Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi PicoultMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Not one of my favorite Picoult books. I thought the characters and storyline jumped all over the place for my liking and a couple of times, I got a bit confused.
Synopsis from Picoults site:
In this novel, Jodi Picoult interweaves five rich narrative voices to tell a story of love, loss, and self-discovery. The voices belong to a mother, her daughter, and three very different men.
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 slighted, Jane's dramatic stand takes them all by surprise.
Leaving Oliver and his whale tapes behind in San Diego, Jane and Rebecca set out to drive across America to Uncle Joley and the sanctuary of the Massachusetts apple orchard where he works. Joley directs Jane across the United States in a series of letters waiting for her in designated post offices. Each letter gives concise directions to the next post office; each letter provides Jane with a chance to reflect on her forgotten past.
Oliver, used to tracking male humpback whales across vast oceans, now has the task of tracking his tantalizingly unpredictable 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 is a powerful and sensitive novel of family life that questions how songs are passed down from male speaker to male speaker, but also examines the female tradition of listening that women unconsciously pass on to their daughters.
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Songs of the Humpback Whale is a novel told in five different perspectives. What is unique, however, is Rebecca's tale, which is told from end to beginning. Sounds confusing, but after a few of her chapters, the reader will be resting comfortably in the story. Songs is an omnipotent tale with awakenings around every corner. I highly recommend this book to all Jodi fans -- no courtroom drama here, but fascinating nonetheless.
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