Change of Heart

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

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!

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

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.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

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.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

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.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

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

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Fabulous Book

One of the most outstanding audio books. Highly recommended. Keep you on the edge until the last word is spoken.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

Excellent

Thought provoking, well written and performed. I looked forward to getting in the car to continue it.

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!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Beautiful book!

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

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Awful

The story may have been good but I’ve only managed to listen to a few chapters as the narrators are AWFUL. Can’t stand that computer like accent.

thought provoking

very thought provoking and beautifully read by all narrators. Jodi Picoullt has once again dealt with a harrowing subject with sensitivity and insight.

Ironically no heart

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, for me, the least of all the authors works.

What was most disappointing about Jodi Picoult’s story?

Just seemed a bit of a rip off of The Green Mile (which I think is acknowledged). Obvious twists.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrators did an adequate job

Did Change of Heart inspire you to do anything?

I am sure it was well researched, and well researched facts usually inspire me to google, this didn't. Probably as I have no interest in religion, so really that is no detriment to the book or the author.

Any additional comments?

'Supernatural' aspects that went nowhere. No real message. One womans' bad luck seemed a little unlikely, just written that way because it fitted what the author wanted to do.
No real back story of the main characters, a sister just appears and so she has no depth in relation to her brother on death row.

Brilliant

This book should be made into a film, it's such a good read and an unusual story

Fabulous

I could not put my pad down, it has been with me everywhere for the last 3 days. What a brilliant book, brilliantly 'enacted' fascinating subject matter and it must have taken years of research. Will be downloading the next one shortly!

thought provoking

really enjoyed this story with do many twists and thought provoking subjects. the strength of human behaviours and society's beliefs are dumbfounding to say the least and Jodi has encouraged the reader to think hard. Xtine