Review: Songs of the Humpback Whale (and a giveaway!)

Songs of the Humpback Whale – Jodi Picoult

published 1992 – 346 pages

From the back cover -

Jodi Picoult’s powerful novel portrays an emotionally charged marriage that changes course in one explosive moment… For years, Jane Jones has lived in the shadow of her husband, renowned San Diego oceanographer Oliver Jones.  But during an escalating argument, Jane turns on him with an alarming volatility.  In anger and fear, Jane leaves with their teenage daughter, Rebecca, for a cross-country odyssey charted by letters from her brother Joley, guiding them to his Massachusetts apple farm, where surprising self-discoveries await.  Now Oliver, an expert at tracking humpback whales across vast oceans, will search for his wife across a continent – and find a new way to see the world, his family, and himself: through her eyes.

My thoughts -

So this is Jodi Picoult’s very first novel (and reading this means I’ve read ALL of her books finally), and you can definitely see how her writing has progressed a LOT since this novel was written.  To be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot that I enjoyed about this book.  It actually seemed very chick-lit formulaic to me – wife has mid-life crisis, leaves her husband, “ruins” her kid’s life, has an affair, then realizes she has all she ever wanted at home, isn’t really in love with her new man, and comes running back to the arms of her forgiving husband… booorrrinnnggg.  Besides that, there just seemed to be several elements to this story that didn’t fit – for example, the relationship between Jane and her brother Joley struck me as SUPER weird… I can’t really put my finger on it, but it just wasn’t normal.  And the ending… my goodness, did I detest the ending.  Let’s just say there was a tragedy that was completely unnecessary and added absolutely nothing to the story, and I have no idea why she decided to write the ending like she did. 

I will say this though – this woman really knows how to write well-developed characters.  I kept turning the pages because I was very concerned about how their lives were going to turn out.  If it weren’t for these characters, the novel would have been pretty bad in my book – but the well-written characters brought this book up to the level of ok for me.

Since Natasha was sweet enough to send me this book after I had mentioned that I really wanted to read it, I am going to pass the favor along.  I’ll be giving this copy away to one lucky Picoult fan!  Leave a comment here to win – to get two entries, mention the giveaway on your blog (if you do this, please send me the link to your post so that I don’t have to go hunting, thanks!).  I’ll be drawing the winner on Monday, September 1st (that’s one week from today) so make sure to enter by Sunday the 31st to be considered.  And make sure to leave me an email address where you can be reached.  Good luck!

Review – Second Glance

Second Glanceby Jodi Picoult

From the back cover -

A developer has slated an ancient Abenaki Indian burial ground for a strip mall, and now strange happenings have the inhabitants of tiny Comtosook, Vermont, talking of supernatural forces at work.  Ross Wakeman is a ghost hunter who’s never seen a ghost – all he’s searching for is something to end the pain of losing his fiancee, Aimee, in a car accident.  He tried suicide – any number of times.  Now Ross lives only for a way to connect with Aimee from beyond.  Searching the site for signs of the paranormal, Ross meets the mysterious Lia, who sparks him to life for the first time in years.  But the discoveries that await Ross are beyond anything he could dream of in this world – or the next.  Expertly entwining an powerful drama of the heart’s redemption and the disturbing history of eugenics, Picoult “proves there’s little she can’t do… with this foray into the fantastic.”

My thoughts -

I actually don’t think the above description does this book justice.  From that description, I didn’t think it sounded all that great, but I figured I’ve already read almost all of her books, I might as well try to finish them up.  I was pleasantly surprised by this novel.  Not only are the characters expertly crafted (as is typical with Picoult’s books), but the story truly fascinated me.  There’s a LOT more to this book than ghosthunting, and – SHOCKINGLY – there is NO courtroom drama to tie things up all neatly like is usually the case in her novels.  Picoult did excellent research in the area of the history of eugenics in the United States (something I’d learned about in college, but it was very interesting to see if played out in this story), and those parts kept me sucked in, wanting to know more about this particular family’s involvement with that movement.  Another great thing about this novel, which I think differentiates it from some of Picoult’s other work, is that I didn’t figure out every plot twist in advance.  There were some genuine surprises, and those surprises fit perfectly with the rest of the story.  Ok, of course there were a few times when I thought, “this really is not believable”, as is usually the case with parts of all Picoult’s books.  But overall, I loved the plot and every twist that the characters experienced.

Highly recommended, especialy for Picoult fans, and for nonfans, I’d suggest picking this, Plain Truth, or My Sister’s Keeperas your first foray into Picoult.  Personally, I’ve now read every one of her books except Songs of the Humpback Whale, which I’ve been trying to get my hands on for ages (anyone want to spare a copy?  Let me know!!).

9 stars.

Has anyone else reviewed this book?  Please share!

Review – Change of Heart (and a giveaway!)

Change of Heartby Jodi Picoult

From the book jacket -

One moment June Nealon was happily looking forward to years full of laughter and adventure with her family, and the next, she was staring into a future that was as empty as her heart.  Now her life is a waiting game.  Waiting for time to heal her wounds, waiting for justice.  In short, waiting for a miracle to happen.

For Shay Bourne, life holds no more surprises.  The world has given him nothing, and he has nothing to offer the world.  In a heartbeat, though, something happens that changes everything.  Now, he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June’s eleven-year-old daughter, Claire.  But between Shay and Claire stretches an ocean of bitter regrets, past crimes, and the rage of a mother who has lost her child.

Father Michael’s decisions as a young man led him to devote the rest of his life to God.  But when he comes face-to-face with Shay, he is forced to question everything he’s been taught to believe about religion, about good and evil, about forgiveness, about himself.

Can we save ourselves, or do we rely on others to do it?  Is what we believe always the truth?

My thoughts -

I have to say, I enjoyed this latest installment by Picoult better than most of her other books.  The subject matter was very touchy/interesting (can a man sentenced to die for two horrible murders actually be the Messiah in disguise?  And can you give a piece of yourself, a physical piece, to atone for a brutal wrong you have committed?) but I really got into this story.  And with all Picoult books, things aren’t always what they seem, and there’s new information that comes to light toward the end of the book that makes you rethink all the opinions you had formed throughout the story.  I won’t give anything away, of course, but I do recommend this book, especially if you are a fan of Picoult already.

One more thing – I am a Christian, a believer in God and Jesus and the Bible.  But I also am a person who does not think the Bible is meant to be a literal translation of the word of God.  I am a rational person and I know from learning history that the Bible was not written by God himself, or even Jesus, or even, in some cases, by people who knew  Jesus.  A lot of it is stories told from person to person and finally captured in writing years later.  So the portions of the book about the Gnostic gospels were particularly interesting to me.  I actually may do further research on this topic (it’s VERY rare for me to do any type of research about something I’ve read in a book.  Usually when I’m done with a book, I’m just done).  I don’t think Picoult meant to say anything negative about organized religion, I simply think she was doing what she always does, writing a book that attempt to question commonly held beliefs and values, and make people rethink what they know as fact.

9 stars.

Read Christina’s review here, Julie’s review here, Devourer of Books’ review here, Di’s review here, Darcie’s review here, Natasha’s review here, Lynne’s review here, Susan’s review here, Jill’s review here, and Lesley’s review here.

** Because of my overflowing bookshelves and my feeling that I’ll probably not pick this book up again in the future, I have decided to give it away!  Please leave a comment on this post by Sunday, May 24th at midnight central time to win.  If you blog about my giveaway, you will receive TWO entries!  Also, I’m thinking about giving away the rest of my Picoult books later on (I have 5 others) so watch out for those in the near future.  Good luck everyone!**

Review – Perfect Match

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult 

From the back cover -

In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars.  But when her own five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband, Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system that Nina knows all too well.  In a heartbeat, Nina’s absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son – no matter the consequences, whatever the sacrifice.

My thoughts -

Here’s the thing about Picoult books.  They’re not incredibly “literary”, they’re not super well written, and they are actually kind of predictable.  But they always have layered, complex, very real characters, and interesting plots that make you think about your own beliefs while reading.  Also, I am very addicted to these books.  I know that I probably have books on my shelves that are better and that I may enjoy more, but I can’t help picking up a Picoult if I have one sitting on my TBR pile.  Anyways.  On to this particular story.

This novel did satisfy me.  Recently I have read a few of hers that I haven’t been as excited about, but Perfect Match was pretty enjoyable.  I appreciated and liked most of the characters (Caleb didn’t really do it for me, but he’s not too major of a player in the novel), and there was enough suspense to keep me interested until the very last page.  One thing I was happy about in this book is that there were several plot twists that I didn’t see coming.  At least twice throughout the book, I was sure I knew how the rest of the book would turn out, only to have a shocker stuck in there that completely flipped around my ideas about what would happen.  Overall, one of her better novels, in my opinion, and I’m glad I read it, but I am starting to get a little tired of reading her books, I think Natasha is kind of right when she says they are pretty formulaic (I think it was Natasha that said that… maybe not.  Now I can’t remember).

(Don’t worry, I’ll soon be reading and reviewing the other two Picoult books I have on my shelf anyway… I really can’t seem to stay away, I simply gravitate toward them.)

8 stars.

Review – Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

From amazon.com -

Best known for tackling controversial issues through richly told fictional accounts, Jodi Picoult’s 14th novel, Nineteen Minutes, deals with the truth and consequences of a smalltown high-school shooting. Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. As with any Picoult novel, the answers are never black and white, and it is her exceptional ability to blur the lines between right and wrong that make this author such a captivating storyteller.

On Peter Houghton’s first day of kindergarten, he watched helplessly as an older boy ripped his lunch box out of his hands and threw it out the window. From that day on, his life was a series of humiliations, from having his pants pulled down in the cafeteria, to being called a freak at every turn. But can endless bullying justify murder? As Picoult attempts to answer this question, she shows us all sides of the equation, from the ruthless jock who loses his ability to speak after being shot in the head, to the mother who both blames and pities herself for producing what most would call a monster. Surrounding Peter’s story is that of Josie Cornier, a former friend whose acceptance into the popular crowd hangs on a string that makes it impossible for her to reconcile her beliefs with her actions.

At times, Nineteen Minutes can seem tediously stereotypical– jocks versus nerds, parent versus child, teacher versus student. Part of Picoult’s gift is showing us the subtleties of these common dynamics, and the startling effects they often have on the moral landscape. As Peter’s mother says at the end of this spellbinding novel, “Everyone would remember Peter for nineteen minutes of his life, but what about the other nine million?”

My thoughts -

As per the usual with Picoult, I loved this novel and couldn’t put it down.  I was completely sucked in from page 1 and finished it in two days (pretty quick even for me).  Picoult just does such a darn good job of making you feel for every one of the characters, and of making you examine things from every possible angle.  I mean, Peter is a mass murderer and Picoult somehow still makes it SO easy to sympathize with him, almost to the point where you understand why he did what he did…. not that you’d AGREE with it, but that at least personally I found myself feeling very sorry for him, and feeling like he was just a sad and messed up kid.  I think Picoult does a really good job with her research too, because I think a lot of the characterizations of Peter would ring true for other teenagers who had been bullied their entire lives.  From what I know about school shootings, the situation with the shooter is typically similar to how Picoult described Peter’s life, thoughts, and feelings.  I can’t recommend this novel enough, I liked it almost as much as My Sister’s Keeper (maybe as much… I don’t know, I can’t decide which one I liked more actually), and if you have read anything of Picoult’s in the past and enjoyed it, this book is definitely for you.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Read Kristen’s review here and Guatami’s review here.

Salem Falls

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Summary:  Tall, blond and handsome, Jack St. Bride was once a beloved teacher and soccer coach at a girl’s prep school — until a student’s crush sparked a powder keg of accusation and robbed him of his career and reputation. Now after a devastatingly public ordeal that left him with an eight-month jail sentence and no job, Jack resolves to pick up the pieces of his life; taking a job washing dishes at Addie Peabody’s diner, and slowly forming a relationship with her. But just when it seems like his life is back on track, Jack finds himself the object of fresh accusations of rape brought on by a coven of bewitching teenage girls from Salem Falls, and history repeats itself as Jack’s hidden past catches up with him. In a sleepy hamlet haunted by enduring love and wicked deceit. Picoult masterfully leads readers toward a truly shocking finale.

My thoughts  -  I am a huge fan of this author, almost every book of hers that I have read I have really enjoyed.  Salem Falls was not all that different in that way.  I enjoyed the characters, as cliche as they were (it’s hard for me to admit that since I love Picoult’s books so much but it’s true), I was deeply engrossed in the story from page 1, and as always I enjoyed the way the book was written.  Unfortunately I have read enough books in my life to realize that in literary terms, this book was not the greatest ever written.  But still, if you have ever read one of Picoult’s books, this one was very similar and therefore you would probably enjoy it just as much.  Some of her previous books have had better story lines than this one (such as My Sister’s Keeper and Plain Truth), but it was still a very captivating and exciting read.  My only real complaint was that oh my GOSH was the “classic Picoult twist” SO freaking obvious.  I was pretty annoyed when I knew how the book would end about 150 pages or so before it actually did.  I still think this one is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of her’s already.