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The Storyteller  By  cover art

The Storyteller

By: Jodi Picoult
Narrated by: Mozhan Marno, Jennifer Ikeda, Edoardo Ballerini, Suzanne Toren, Fred Berman
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Publisher's summary

Jodi Picoult's poignant number one New York Times best-selling novels about family and love tackle hot-button issues head on. In The Storyteller, Sage Singer befriends Josef Weber, a beloved Little League coach and retired teacher. But then Josef asks Sage for a favor she never could have imagined - to kill him. After Josef reveals the heinous act he committed, Sage feels he may deserve that fate. But would his death be murder or justice?

©2013 Jodi Picoult (P)2013 Recorded Books

Featured Article: The Absolute Best of Jodi Picoult in Audio


You’ve probably heard of Jodi Picoult and her stellar reputation in the world of contemporary fiction. Picoult’s novels explore topical issues through compelling stories that are often known for inspiring listeners to shed a tear. But Picoult is such a prolific writer that it can be difficult to know which audiobook to listen to first. Here are our suggestions for the best Jodi Picoult audiobooks—the ones that should go on your listening list straight away.

What listeners say about The Storyteller

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    909
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Like a dancing bear....

Like a dancing bear, the key issue concerning "The Storyteller" isn't how well it's done, but that fact that it's done at all.

The fact that a book like this, with so much excellent and accurate information about not just the Shoah, but also about the people involved and the culture in Europe at the time, is simply amazing. The fact that an awesome number of readers not only read or listened to it, but reported liking or even loving it, is even more amazing. It's reaffirming, in some simple way. In a world where way too many people, on too many continents, are openly saying they wished Hitler had succeeded, it's good to know that opinion isn't shared by everyone.

I'm also astonished at the amount of research Ms. Picoult -- or her research assistants -- did. Although the main story line -- the writing of the story about the vampire or golem -- is fictional, virtually all of the stories that comprise Minka's experiences before and after her incarceration in the camps are factual and written about by actual survivors. In order to come up with all these little stories, someone did a whale of a lot of reading to find them all. That's impressive.

Also unusual is the fact that several times, Ms. Picoult manages to make the very clear distinction between Jewish "forgiveness" and that of the Christians. That was brave -- and much appreciated, at least by this Jew. This is a theme that almost never appears as a plot point -- at least not favorably -- in contemporary fiction, and it blew me away, how well she did it. Kol hakavod!

... which made it disappointing, I have to admit, that when Leo decides to take Sage to a shul in a subtle attempt to reconnect her to her roots, that he took her to a reform synagogue. That was a major false note and very disappointing. What that meant was that as Sage sat there, contemplating that her grandmother in her youth had said these same prayers, attended these same services, that simply wasn't true. Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services at an orthodox shul would have been 100% familiar to her grandmother -- orthodox services haven't changed -- but in a reform organization, an awful lot would be different to Minka I'd guess that she would have been shocked. What a bummer! Since Ms. Picoult goes go far to be accurate in her Shoah history, why fall apart over that issue?

Even so, I greatly enjoyed the book. I'm delighted that it's out there, that a lot of people who would never think of picking up and reading a book on the Holocaust can get so much accurate history from a contemporary and compelling novel like this.

Unfortunately, I can't tell which of the narrators read the part of Leo, but he was absolutely excellent. Great voice, and perfect timing for Leo's many funny lines. Whichever of them it was, he was great.

On the whole? Great book. Very well done.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Typical page turner from Jodi Picoult

It lost me a bit in the middle, but otherwise this is yet another fine example of JP's talent for writing a great story with satisfying twists and turns. Recommended.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Made me feel good to be an American

How many novels, nonfiction accounts, documentaries and movies have I watched about the Holocaust? My mother even worked at the Simon Wiesenthal Center. I figure I've had my fill of understanding that hideous time in history and yet...I was compelled, once again, to listen to the grotesque details, to ponder the evil and fortitude of human beings and to wonder what I would have done if I'd been alive then.

And then when the heroes show up to rescue the prisoners, I felt that wonderful elation I always do, to be on the side of the good guys who sent Hitler and his minions running for their lives.

Evocative writing with fresh details and intimate performances all the way around. Learned new things and even had to look up Schutzhaftlagerführer in Wikipedia.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story and well crafted historical fiction

The male narration was beautifully done Edoardo Ballerini as Josef was fantastic and completely believable and Fred Berman as Leo reminded me a bit of Scott Brick ( I am a fan so that is a compliment), however the voices of Jennifer Ikeda as Anya and Mozhan Marno as Sage sounded very similar at first until Suzanne Toren as Minka started telling her story then I could finally hear a clear definition of Anya’s story. I am glad they said who was narrating which part at the beginning because I would have guessed Minka was Jennifer & Anya was Suzanne. All in all I would highly recommend this on audio.

The different views/stories were very interesting and very well done it was really interesting to hear Minka & Josef’s different views of the holocaust , Minka’s story broke my heart as well it should but she had a couple decent people help her out even though they were employed by the Nazi’s they still saved her life a couple times. Also Anya’s story about the Wampir (sp.audio) was almost eerie considering what Minka lived after she started writing this story.

I liked the character of Sage, scarred inside and out from a car accident, she keeps to herself works nights so she doesn’t have to see other people or more so no one sees her. Her boyfriend is a married man and I think she likes this safe no commitments relationship because she never has to go out in public together. She attends a grief counseling group where she meets an old man named Josef they strike up a friendship until Josef comes clean with her and tells her of his horrendous past and asks her to do the unthinkable and so begins the moral dilemma that is the premise of this book.

I would highly recommend this book to all as a great story and well crafted historical fiction.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Jodi Picoult does it again.

I have read and listened to many books about the Holocaust...this one includes so many different facets...the granddaughter of a woman who survived the camps, the holocaust survivor herself, and one of the camp officials and his background. Listened to this obsessively to see how it ended; also, it gave some insight on how Germans were recruited to participate in "the final solution." Chilling, gripping.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

My first Picoult-very well--a written story!

I usually avoid "blockbuster authors", you know, those who are always on the top ten lists, as many are over-rated, IMHO. However, this book had great reviews along with subject matter that currently interests me, so I took a chance. I figured it was about time I decided from actual experience whether a Jodi Picoult was credit-worthy. The answer is yes!

I am really glad I chose this book, as it was a compelling, fascinating story that kept me interested all the way through. I liked all the narrators and their different characters and felt there was a smooth transition between each of their stories. The thread of the "vampire" was at first distracting, but I do feel it added meaning to the story and didn't detract enough to lower the rating.

The characters were well-developed, believable, and interesting. The book elicited a plethora of emotions from me. There was sadness, of course, but also humor along with a bit of a budding romance and I enjoyed every part of it. I laughed, smiled, and shed a few tears.

I am still not sure I loved the ending and have to give that some more thought, but it also did not detract enough to cause me to lower my rating. It is sitting on a fence between 4.5 and 5 stars but really deserves the higher 5 stars.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story - parts were hard to hear

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Storyteller?

When the grandmother says to young Sage, "but look what is left of me" - very courageous brave old woman.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Leo and Sage, the playful bantor between these 2 -

Any additional comments?

The story telling by the grandmother became long and drawn out. After listening to the horror this woman went through, maybe I just didn't want to believe this could have possibly happened and the brutality continued and continued, but it did. Was it that it was long and drawn out, or did I want it to stop? enough - but it did continue, as did the suffering in reality.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointing for a Jodi Picoult book

Would you try another book from Jodi Picoult and/or the narrators?

Yes because I have enjoyed previous books, particularly ones dealing with relevant topics.

What could Jodi Picoult have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

It seemed too uncoordinated

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrators made the characters seem real

Was The Storyteller worth the listening time?

No

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WONDERFUL!!

Loved this book. The characters are done so well I felt like I knew them. Lots of history steeped into this as well. I thought I had it figured out towards the end but got thrown a surprise. I wont spoil it for you. Great Listen worth the credit!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth the credit&time

It took me a few hours to really become invested, but I am glad I stuck with it. Loved the story within a story within a story within a story! It really made me think about the issue involved!
Main character narration was a little flat sometimes, but that was part of character's personality.

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