Jane had always lived in somebody's shadow. Escaping a childhood of abuse by marrying oceanographer Oliver Jones, she finds herself taking second place to his increasingly successful career. However, when her daughter Rebecca is similarly treated, Jane's dramatic stand takes them all by surprise. Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to the sanctuary of the New England apple orchard where Jane's brother Joley works. Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his wife across a continent. To do so he must learn to see the world - and even himself - through her eyes...
Songs of the Humpback Whale
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'Picoult displays near perfect pitch . . . ingeniously structured and reminiscent of early Anne Tyler' (Mary Morris )
'Charming and poignant, Picoult's novel is even better after a second reading' (Library Journal )
'This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it' (Publishers Weekly )
'Charming and poignant, Picoult's novel is even better after a second reading' (Library Journal )
'This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it' (Publishers Weekly )
About the Author
Jodi Picoult grew up in Nesconset, New York. She received an A.B. in creative writing from Princeton and a master's degree in education from Harvard. Her previous novels include Keeping Faith, The Pact, and Mercy. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children.
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First Sentence
Hawaiian and West Indian humpbacks seem less unhappy to me that the whales off the coast of New England. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Hawaiian and West Indian humpbacks seem less unhappy to me that the whales off the coast of New England. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By L Murphy
Format:Unbound
For years, Jane Jones has lived in the shadow of her husband, renowned San Diego oceanographer Oliver Jones. But during an escalating argument, Janes turns to him with an alarming volatility. In anger and fear, Jane leaves with her teenage daughter, Rebecca, for a cross-country odyssey. Charted by letters from her borther Joley, they are guided to his Massachusetts apple farm, where surprising self-discoveries await. Now Oliver, an expert at tracking humpback whales across vast oceans, will search for his wife across a continent, and find a new way to see the world, his family, and himself: through her eyes. The story is told in five different voices which at the start i found a bit difficult to understand as this is a very unusual way of writing, especially with Rebecca telling the story backwards: ) but once you get into the novel it becomes more clear. A very good read and i will read more of Picoults books.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an avid Jodi Picoult reader, I looked forward to reading this book. I usually love her books and can't put them down. I was deeply disappointed by this one. I found the characters difficult to relate to and therefore difficult to care about. I found the hospital scene disturbing without context or relevancy. I honestly wish I hadn't read this book as a result. The ending was in keeping with the rest of the book - flat, in comparison with her other books. I would not recomend this book to anyone.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Pink Panther
Format:Paperback
I've read quite a few of Picoult's books. Didn't like this one. There must have been a reason that this didn't get published before. I can cope with reading stories out of sync and moving between characters but this was not well written. In fact I am not sure what the underlining story about her childhood really was.
I don't understand why they chose to publish it without editing it a little. Sadly it seems someone wanted to 'get on the bandwagon' and earn some money on the back of her more successful novels. Definitely passing this onto the book swap shop at work. Not a keeper.
I don't understand why they chose to publish it without editing it a little. Sadly it seems someone wanted to 'get on the bandwagon' and earn some money on the back of her more successful novels. Definitely passing this onto the book swap shop at work. Not a keeper.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't see the point of this book
I am afraid I thought this book was just never reaching a point of the story, it was like it didn't really have one. Read more
Published 1 month ago by missreadalot
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a shame!
What a shame! My least favourite of all Jodi's books. A book with five main characters, all having chapters dedicated to each one individually. This is the most disjointed book! Read more
Published 2 months ago by JEAN MARGARET WISMAYER
4.0 out of 5 stars
Parenting
Jodi captures the feelings of a mother so well, and the anxieties and fears a mother had to work through. Read more
Published 4 months ago by debbie new-maycock
3.0 out of 5 stars
Somewhat disappointing
I turned to these Amazon reviews after reading the book, wondering if others would see merits in it that I had failed to do - sadly, my own assessment is pretty much along the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ukhuman1st
2.0 out of 5 stars
messy
This felt like it took half my life to finish.
It was so slow moving and so messily written that it became a chore to read. Read more
It was so slow moving and so messily written that it became a chore to read. Read more
Published 13 months ago by A.Lewis
3.0 out of 5 stars
Songs of the Humpback Whale...Anti-climax.
Love Jodi Picoult as an author so was really looking forward to this book but felt disappointed. Although I really liked the character Sam, the story ended flat to what it was... Read more
Published 19 months ago by C wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
Keep with it.
I was having a hard time with this book and as I am a fan of Jodi Picoult I thought I would see what other readers thought and I noticed that there were quite a few negative... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Sharon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Worth sticking with
I found the first third of Songs of the Humpback Whale to be so confusing, I nearly gave up on it numerous times. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Miss L. D. Masters
4.0 out of 5 stars
A surprising gem of a book
When I first picked up this book, after reading several other of Jodi's that I have not been able to put down, I was disappointed. Read more
Published on 28 April 2011 by MM
3.0 out of 5 stars
Confusing and somewhat laboured!
I took this book out of my library in audio format - not a good idea! The way the story is set out, with Rebecca starting at the future and working backwards, but the other... Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2011 by Katy M
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