Songs of the Humpback Whale

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Jim Colby, Elizabeth Morton, Jonathan Davis, Carol Monda, Chris Sorensen

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The powerful debut novel from New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult, Songs of the Humpback Whale is a moving story of love and family told through the eyes of five people: Jane Jones, her daughter Rebecca, and three very different men in their lives. After a watershed moment in their marriage, Jane leaves Oliver, her renowned marine biologist husband, and begins a journey across the country with Rebecca in search of understanding about her troubled past.

©1992 Jodi Picoult (P)2009 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it." ( Publishers Weekly)

Difficult to follow storyline

I have listened to several of her books and this is the only one that i have found difficult to really understand to meaning behind the story.

speed it up?

yes, I've also been having a problem with the Rebecca narrator...it helps if you speed her up, but then you haveto go back to normal with the rest of the characters. but that takes the fun out of listening! this is a great book, one of my favorite Jodi Picoult's, hope they fix it, I cant listen anymore

Disappointing

NOT one of Jodi Picoult’s best books. Weak story. I couldn’t stand the main character, Jane. In fact, many of the characters were dumb. And the narrator for Rebecca was so annoying!

phenomenal!

every book I listen to from this author is better each time. there is no favorite...she has a great soul!

A bit disappointing

If I hadn't read her other books I would have moved on. It's a bit like a harlequin romance Definitely not her best.

Disturbing

Jodi Picoult’s debut, SONGS OF THE HUMPBACK WHALE, written in the early 1990s is a difficult book to review as some of the relationship issues are dated. Filled with dysfunctional relationships on steroids, this is the story of Jane and Oliver Jones and their terrible marriage. Also included, teen daughter Rebecca, Jane’s little brother Joley (who has a creepy unhealthy attachment to big sis) and Jane’s instalover Sam.

The shifting narrators and timelines at first confused me, until I realized Rebecca’s POV was told from end to beginning.

No one could ever accuse Picoult of being cowardly when broaching difficult topics, including barely 15 year old Rebecca falling in love with a man ten years her senior, which wasn’t unheard of when I was younger and today is statutory rape. I’m glad she included the situation because it happens. I’m certainly not advocating such relationships or having them handled the way it was in the book.

I didn’t like the choices at the end, but I don’t think as a reader I was supposed to think the decisions were right.

Disappointing

Love some of the author’s other titles but struggled to finish this one. Main character just never few on me. Too much angst. Not all stories can have happy endings but found little redeeming qualities here.

Too depressing

The characters have all been abused in some way. It’s a bit relentless. The jumping around in time is perhaps creative but very confusing.

I’m a big Picoult fan. This started out ok but was distressing and then kept getting more and more upsetting.

Definitely my least favorite of hers

Life is messing, but worth twists and turns

The beginning frustrated me a bit and I felt a little lost, and then it really starts to unfurl. Life through the lens of 5 people at various stages in the story was confusing for a while, and then you’re 75% through and things start ramping up, making sense, characters develop from, author intended, dullness to reflective, vibrant and creatively introspective. So much of our soul wants desperately to be loved, cared for, seen, by the people we love, and yet, it sometimes doesn’t happen in our time frame we give it, in the neat box we desire or in the age range deemed fit. Joley’s words at the end have caused my own reflection of my journey. I’ve enjoyed seeing things from each character, and their growth through this few week snapshot in their lives and considered others in my life. Very glad this was recommended to me by a friend, and I had the guts to pass through my own discomfort to be on this reflective other side. Great read!

disappointing compared to her other earlier books

I started the book several times before sticking to it and listening through the end. slow start...slow middle...nothing exciting at the end. my least favorite Jodi novel.