The Storyteller

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Mozhan Marno, Jennifer Ikeda, Edoardo Ballerini, Suzanne Toren, Fred Berman

Length: 18 hrs and 13 mins

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

A masterful piece of storytelling

No one really wants to read about life in a concentration camp, but Jodi Picoult takes us and holds us there with a gripping narrative that weaves several story lines together.
It is the story of identify that focuses on a woman with a birthmark that makes social interaction excruciating for her. She embarks on a journey of self discovery when she encounters an old man who seems harmless, but is not. He asks her to kill him and, she discovers, he has good reasons to want to be dead. In turn, she has good reasons to want him dead. But it turns out she has just as many good reasons to keep him alive.
Here, the multiple storyline structure has a valid and welcome purpose - it's not a stylistic vanity. Picoult's multiple protagonists provide the reader with relief from the tougher parts of this narrative and the story lines all arrive elegantly in a plausible authentic place in a satisfying conclusion.
This is a courageous story about the grey areas between good and bad, about where our own shortcomings and petty jealousies can lead us. It is about siblings and families and rivalries and finding some kind of purpose in our lives. And it also about just how sadly the wars that we embark upon as nations can impact, distort and destroy human lives.

Wow!

I will remember this book always. Picoult spins yet another very believable tale that doesn't completely reveal itself until the very end. This book is a must read. Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry

THIS is what Jodi Picoult can do!

Ms. Picoult, when on her "A" game, is a brilliant storyteller. She has phoned in a couple recent efforts, but not this one. "The Storyteller" is not an easy book to read. But it is SO worth it! She weaves a complex story with complicated characters and a challenging plot. But it is just so, so well-woven. The modern romance and worthy-of-today's-headlines love story are nicely drawn and effective. But it is in the story of the Grandmother/Storyteller's time in the captivity of the Nazis that will compel you to listen, even when "the going gets tough."

This is a very human story. It is about guilt and redemption and the realistic levels of tolerance. It's also about triumph and determination and sheer put-one-foot-in-front-of-another courage. And it's so much more.

I highly recommend it. Narration is very well done. Don't analyze. Don't think too much about it. Just read it.

Spellbinding story till the very end!

So well written and feels as if the story is non-fiction. I was captivated till the end .

You will not want to put this book down!!

The audio performance is superb...as is the story! I couldn't wait to hear what was next... but didn't want it to end!

absolute AMAZING read

one of the best books I've ever read! I have read this book 5 times. I am sure I will read again.

Can’t say the ending is worth the read

The story was masterfully written, the narration was powerfully read, but I absolutely hated the ending.

Slow but amazing!!

I love Jodi Picoult’s books! This one was a little slow in the beginning but I couldn’t stop listening! The narrators did such an amazing job! She never fails to give a great ending and always leaves you with a book hangover!!

So powerful!

At first I started listening just here and there and then I was suddenly drawn in to the stories. They were mingled so well. The storyline is fascinating and I came out with great things to ponder.
Very well written- very descriptive and I loved the voices used for narrating!

Will stay with me for years

It is a long listen, so be prepared. I found myself wanting to skip ahead just to get some answers. However, the telling of one character's journey from normal, to ghetto, to Auschwitz, and beyond is historically accurate and gut wrenching that it is just so unimaginable. It also follows another character from normal man to viscious SS guard is also historically accurate and gives perspective of how anyone could do such a thing and how the same thing is happening around the world now. Jodi can spin a yarn, that is for sure.