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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
It took me a while to get into this book. Actually, I started it, then left it for a while, which caused me to not make some connections - but luckily this was a book club book so my book club friends cleared that up for me!
I seem to read a Jodi Picoult book every summer. This was a lot like the other ones I've read - some big topic (this one was forgiveness), multiple narratives and a twist at the end.
Last year, I read Small Great Things, which is about a white supremacist and a black nurse in a hospital. I was reading it at the same time as the stuff was happening in the USA in Charlottesville. It was surreal. There's a story in the news right now about a holocaust denier. The holocaust was terrible and this book has some incredibly descriptive accounts of it. You can't make that stuff up.
I seem to read a Jodi Picoult book every summer. This was a lot like the other ones I've read - some big topic (this one was forgiveness), multiple narratives and a twist at the end.
Last year, I read Small Great Things, which is about a white supremacist and a black nurse in a hospital. I was reading it at the same time as the stuff was happening in the USA in Charlottesville. It was surreal. There's a story in the news right now about a holocaust denier. The holocaust was terrible and this book has some incredibly descriptive accounts of it. You can't make that stuff up.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ك صراحة المشاعر مختلطة مع هذي الرواية
اكره الدراما بكل حالاتها ، و هذي ارواية مليانه بالدراما ، و لهذا السبب فقط اقيم الرواية نجمة وحده
الرواية حلوه و مليئة بالاحداث ، تذكر قصة عائلة يهودية في الحرب العالمية الثانية ، تناضل للعيش و البقاء معا ، لكن الحرب لها رأي آخر
اكره الدراما بكل حالاتها ، و هذي ارواية مليانه بالدراما ، و لهذا السبب فقط اقيم الرواية نجمة وحده
الرواية حلوه و مليئة بالاحداث ، تذكر قصة عائلة يهودية في الحرب العالمية الثانية ، تناضل للعيش و البقاء معا ، لكن الحرب لها رأي آخر
A favorite from when I was younger, heartbreaking though.
(Spoiler - semi)
Okay, just trying to write this review confused me so - All things considered... This - story within a story within a story within a story within a story thing - gets as confusing as it sounds. Many of the transitions between stories goes well, but I found myself at one point wondering if we could just get back to the original story I'd become invested in at the beginning. And, to be honest, the best part of the entire story was the account from the Holocaust survivor and the former Nazi. It's a shame she didn't just tell those stories and leave the rest out. The two main characters were strong in the beginning, but by the end, they felt forced and contrived and even cliche.
Okay, just trying to write this review confused me so - All things considered... This - story within a story within a story within a story within a story thing - gets as confusing as it sounds. Many of the transitions between stories goes well, but I found myself at one point wondering if we could just get back to the original story I'd become invested in at the beginning. And, to be honest, the best part of the entire story was the account from the Holocaust survivor and the former Nazi. It's a shame she didn't just tell those stories and leave the rest out. The two main characters were strong in the beginning, but by the end, they felt forced and contrived and even cliche.
I gave this one 3 stars because it took a really really long time to get into. Typical Jodi Picoult quasi legal drama, although this one doesn't take place in a courtroom. The book tells the story of 4 people, Minka (a holocaust survivor), Josef (a former Nazi hiding in New Hampshire with a wish to die), Sage (Minka's granddaughter who unsuspectingly befriends Josef) and Leo (the charming DOJ lawyer assigned to track down and prosecute remaining Nazis). Sage's background story is a bit weak and generic. The love story on the side is predictable.
The most compelling segment of the book is Minka's tale of her time in Auschwitz. It's appropriately harrowing and painstakingly detailed. The conclusion has a twist as with all Jodi Picoult books, and not the twist I expected. Certainly not an uplifting novel, or an easy summer read, but worth a read.
The most compelling segment of the book is Minka's tale of her time in Auschwitz. It's appropriately harrowing and painstakingly detailed. The conclusion has a twist as with all Jodi Picoult books, and not the twist I expected. Certainly not an uplifting novel, or an easy summer read, but worth a read.
I always forget how quietly brutal Jodi Picoult can be until I’m halfway through one of her novels, heart in my throat, wondering how she’s pulled me in so deeply. The Storyteller is no exception.
This isn’t a light read. It’s a layered, devastating exploration of guilt, forgiveness, and inherited trauma. What starts as a contemporary grief narrative — Sage, a reclusive baker mourning her mother — unravels into something much darker when an elderly man in her grief group confesses to being a Nazi.
From there, Picoult does what she does best: weaves timelines, challenges morals, and refuses to offer easy answers. I was completely immersed in the historical sections. They felt horrifyingly intimate without ever veering into trauma for the sake of it. And Sage's internal battle — whether to seek justice or offer mercy — never felt contrived.
There are moments where the writing leans heavy, and one plot twist felt slightly forced. But overall, this is one of her strongest books I’ve read. Thoughtful, gutting, and quietly ambitious in scope.
If you're looking for a story that sticks to your bones and makes you sit with uncomfortable questions long after you've finished, this one’s it.
This isn’t a light read. It’s a layered, devastating exploration of guilt, forgiveness, and inherited trauma. What starts as a contemporary grief narrative — Sage, a reclusive baker mourning her mother — unravels into something much darker when an elderly man in her grief group confesses to being a Nazi.
From there, Picoult does what she does best: weaves timelines, challenges morals, and refuses to offer easy answers. I was completely immersed in the historical sections. They felt horrifyingly intimate without ever veering into trauma for the sake of it. And Sage's internal battle — whether to seek justice or offer mercy — never felt contrived.
There are moments where the writing leans heavy, and one plot twist felt slightly forced. But overall, this is one of her strongest books I’ve read. Thoughtful, gutting, and quietly ambitious in scope.
If you're looking for a story that sticks to your bones and makes you sit with uncomfortable questions long after you've finished, this one’s it.
This was by far one of my favorite Picoult books. The realism of the story actually gave me nightmares, but I couldn't put it down.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I did not really enjoy the book, but it does make you think.