Lone Wolf

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Natalia Payne, Louis Changchien, Celeste Ciulla, Nick Cordero, Angela Goethals, Mark Zeisler, Andy Paris

In the wild, when a wolf knows its time is over, when it knows it is of no more use to its pack, it may sometimes choose to slip away. Dying apart from its family, it stays proud and true to its nature. Humans aren’t so lucky. Luke Warren has spent his life researching wolves. He has written about them, studied their habits intensively, and even lived with them for extended periods of time. In many ways, Luke understands wolf dynamics better than those of his own family. His wife, Georgie, has left him, finally giving up on their lonely marriage. His son, Edward, twenty-four, fled six years ago, leaving behind a shattered relationship with his father. Edward understands that some things cannot be fixed, though memories of his domineering father still inflict pain. Then comes a frantic phone call: Luke has been gravely injured in a car accident with Edward’s younger sister, Cara. Suddenly everything changes: Edward must return home to face the father he walked out on at age eighteen. He and Cara have to decide their father’s fate together. Though there’s no easy answer, questions abound: What secrets have Edward and his sister kept from each other? What hidden motives inform their need to let their father die . . . or to try to keep him alive? What would Luke himself want? How can any family member make such a decision in the face of guilt, pain, or both? And most importantly, to what extent have they all forgotten what a wolf never forgets: that each member of a pack needs the others, and that sometimes survival means sacrifice?

©2012 Jodi Picoult (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Picoult at a new peak!

This book has that familiar Picoult branding - moral dilemmas, family conflict over medical and legal issues, and shifting perspectives amongst the primary players. But this time Picoult brings in pack behavior, and its relationships to human family, in the form of a protagonist who has immersed himself in several wolf packs, living with them in the wild over several years, and indeed preferring the wolf-life over his flesh and blood family.There is also an unusual plot device - the main protagonist is on life support, unable to speak for himself, although we hear his story from the past. (Here is a slight homage to Hemmings' "The Descendants" where the wife is similarly on artificial life support yet is able to take her place as a main character.)

Or, to put it in general terms, sometimes my regular life seems to exist just between Jodi Picoiult books. I am giving this book five stars all around, as I think it's one of Picoult's best, on a par with "My Sister's Keeper" and "House Rules" - my two previous personal favorites. The author deals with love and loss in a very nuanced way, not at all heavy-handed, and she has much to say about the tangled web of conflicting emotion contained in what it means to be a family.

Narration was perfect on all counts. Those who've read my reviews know that I prefer calm and steady readings over dramatic ups and downs, and have a distinct aversion to the portrayal of histrionics in an audiobook. Save the crying for the movies!

I did have to laugh at two of the marginal characters' names - "Zirconia Notch", attorney for the daughter. Really? I guess the name is to indicate a hippie heritage, but the not-so-veiled reference to Franconia Notch (NH) created an out-of-context caricature. Then there is "Helen Bedd" (sp?) - hell in bed?? - just couldn't get past that one. Evidently Picoult is also a punster. There is also a generous supply of bad jokes throughout the book - something for the reader to laugh at or groan, and with which to entertain the 8-11 yr old set. (As I admit to doing.)

Anyway, to wrap this up, this book is Picoult's best, and I, as always, am waiting for the next.

It should have been better

I really wanted to live this book, but I couldn't. It was superbly written but felt more like a shiny beatiful balloon that has a slow leek. One of the things that bothered me the most was the artistic liberties taken with facts about wolves. The performance for the most part was great. I think the story was a let down and not very believable for me.

love jodi picoult

This is another great listen by jodi picoult. Working in healthcare, this book hit home and she did a great job potraying the delicate issue of end of life decisions.

Fantastic

I have yet to be dissapointed with a Jodi Picoult book. She is one of the best writers of our time.

Jodi Picoult at her best!

I regularly listen to Jodi Picoult. Though her books have some similarities, they are extremely well researched and very informative on their subjects. This book I found to be one of the most enlightening and interesting ones to date. The story of the wolves is fascinating and the way she intertwines it with the delicate situation at hand is genius. I always like to hear what this author has to say and love the ways she tells her stories. This is one of her best.