Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel [Paperback]

Jodi Picoult (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As Picoult uses five voices to tell a complex tale of love, friendship and a Faulknerian family history, her mastery of language strongly individuates her characters. The primary voice in this accomplished first novel belongs to Jane Jones, a speech pathologist living in San Diego, Calif. Other narrators are her daughter Rebecca; her husband, Oliver, a marine biologist renowned for his research on the songs of humpback whales; her brother Joley; and her lover, Sam. When an argument between Jane and Oliver culminates in her striking him, Jane is shattered. A childhood victim of physical and sexual abuse, Jane has tried to submerge her memories, but this outbreak of violence causes her to reexamine her life. On a cross-country automobile trip, Jane and Rebecca travel to Stow, Mass., where Joley is living and where each woman meets the man she believes is her destiny. Jane relates the events that occur from San Diego to Stow, while Rebecca tells the story in reverse, flashing back from the climax. Their stories intersect in an Iowa cornfield that still bears the wreckage of the airliner on which then-three-year-old Rebecca was being sent back to her father during her parents' earlier separation; she was one of five survivors. This powerful and affecting novel demonstrates that there are as many truths to a story as there are people to tell it.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This uniquely constructed first novel, the literary equivalent of counterpoint in music, is told in five voices whose polyphonic development delineates a multifaceted love story on different levels for different individuals. These voices belong to five characters--Jane, who has sacrificed her life to her oceanographer husband's career; her daughter, Rebecca, whom Jane seeks to protect; and three very different men in their lives. As Jane heads east from San Diego with her daughter, having abandoned her husband to his whale tapes, the characters' contrapuntal recollections offer psychological insights into their lives. These insights lead to growth, second chances, and love. Charming and poignant, Picoult's novel is even better after a second reading. For public libraries.
- Ellen R. Cohen, Rockville, Md.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743431014
• ISBN-13: 978-0743431019
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,658 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up on Long Island with my parents and my little brother, the product of a ridiculously happy childhood. My mom says I've been writing as long as she remembers - my first masterpiece was "The Lobster That Was Misunderstood," at age 5. I honed my writing skills beyond that, one hopes, before I headed off to Princeton, where I wanted to work with living, breathing authors in their creative writing program. Mary Morris was my teacher/mentor, and I really do believe I wouldn't be where I am today if not for her guidance and expertise. I had two short stories published in SEVENTEEN magazine when I was in college. However, when I graduated, a desire to not eat ramen noodles exclusively and to be able to pay my rent led me to take a job on Wall Street (not a great idea, since I can't even balance my checkbook). When the stock market crashed in 1987, I moved to Massachusetts and over the course of two years, worked at a textbook publishing company, taught creative writing at a private school, became an ad copywriter, got a master's in education at Harvard, got married, taught at a public school, and had a baby. My first novel was published shortly after my son was born, and I've always said that the reason I kept writing is because it's so much easier than teaching English.

In fourteen years, I've published thirteen novels: Songs of the Humpback Whale, Harvesting the Heart, Picture Perfect, Mercy, The Pact, Keeping Faith, Plain Truth, Salem Falls, Perfect Match, Second Glance, My Sister's Keeper, Vanishing Acts, and the upcoming The Tenth Circle, this March. Two of my books (Plain Truth and The Pact) were made into Lifetime TV movies; Keeping Faith will be another. My Sister's Keeper is in development at New Line Cinema to be a feature film. And there isn't a single day that I don't stop and marvel at the fact that when I go to work, I get to do what I love the most.

My husband Tim and I live in Hanover, NH with our three kids, a dog, a rabbit, and the occasional donkey or cow.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-written first book, May 23, 2001

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel in Five Voices (Hardcover)

But I have to confess ~~ while I am a huge fan of Picoult's books, this book took me forever to get me interested in the characters. It's not badly written, nor was it boring ~~ it just didn't capture my interest like her recent books did. I am a speed reader and a book of this size normally would take me two days to read ~~ but it has taken me over two weeks to read. So beware when you pick up this book ~~ it's not the book you've come to expect from Picoult.

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.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive debut, April 26, 2002

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel (Paperback)

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.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite books..., April 30, 2005

By 

E. Stanclift "els4, book lover" (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Songs of the Humpback Whale: A Novel (Paperback)

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.