Change of Heart

A Novel

By: Jodi Picoult

Narrated by: Jim Frangione, Stafford Clark-Price, Nicole Poole, Danielle Ferland, Jennifer Ikeda

Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

The acclaimed number-one New York Times best-selling author presents a spellbinding tale of a mother's tragic loss and one man's last chance at gaining salvation.

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

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 for him. Now he has one last chance for salvation, and it lies with June's 11-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.

Would you give up your vengeance against someone you hate if it meant saving someone you love? Would you want your dreams to come true if it meant granting your enemy's dying wish?

Once again, Jodi Picoult mesmerizes and enthralls listeners with this story of redemption, justice, and love.

©2008 Jodi Picoult (P)2008 Simon & Schuster

If you like the sound of saliva and smacking mouth noises this book is for you!

I cannot finish this book. One of the narrators in particular makes a lot of disgusting mouth noises. Like he’s got a mouthful of saliva he needs to swallow. Very distracting! Might be a good story if I could actually listen to it. I really wish they would start editing these noises out of Audible books. I always listen to a sample before I purchase but this one has multiple narrators so I was not able to catch it before I bought it.

Intensely satisfying

Twists and turns of suspense, It was hard to to put this book down! I enjoyed every word and lesson it has taught me!

It was ok

The story was overly religious/ spiritual and too politically charged for my taste. I also found the character of Shay Bourne to be inconsistent. While that may have been the authors intent, it distracted me from the story line. Shay is introduced as an uneducated, borderline mentally challenged young man, however throughout the story his vocabulary is broad and his remarks filled with wit.
The up side is that it challenged my thinking on real world issues and tugged a bit on the heart strings. I have enjoyed other titles by this author and although this is not my favorite, I look forward to reading more of her work.

Story is buried in religious soup

I have enjoyed two other Picoult books as she has a nice way to present moral situations and let the reader choose between good and bad. Her stories are usually strong with unexpected turns, but this one was only good until Chapter 3. After that there were too many non-rational religious considerations (with the required blkiblical references.)

This is probaly acceptable to believers and very annoying to non-believers.

Challenges religious thought! Great Characters!

This story draws you in and Jodi is just so good at character development. I was in tears several times and become so connected to her characters. The only thing I didn't like was the voice for June... hard to follow because she is very low and breathy (I don't know how else to describe it) and it didn't seem to match the character for me. My most favorite book from Jodi is Storyteller... I could not wait to listen to that book each day. This book challenges religious norms and gets a person thinking for sure! I would recommend.

Jodi Picoult Fans

You either love her books or you don't. This was exactly as expected. It has the storyline and the court drama as we have come to expect. This is not her best or her worst novel

A really good book!

Jodi, if you happen to read these comments, this is a book that deserves both a prequel and a sequel. Are you you game? it would be nice to hear about Clare and what became of her and her acquired gift (s), even of her somehow learning the real details of the circumstances of her father and sister's deaths. Bourne's character could be developed to let us in on what started his journey that led him to June's home. Jodi, so many of us are already invested in these characters that these books would also be best sellers.

Not my favourite Jodi Picoult

Found this story difficult to follow as an audio with so many different character narrators.

Good book

This is a story about a huge dilemma faced by a mother. She was married and had a child, who were murdered - she was pregnant at the time. When her child is born, she has heart problems and eventually needs a heart transplant. The man convicted of killing her husband and child is coming up for execution and wants to donate his heart to her child. The mother does not want to lose her child, but she doesn't want the heart of a murder.
Great story with twists and turns and a great ending.

Excellent! Beautifully written!

Picoult developed full-bodied, relatable characters who explore one of this country’s most decisive legal conundrums with grace and compassion.

Absolutely Captivating

This has to be one of Jodi Picoult's best novels. I'm not going to go into detail with a synopsis of the story because that, dear listener, is for you to discover for yourself.

But the narration by this wonderful set of gifted people and the twists and turns along the way left me always wanting more.

Each time I had to end my listening session it was with reluctance and an eagerness for the next. As the end of the story approached I was completely engaged, eager and waiting for resolution, but sad to know the story would soon end.

Once it did I felt like I knew the characters and missed them. If it had been a book it would have been 'un-put-downable'.

Brilliant!

Amazing as always!

I read several reviews and was put off that it would be the same as "The Green Mile". I equally love that book but I figured it would be a waste of time if they were the same.

They are not. There are similarities but this is it's own story and definitely worth a read. My pillow was soaked with tears by the end of the book as I like to listen to the audio book at night.

This is the second Jodi Picoult book I've read and has certainly lived up to expectations.

Beautiful book!

This powerful book kept me riveted from beginning to end. Beautifully paced and read, I'm sorry to have finished it.

Good story, annoying narration

Good story with a few twists. Some hinted mysticism that didn’t really come to much but I was keen to hear the end of the story.
I am afraid that the voice of Michael was almost unbearable to listen to - bizarrely automated. This spoiled the audiobook somewhat. The others were fine.

Love her work!

Quite a challenging book, but absolutely riveting! I did, pretty well listen to it on one sitting - well, ok, maybe two and a half! Like all her books it gives the aura of careful research which does not intrude on the delicate web of story-telling, which she weaves so magically.

lovely book, would recommend

really enjoyed this, deep and thought provoking but really well written. really easy to listen to.

BRILLIANT!

Jodi Picout is an astounding writer.. so thought provoking and her books always make me wish I hadn't come to the end... This one is exceptional.

Good but heavy on religious content

Really good concept and storyline, though I found the religious aspect rather tedious at times.

Fabulous story, kept me guessing!

This was a really lovely, moving, memorable and sympathetically controversial story from start to finish. It was both harrowing and heartwarming, and the characters were entirely real and believable and gathered my sympathy. The story is not as black and white as it first appears, there are two sides to every story and every character, and without putting in any spoilers, the main character is not at who you think until the very end. There are still surprises waiting to jump out at you right til the last page. The main message of the story seems to be don't judge a book by its cover. I love how Jodi P always writes so skillfully, sensitively and empathetically exploring some very controversial topics, and this one is no exception.
The only reason I have deducted one star is because the American narrator of the women's voices needs to brush up on her comical British accent!!! We don't all speak like the Queen!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 and wear suits to relax in! The one British character came away sounding rather like an upper crust drag queen, very effeminate, which rather detracted from his romantic masculine personality!!! And there are still some American words in the British character's dialogue, (eg "store" instead of "shop") which would not have been there if it had been better researched. Just a tiny detail but the overall book has been so fabulously well researched that it was slightly let down by this tiny detail.

A gripping story

Well written - a gripping thought provoking story which is hard to stop listening to. Many lives with all their complex issues all bound together leaving you wondering how it can all work out! One of her best