Plot Summary
Sage Singer has never been much one for other people. Always considered a loner, the baker finds herself short of company until she finds herself befriending Joseph Weber, one of the most popular old men in her community. He's an astounding gentleman: retiree, schoolteacher, little league coach. That's why it takes her by such surprise when he asks her to kill him.
Sage is shocked, and with good reason, until he lets go his deepest, darkest secret: Joseph was once a Nazi SS guard. He lives with the guilt of his position every day, and it's too much for him to bear. What's more, Sage's grandmother was a holocaust survivor. Sage is stuck in an odd place...and with it comes many questions. If Sage kills him...is it revenge, or evil? Can evil be expunged by good acts? If she was friends with such darkness...what does that make her? The questions linger in her mind.
The Storyteller is sure to delight any Picoult fan.
Jodi Picoult is one of America's most beloved and prolific authors. Born May 19, 1966, she was raised in Long Island by a non-practicing Jewish family. Her publishing career started early, and she wrote two stories in Seventeen magazine before even graduating college. She then went on to get a writing degree from Princeton university, and from there almost immediately began penning novels. Today, there are more than 14 million copies of Picoult's books in print, and she has won several literary awards in the genres they cover.
"This is not an easy book to read for many reasons. It's many stories within a story which can be confusing. It's over 450 pages but told like only Jodi Picoult can, with great writing and research. One of the stories is about the Holocaust, graphic and intense. The other stories revolve around a young baker with a scarred face, her family, and the secrets of the past. And the last story is about Leo, a lawyer who tries to find war criminals and make them pay for their crimes. Love his character. I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars because I had a hard time understanding why Sage, so quiet and reserved, makes it her quest to out Josef. It's really not in her character. I know she loves her grandmother but... I also did not like the ending. At all. I did like that the story was about forgiveness and loved how it was explained by Sage's boss Mary: forgiving isn't something you do for someone else. It's something you do for yourself. Lots of great lines in this book. Great read."
—
Ginny (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
Jodi Picoult's poignant #1 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?
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About Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York 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. My Sister’s Keeper won the American Library Association’s Margaret Alexander Edwards Award. She was awarded the 2003 New England Book Award for her entire body of work and a lifetime achievement award from the Romance Writers of America. She studied creative writing at Princeton University and received her masters from Harvard. Visit her website at JodiPicoult.com.
About the Narrators
Peter Ganim, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, is an American actor who has appeared on stage, on television, and in film. He has performed voice-over work since 1994.
Edoardo Ballerini, an American actor, director, film producer, and multiaward–winning narrator. He has won several Audie Awards for best narration, including for 2019’s Best Male Narrator of the Year. He was named by Booklist as winner of their 2023 Voice of Choice Award, and was named a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has narrated over two hundred audiobooks, from classics to modern masters, from bestsellers to the inspirational, from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners to spine-tingling series, and much more. In television and film, he is best known for his roles in A Murder at the End of the World, The Sopranos, 24, I Shot Andy Warhol, Dinner Rush, and Romeo Must Die. He is also trained in theater and continues to do much work on stage.
Mozhan Marnò is an Iranian American film and television actress, most notably appearing in Charlie Wilson’s War and Bones. Her audiobook narrations have won several AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Jennifer Ikeda has been narrating audiobooks since 2002. Among her readings are When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park; Just Listen by Sarah Dessen; and After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates. She has won six AudioFile Earphones Awards.
Fred Berman has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He is an actor of theater, film, and television whose credits include Broadway’s The Lion King, Law & Order, and Directing Eddie, among others. He was featured in Entertainment Weekly for his work on the Walking Dead audiobook series.