word one. On one side a young mother trying to stay alive and on the other a relative trying to do what he thinks is right for his family. Courtroom melodrama at its best! Ms. Rosenberg draws you in and doesn't let go. If you like Jodi Picoult, this one is definitely for you. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

This is a riveting novel about 2 cousins, Ari and Nicole-best friends from childhood. They grow up, marry and have children. Nicole discovers she has life threatening cancer, and her only chance is cord blood that Ari has banked. What will happen is what no close knit family would want to go through. Lives are forever changed. This is an emotional, heartrending story.

This is a story with medical drama, family drama, and legal drama based on the premise that the central character, Nicole, will die without a cord blood transplant using her cousin's child's banked cord blood. Having worked in hematologist malignancy research for over a decade (albeit not in a scientific capacity), I was disappointed with the medical storyline. Specifically, it would have enhanced the story to have more interaction with her medical team, and have them be more involved in her road to transplant. There was only one reference (page 73)to having made a search for transplant cells. The National Marrow Donor Program is a vast bank, and a search in the Bank would be worthy of more discussion. Lastly and most importantly, although cord blood is used in adult transplant, there are significant disadvantages such as not having enough cells for a successful transplant in an adult. Due to these disadvantages, collecting stems cells from the matching child's blood might have been a better option for efficacy, and a solution to get Nicole transplanted without using the banked cord blood. While I understand the need for some simplification, laying the foundation for the medical drama would have significantly increased my enjoyment of the book

That's a strange way to start a review, but that's exactly how I felt - the book starts off with Ari and Nicole as close cousins; then goes forward to when they are adults. Nicole has cancer and wants to use the cord blood that Ari stored when his son was born - Ari initially agrees; then changes his mind, and therein lies the rest of the story, where we watch Nicole sue Ari for the cord blood. Aside from some confusing time line issues, at this point we are introduced to some new characters - namely the judge hearing the case and his daughter, and some chapters deal with aspects of their lives that have nothing to do with the court case. I found myself wondering why these characters were even introduced - it almost felt like they were being used to beef up the story a bit. Unfortunately, I started skimming through these chapters - there wasn't enough on the Judge's daughter to even capture your interest (well, mine anyway!) so to me this was a bit of a disappointment. The chapters dealing with Nicole and her family were interesting and you will definitely want to know the outcome of their story. But the others, I just didn't care and didn't get how they fit into the story. For these reasons, I can't really say this was a great read - it was just okay.

This book is sad, but riveting and touching. Nicole and cousin Ari have been very close friends since birth and they are truly bonded. Now, as adults they have reached an impasse. Nicole has been stricken with cancer. Ari has the means to save her life. Does he make the right choices?

Even the judge on case his last case before his retirement is touched by this case as never before in his years on the bench. Does he make the right choice?
A story of love, family and the power to protect the ones we love. This is an powerful book worthy of reading. I recommend it highly.

I loved this book. It is a study in ethics versus law in the case of Nicole, who is very ill, and her cousin, almost like a brother, Art, who has the means to possibly change her life.
You watch as the family units both draw close, then start to unravel as the situation intensifies.
Each of us, as we read the book, will make judgments about what we do if we were Nicole or Art...but the bottom line is that they both did what they felt they had to do to protect their family.
Highly recommend this book. Will be a great book for book club discussions.