Songs of the Humpback Whale by jodi picoult

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

I think people often overlook the fact that this is Jodi's very first book, not her 20th. Naturally, it's not going to be on par with her current novels. In life, nothing is ever perfect the first time. This simply demonstrates how much Jodi's writing has advanced over the past 30 years. So, when approaching this book, one should expect a debut author and not someone with 30+ years of experience.

That being said, was this a groundbreaking and outstanding novel? No.

Has the storyline endured after 30 years? No.

It was quite difficult to get into initially, but once I did, it was a decent read. However, the ending felt rather pointless.

The jumping around of the timeline was frustrating. Having too many characters' points of view was also a source of annoyance. Some chapters seemed to drag on, while others weren't developed enough. We hardly heard anything from Joey, so his voice could really have been omitted.

I wouldn't necessarily call this a bad book, but it's not a great one either.

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niabv

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Now, normally I have a deep affection for a Jodi Picoult book. She is truly one of my favorite authors. However, this particular book just didn't sit well with me.

To be more specific, it was mainly Jane who irked me. I had no issue with her decision to take a trip and run away with her daughter. But the way Jane behaved and the way her husband Oliver reacted regarding the whole abuse situation seemed inconsistent.

I felt that these characters contradicted themselves at every turn. And the ending was a complete letdown and a disappointment. At one point or another, I was mentally slapping each character.

Picoult has always been excellent in her writing. I love how she chooses topics such as abuse, cancer, murder, suicide, rape, and then brings them to life, giving all the characters a voice and a chance to redeem themselves and share their side of the story. But with this book, I believe she didn't delve deep enough into the issue or perhaps didn't pay enough attention to it while developing the characters, almost adding it as an afterthought.

Still, her vivid description and the language she used managed to draw me in. It's not one of her best works, but by far it's not the worst book I've ever read.

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Nuthicc

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

# Book Review
# Songs of the Humpback Whale

“Songs of the Humpback Whale” is Jodi’s first novel. I mention Jodi as if she were my closest friend, and in a way, she is through her writing. Ever since I read my first Jodi Picoult book, “Handle with Care,” I have been in love with her work. The characters she creates in her novels seem to come alive in my mind. They feel so real and powerful, which is the hallmark of a brilliant writer.

When I first read “Songs of the Humpback Whale,” I didn't like it. The reason was that I was too young to understand the concept or appreciate the writing. Although I love all of her books, this was my least favorite at that time. However, after reading it again all these years later, I am realizing that this book is truly great. It is her first book, but the characters are so well-written that I can actually feel Jane's horror when she hits Oliver and Rebecca's pain when Hadley dies (these are not spoilers).

The story is told from multiple perspectives, and you will read the same event from three different points of view. This book is a real eye-opener. I firmly believe that everyone has a soul mate, but not everyone finds theirs. When you do find that special person, you know in your heart, body, and soul that he or she is the right one. People marry for various reasons such as money, compatibility, and friendship. They also marry for what they think is love. It's when that person completes you and without them, you don't feel whole.

This is the story of Jane Jones. All her life, she has been saving people one after another. Will she now save herself or sacrifice herself again to save her family? My rating for this book is 4/5.

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Fr3EaK

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Este foi o primeiro livro que li da Jodi Picoult. E de certa forma não o li com qualquer expectativa.

Devo dizer que o início era muito aborrecido e não me conquistou lá muito. No entanto, continuei lendo e, apesar de tudo, revelou-se ser um livro até interessante.

Cada capítulo é um ponto de vista de uma pessoa diferente. A personagem principal vai entre o passado e o presente, enquanto que os restantes contam a história cronologicamente. Aparentemente, pode parecer confuso e confesso que no início foi-me complicado perceber estas mudanças. Mas com o tempo, habituamos-nos a estas "viagens".

Tal como diz a sinopse, Jane e Rebecca partem numa odisseia pelo país depois de Jane ter uma grande discussão com o marido, o famoso oceanógrafo em San Diego. Elas seguem então até ao pomar de macieiras em Massachusetts. Enquanto isso, Oliver segue a mulher através do continente, revelando a si mesma uma maneira diferente de ver o mundo e o amor, a sua família e especialmente a si mesmo.

Pessoalmente, gostei do jogo de ler a história contada de diferentes pontos de vista e depois vê-las interlaçar-se. E também gostei do ponto de vista de Rebecca, saber o que aconteceu e como chega ao presente. No geral, tal como o título diz, todas elas andam à procura do amor à sua maneira.

Quantos às personagens, achei todas bem pensadas. Rebecca revelou-se ser bastante adulta, apesar dos seus 15 anos. Já a mãe Jane, que é praticamente indecisa e depressiva, revelou-se ser o contrário da filha, o que nos leva às paixões da adolescência.

No entanto, algo que acho que não calhou bem foi talvez a paixão que as personagens principais (Rebecca e Sam) tiveram. Parecia que não tinha vindo de lado nenhum, simplesmente apareceu do nada.

Sendo o primeiro livro que leio da autora, acho que a escrita é simples e de fácil leitura, o que nos envolve na descoberta do amor.

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Galizur

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Picoult is indeed one of my favorite contemporary authors. I have always been intrigued and curious to discover how her very first novel would be like. To my delight, I found that she has employed multiple narrators right from her debut work. However, I wasn't overly fond of the daughter's narrative. The reason being that her chapters tell the story in reverse. At first, this threw me off a bit. But then, oddly enough, it made me reach the climax at a quicker pace. And yet, I had to patiently wait for the rest of the rising action to catch up. This whole experience made me have a realization. I thought about Liane Moriarty, another author whose books I simply devour. It occurred to me that perhaps she might have learned this interesting narrative trick from Picoult.

I'm truly glad that I took the time to read this novel. It has given me a better understanding and appreciation of Picoult's journey as an author. Nevertheless, it's important to note that this particular book is definitely not one of my absolute favorite works that she has penned.

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happystrawberrry

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Uma história que até é bastante interessante, mas que me aborreceu a sua leitura.

At first glance, the story seemed to hold great promise. It had an engaging premise that piqued my curiosity. However, as I delved deeper into the reading, I found myself growing increasingly bored.

The narrative might have had its interesting moments, but overall, it failed to maintain my attention. The pacing was slow, and the plot development lacked the necessary excitement and twists to keep me hooked.

Perhaps it was my own expectations that were too high, or maybe the story simply didn't resonate with me on a personal level. Whatever the reason, by the end of it, I was left with a sense of disappointment.

Nevertheless, I can't deny that there were aspects of the story that could have been salvaged with a bit more polish and refinement. But as it stands, it just didn't do it for me.

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Cudlyyy

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Jane and her daughter Rebecca make a hasty escape from their home in San Diego following a bitter altercation with Jane's husband, Oliver. Their destination is Massachusetts, where Jane's brother resides. During this arduous road trip, Oliver pursues them across the country. The novel presents multiple points of view, yet Rebecca's perspective is peculiarly told in reverse. It took an inordinate amount of time to decipher this narrative device, and it was executed extremely poorly and seemed entirely superfluous. However, the most egregious aspect of this novel is the inclusion of statutory rape. In a book, such a topic can be a major deterrent unless it serves a very legitimate purpose. Regrettably, this book fails to meet that criterion.

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Foolness

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

July 14,2025

Parts of the story were truly great. The descriptions and certain plot developments had me hooked.

However, other parts were just awful. There were some big misses that really stood out. For instance, considering the very specific kind of childhood trauma that Jane had, her characters needed to be fleshed out even more. Some of the classic symptoms associated with that trauma were noticeably missing. It felt as if the author had spent more time researching whales than delving into the psychology of this particular trauma.

Moreover, I hated the ending 100%. It just didn't seem to fit or resolve the story in a satisfactory way. I usually have a great love for Picoult's work. Her books often touch on deep and complex themes, and her writing style is engaging. But this one was a rare disappointment for me. It left me with a sense of dissatisfaction and a feeling that the story could have been so much more.

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Songs of the Humpback Whale

jodi picoult

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Rebecca Jones

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jodi picoult

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