Apr 11, 2010

Book Review: Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult

I joined my first 25-Hour Read-a-Thon early yesterday and am wrapping it up in this Sunday Salon!

Songs of the Humpback Whale

I finished Songs of the Humpback Whale by Jodi Picoult as planned

My comments: Picoult's Songs of the Humpback Whale was an unusual story of family, love, and marriage told by several people with different points of view. Basically it's about a married woman in San Diego who leaves her husband and takes off cross country with her teenage daughter to join her brother on an apple farm in Massachusetts. At the farm, she meets new people, loses some of her phobias, comes to terms with her childhood by revealing her past to a new lover, faces a crisis with her daughter, and is left with more confidence in herself. There are also changes for her daughter and for her husband, who follows and finds them in Massachusetts. I found that the technique of using 5 and sometimes a sixth narrator worked well for this book. As contemporary women's fiction, it rated four stars..

This past week, I also reviewed Feeling the Vibe by Candace Dow, set in DC, and A Dead Hand: A Crime in Calcutta Novel by famed travel writer Paul Theroux, two very different books.


16 comments:

  1. You did well. I think Picout is good choice for a read-a-thon.

    Hope to see you in the next one too!

    Read-a-thon:End of Event meme

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  2. Glad u enjoyed the Picoult book. That one was my least favorite of all of hers for some reason.

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  3. Wonderful job on the Read-a-Thon! Way to go! I'll be looking forward to reading with you on October. Keep on rocking and reading, read-a-thoner! It's been lots of fun! :D

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  4. Glad you enjoyed the readathon. I'm really hoping to participate the next time around.

    I think I've only read one Jodie Picoult book and it made me cry to hard I haven't even attempted another. It was just too emotionally draining!

    Last week I read and reviewed The Power of Half but that was about it. Hoping to get my Sunday Salon post up later today.

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  5. Thanks to the readathon, my reviewing this week was way above average!

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  6. I had fun during the read-a-thon. It got me out of my reading slump. Super reading!

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  7. That may be the only Picoult book I haven't read! It doesn't sound familiar...but it sounds wonderful!

    Checking it out.

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  8. Glad you had fun at your first Readathon!!

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  9. Sounds like you had so much fun with the Readathon! One of these years, I'll have the time off to be able to participate! What a better treat for yourself than 24 hours of nonstop reading!

    I like Jodi Picoult, I'm going to have to check out this one now. Thanks for sharing and the other great reviews this week!

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  10. I just gave you two awards!

    www.readerbuzz.blogspot.com

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  11. congrats on your readathon accomplishments!

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  12. I haven't ever read anything by Picoult, but I love Paul Theroux.

    Someday I hope to get into the readathon, but it's going to be awhile. I'm totally envious!

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  13. The Jodi Picoult book looks really good.

    Congrats on finishing the read-a-thon

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  14. Yay for you on completing the readathon! I missed the fun but glad you enjoyed!! :) I'm glad you enjoyed the Picoult book. I hadn't heard too many good reviews of that one, so it's refreshing to hear a different opinion!

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  15. Good job on the read-a-thon! Hope I can join in next time.

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  16. Congrats on your Read-a-Thon accomplishments!

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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