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

Reader BEWARE!

I'm used to being sucker-punched by Jodi Picoult. That's what makes her books so good. However, the ending in this book was predictable but the worst part was that nowhere in the description of the book are you warned that this book has extremely detailed and disturbing retellings of the Holocost. If I had known that I would have saved the book for another day.

Worth listening to

I have been a big fan of Jodi Picoult, despite the fact that in the past few years she seems to be sacrificing quality for quantity. In this book she has gotten her groove back on a horrific subject and handles it with amazing realism! The holocaust story was very well constructed and at some points literally had me in tears. The writing was Jodi at her best! The rest of the book was a disappointment. Perhaps she needed a more honest editor. First of all there were too many unnecessary storylines which just distracted from the important story. Second, her allegorical story/fable was unnecessary and did nothing for the book. Third, it seemed that she borrowed from, The Reader, in that a prisoner survives because of a story/reading. I also think the names she gave her characters are a bit silly-sisters named Sage, Saffron & Pepper - are you kidding me? The readers were all great except for the voice of Misha, I found her intonation annoying.
All in all, I enjoyed listening to this book and I would still recommend it even with the negatives that I have described.

A wonderful story!

What a listen! Jodi Picoult writes a wonderful story with a blend of love, family, mystery, heartbreak and history. The 5 narrators were perfect for each character. This is the first book that I've listened to from Picoult but it won't be the last!

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.

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.

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.

Surprising story and fabulous narration

Would you listen to The Storyteller again? Why?

I listened to the audio first then went out and bought the book.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Every moment was filled with suspense.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have NEVER read anything about the Holocaust. Well written in story form. Loved it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

In the barn with the farmers wife...

Any additional comments?

Very long but an excellent story! Bravo

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.

great story of a sad subject

JP out did herself with this book! Unable to fathum what the jews went through but I believe she was pretty close without being to graphic.

Great story w lots of twists

Plots within plots, and stories that straddle time make this book a true page turner. I couldn’t wait to find out what’s next and to answer the question, “How does it end?”