Sometimes finding your own voice

is a matter of listening to the heart....

Jodi Picoult's powerful novel portrays an emotionally charged marriage that changes course in one explosive moment....For years, Jane Jones has lived in the shadow of her husband, renowned San Diego oceanographer Oliver Jones. But during an escalating argument, Jane turns on him with an alarming volatility. In anger and fear, Jane leaves with their teenage daughter, Rebecca, for a cross-country odyssey charted by letters from her brother Joley, guiding them 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.

Jane and Rebecca Jones leave husband/dad Oliver, a world-known marine biologist behind and traveled the country to visit Jane's brother Joley. In the novel, five people offer up their versions of what happened one fateful summer. There's Joley, Sam ~~ who owns the apple orchard that Joley works at and where Rebecca and Jane find refuge in, Rebecca, Jane and Oliver. They all offer up their voices as if they wanted to leave their impressions on the reader. And it is very well-written ~~ especially for a first book. One can almost smell the apples growing, feel the hot sting of the summer sun beating down upon you, the despair and anger Oliver felt when he realized his family deserted him. Or the heartache Rebecca experiences when her first boyfriend died in a tragic fall. The stories just tumble out from each of them and you don't want to rush your way reading through it. It is murky in some places ~~ but isn't that how life is supposed to be sometimes? Sometimes, we can't figure out the path we're on or where we are supposed to be ~~ but there comes a moment where you can seize the moment.

If you're a die-hard Picoult fan, then I highly recommend you try to read this book. I have a suspsicion that not all of us are going to come to the same conclusion with this book. But it is interesting and well-written. I may have to struggle with finishing it, I did and am glad that I finished it. It is Picoult's debut novel and you can see the beginnings of a long literary career that started with this book. Enjoy.


An impressive debut   April 26, 2002
 30 out of 30 found this review helpful

I've only read one other book by Jodi Picoult (Plain Truth) that I absolutely loved, so I wasn't sure what I would think reading her debut novel. Most authors get increasingly better and more honed writing skills with each novel, so I wasn't expecting Songs of the Humpback Whale to live up to my Plain Truth expectations. However, even though I still liked Plain Truth better (gripping and compelling), Jodi Picoult's debut effort was nothing short of wonderful.

Unique in its telling, Songs of the Humpback Whale portrays a woman, Jane Jones, whose marriage to Dr. Oliver Jones plays second-fiddle to his lucrative career as a San Diego marine biologist. The fact that Oliver won't be around to share in his daughter, Rebecca's, 15th birthday, strikes a nerve with Jane, and after a devastating argument, Jane and Rebecca are in the station wagon preparing for a cross-country escape to Jane's brother, Joley, in Massachusetts. Interesting people are met along the way as Joley's letters waiting in different post offices assists Jane's and Rebecca's journey. But the most surprising is what awaits for Jane and Rebecca once they arrive in Massachusetts.

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.


One of my favorite books...   April 30, 2005
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

Like some of the other reviewers, I initially found it difficult to 'get into' the characters, the story itself, and the plot. However, once I did, and once I was able to imagine myself in the dance Picoult's writing takes, I was mesmerized. I have never felt the kind of connection with characters in any novel as I have with this one.

That said, it is far different from Jodi Picoult's other novels. I'm glad that was not my first Picoult novel to read. But, I feel honored to have been able to read this one when I did.

This is a magical book, if you give it the chance.



Jodi's Debut...   September 18, 2002
 9 out of 10 found this review helpful

I am a huge fan of Ms. Picoult's work but her first novel, while good, didn't win me over like her other works of fiction.

I liked the idea of writing the story from five different points of view but unfortunately parts of the book became repetitive. While we did get to know the characters very well and were able to understand why they acted the way they did, I found parts of the book a little confusing. Having Rebecca's character tell the story backwards took away from the ending. I knew what was going to happen.

Jodi does come through however in her beautiful and lyrical writing. She has a way of conveying a feeling that is both touching and honest.

While this book is not my favorite by this author, I will continue to read her novels. Her work only got better from here. Harvesting the Heart is a shining example of her true writing ability.


Not My Favorite by Picoult But.........   January 30, 2005
 8 out of 10 found this review helpful

I first read The Pact by Jodi Picot several years ago when I found this book while browsing at the library. Since that time I have read several other books by this author which include Keeping Faith, Perfect Match, Salem Falls and Plain Truth. While I enjoyed some of these books more than others, each book provided me with an interesting read about present day happenings. And since some of these topics are somewhat controversial, the books always left me thinking about the characters and their situations. I knew that the books I read were more recent titles by Ms. Picot and I was determined someday to read her debut book Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel Told in Five Voices. When my book group recently chose this book, I was so glad that finally would make the time to read this book first published in 1992.

After a fight with her husband, Jane Jones and their daughter Rebecca travel to Massachusetts to find Jane's brother Joley. During this road trip we come to know more about the relationship between Jane, her husband Oliver, her brother Joley and even her father. Not sure of how to get from San Diego to Massachusetts, Joley establishes an elaborate plan where Jane receives instructions and directions at various spots along the way. And its safe to expect that at each place both Jane and Rebecca meet interesting and in some cases quirky people who only lead them to a better understanding of their past present and future.

This book, as the subtitle indicates is told in five voices which while innovative is not executed all that well. As we read the book we hear the voices of Jane, Oliver, Joley, Rebecca and Sam the owner of the apple orchard where Joley works. Jane tells the story going forward from the day they left Oliver and San Diego while Rebecca tells these story going from the end backwards until their stories tales criss cross at the site of a very important in the lives of all three members of the Jones family. This technique of going backwards in time has naturally been used before and reminded me of the movie Pulp Fiction, the Seinfeld episode when they attended a wedding in India and the recent book Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland. But while it worked well in these venues, Songs of the Humpback Whale it didn't work that well in this book. The first 50 pages or more were confusing till you realized how the author was presenting the time frame. And then I found the last 150 pages was much too repetitive as the various characters had very little to say which shed any new light on the story.

Books and movies about road trips have been popular for sometime. Just think of On the Road by Jack Kerouac and this year just think of the impact the independent film Sideways had on the viewing public. And I do enjoy books about road trips and the revelations individuals have while taking them. Unfortunately this road trip wasn't all that exciting and in the end I don't think I cared for these characters all that much. While I felt sad for Jane at times I didn't find he particularly likable although I wondered why. And I also thought think there might have been actions she could have taken long before she needed to leave Oliver so abruptly but then there wouldn't have been this book. And for some reason I couldn't help but compare the situation of the book, especially Rebecca's story, to the theme and the young woman from the book The Horse Whisperer. In the end I wondered how much more young Rebecca could go through and what her future would be like if they returned home.

Based on other books I read by Ms. Picoult, I was somewhat disappointed with this read. I now think if I had read it before any of Ms. Picoult's other books, I might have enjoyed it more. One thing for sure is that it proved to me that since this book was written, Ms. Picoult has evolved into a gifted and talented writer and one I have come to cherish greatly. I now look forward to reading her latest book Vanishing Acts which will be published this spring. I do want to leave this review on a positive note and say that even a so so read from Ms. Picoult is still interesting and worthwhile. So if you're reading this someday you may just want to read the first published book written by Jodi Picoult.