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Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel in Five Voices Audiobook
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(3.00) - 15,812 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The powerful debut novel from New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult, Songs of the Humpback Whale is a moving story of love and family told through the eyes of five people: Jane Jones, her daughter Rebecca, and three very different men in their lives. After a watershed moment in their marriage, Jane leaves Oliver, her renowned marine biologist husband, and begins a journey across the country with Rebecca in search of understanding about her troubled past.
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"Like I always say... I love Jodi Picoult. This book wasn't one of my favourite by her though if I'm honest. I liked some parts of the story line for sure but all the information about whales did kind of start to bore me a bit."
— Kim (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Rich and charming…Jodi Picoult casts with her beautiful imagery and language. Readers this book is a delight.”
— Ann Hood, author of Do Not Go Gentle -
“As Picoult uses five voices to tell a complex tale of love, friendship and a Faulknerian family history, her mastery of language strongly individuates her characters… This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The skillful performances by the cast are most effective in allowing the listener to follow the action smoothly and maintain a connection with the characters. This first novel is enjoyable in its own right and should be particularly satisfying for Picoult fans.”
— AudioFile -
“This uniquely constructed first novel, the literary equivalent of counterpoint in music, is told in five voices…Charming and poignant, Picoult’s novel is even better after a second reading.”
— Library Journal
Songs of the Humpback Whale Listener Reviews
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" Maria I am so glad I read this book after reading almost all of Jodi's other books. I probably never would have read any otherwise. Not only was I very confused early on but the story left a bad taste for me. It was like a twisted version of Thelma & Louise, mother/daughter style. I don't always like the endings of her novels, but that's part of the draw of them. This one... I just did not feel right about throughout. "
— Maria, 2/13/2014 -
" Another good yarn by Jodi. "
— Lynne, 2/12/2014 -
" I LOVE Piccoult...but couldn't finish this book. And that is saying a lot, as I rarely stop a book without finishing it. It was too scattered and didn't catch my attention at all. I was very disappointed. "
— Barbara, 2/10/2014 -
" This is my first book by Jodi Picoult. Started off slow and a bit confusing as it was written out of sequence which made it a bit difficult for me to follow. Loved the writing and look forward to reading more of this author's work. "
— Jenene, 2/7/2014 -
" Didn't finish this book. I don't know if it is because I was listening to it but I did not enjoy it. It was slow moving and you already knew what was going to happen because she put the end of the book at the beginning. I had nothing to make me want to finish reading the book. Maybe I'll try again some other time but I won't be going back anytime soon. "
— Manda, 2/5/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book though it was at times hard to follow. But the characters kept me interested enough to finish the book and see what happened to them. "
— Kassie, 2/2/2014 -
" A typical Jodi Picoult read -- I love how she writes in short chapters from different characters' perspectives. It makes for fast reading. This book was very enjoyable. "
— Jackie, 1/16/2014 -
" I have read all of Jodi's books and this was my least favourite. Very confusing. "
— Shelley, 1/16/2014 -
" Wasn't her best work. slightly disappointed. "
— Laura, 1/15/2014 -
" She wrote this at 25. I admit to being jealous! It's really something. "
— Angela, 1/8/2014 -
" I usually love Jodi Picoult books. This one was the exception. No matter how I tried, I just couldn't get into it. I had to walk away from this one, which is very rare. It just couldn't hold my attention. Might try again some other time. "
— Georgette, 11/12/2013 -
" It was OK. You get the story from all the characters' points of view. Can be somewhat confusing. "
— Sara, 9/19/2013 -
" Not my favorite Picoult book. There were a few times I was lost and thought of stopping but I hung in there. "
— Melody, 8/24/2013 -
" good story but really hard to follow "
— Darcy, 7/30/2013 -
" This was a really difficult book to get into, and I have to admit I'm not overly pleased that I did. I've read several of her other books with delight, but apparently her early work just wasn't that calibre yet. "
— Russeller, 5/24/2013 -
" Not my favorite of her books, but the story was well executed and gripping as always. "
— Jordan, 8/30/2012 -
" Yikes! This one was a tough read infant I didn't finish it. Too much detail about stuff that may have been important to the story but I couldn't stand to read it. Love me some Jodi Picoult but this one was a "no-go" for me. "
— Paige, 7/12/2012 -
" It is obvious that this is one of her earlier(est) novels and so I kept that in mind while reading it. "
— Heather, 7/11/2012 -
" I didn't like the repetition and it jumped all over the place. I was glad when it was finished. "
— Patti, 7/11/2012 -
" I can't finish this book...I tried to get involved with the characters, but I just look at it think, "I don't care what happens to you." I have new books I picked up at the library today that are calling my name....I tried, and I do like Jodi Picoult, but I just can't go on with this one. "
— Kelsie, 3/7/2012 -
" This was her 1st novel. It was OK, but not my favorite. I love that she writes from the different characters perspective. She was going back and forth in time on this one with the different characters, and it was confusing. "
— Debbie, 2/24/2012 -
" Love! Amazed that Jodi's first book is one of her best, imo. Wonderful narrative from many points of view, most of them starting at the beginning and working forward, one starting at the present and working backward. "
— Amy, 5/23/2011 -
" Out of all of JP's books this one is my very least favorite. She really improved in her writing as the years have gone on. I have tried to read this one three different times and can never make myself finish it. All the rest of her books I absoltuely love! "
— Peggy, 5/21/2011 -
" Jodi Picoult is my favorite author, but this particular story just didn't do it for me. Still well written, just not very interesting. "
— Kristy, 5/17/2011 -
" I read it twice in a row on vacation once. Different than her current books. I missed having a trial. I don't understand Jane and Joley's relationship. "
— Caroline, 5/15/2011 -
" Tragic--but I couldn't stop reading it! "
— Andrea, 4/24/2011 -
" Disturbing subject matter, didn't really like the story or subject. The whole plot was too hard to believe. But, I always enjoy Jodi Picoult's character development. "
— melody, 4/24/2011 -
" Learned a lot from this book, even though it is fictional. Love the ending where Jane leaves Sam... "
— Kendra, 4/17/2011 -
" Enjoyed the description of the cross country road trip. Other than that, the book was pretty dull. Not at all like most of Jodi Picoult's books. "
— Allison, 4/11/2011 -
" Not my favourite of Jodi Picoult's books, but still an enjoyable read. "
— Emma, 4/8/2011
About Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times and London Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty-four stand-alone novels and three series, through the genres of fiction, romance, young-adult romance, mystery, and science fiction. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Award from the YA Library Services Association, and the NH Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit. She studied creative writing at Princeton University and received her masters from Harvard. Visit her website at JodiPicoult.com.
About the Narrators
James Colby is an actor and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator.
Liz Morton has narrated several novels for young adults, including Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, Shug by Jenny Han, Chicks with Sticks by Elizabeth Lehnard, Wild Things by Clay Carmichael, and The Leanin’ Dog by K. A. Nuzum.
Jonathan Davis has been inducted into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. A three-time recipient and fourteen-time nominee of the Audie Award, he has earned accolades for his narration from the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, the American Library Association, Booklist, the Audio Publishers Association, AudioFile magazine, and USA Today. He has narrated a variety of bestsellers and award-winners for top publishing houses. He also narrated over forty titles of the Star Wars franchise for Lucasfilm Ltd./PRH Audio, including several iconic movie tie-ins, has participated with Star Wars Celebration, and has built a significant fan base. His work as a narrator includes films and programming for National Geographic Television, NOVA, PBS, VH1, and Francis Ford Coppola. He grew up in Puerto Rico and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew.
Carol Monda is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and accomplished voice-over artist. She is also an award-winning actor known for her work in Out of Season, After You Left, and The Gentlemen.
Chris Sorenson has worked extensively as an actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He studied at the Rutgers Professional Actor Training Program and is an original member of the Present Company, producers of FringeNYC. The Thin Air Theatre Company of Colorado considers him their playwright-at-large and have produced ten of his plays over the past eleven years. His screenplays The Roswell Project and Classic Rock are both currently in production, and his horror script Suckerville is currently in development. He has received three AudioFile Earphones Awards, and his recording of Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix was selected by AudioFile as one of the Best Audiobooks of 2010.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.