Audio-Bibliophiles discussion

Please use this thread to discuss the May monthly listen - The Storyteller

Well I finished listening to this . . . as with most audiobooks I read . . . I find myself unable to stop until I've finished the whole book and this was no exception. My only comment about the multi-reader platform was that I found it distracting at times making it hard to remember who the character was that was speaking.

I'm not going to discuss it until some other people provide some input . . . but it was a very intense story . . .

I am hoping to start it by the end of the week. :)

I've committed to a few books this month, and this is one of them. File it under "eventually"!

I'm still waiting for this book from the library - I am number 58 - I still got a long wait.....

I started it yesterday and am about an hour into it. I am liking it so far.

The other Picolt books I have read or listened to have almost all been about a court case. Its nice to see something different, lol, of course I am only an hour into it so who knows where the story will take me....

I had a long wait, but I got this and finished it in a couple of days. I could not stop reading!

I had to skip this one. Too much stuff going on & my library didn't have it available. I'm trying to cut down on my expenses a bit so I don't want to buy it. I'm not a huge Jodi Piccoult fan. I've read a couple of her books that I've liked somewhat but her books are always hard reads for me. Not just for the storyline, but her writing style throws me off somewhat. I'll keep an eye on the discussion thread though to see if it looks like one I might try in the future :)

I am still listening to on audio. This is so horrible to say, but I am finding it boring. I am at the point wher Minka is talking about her time during WWII. I feel desensitize to the horror that took place due to all that I have read on the subject - which I think is very sad. This is not something that should be desensitized. In order to prevent it from happening again we need to acknowledge it for the horror that it was.

I was thinking this morning on my way into the office how in old old history, something like the holocaust is now mostly fable. Yet the same atrocities have happened before, but due to the abiity in the 20th century to document everything and the fact that those documents were preserved so well either written, video or audio, this will not go by the way of fable. At least I hope it won't. I guess we will never know for sure.

Nikki - to me, this is a very different story from what Ms. Picoult normally writes but its written in her normal style - if that makes sense.

I am hoping it picks up again once I get through Minka's story.

To me this story never grows old . . . it only is repeated over and over again because the human animal seems destined to learn so little from experience. Perhaps that is why I like learning about history . . . ever the optimist . . . hoping to find an answer.

The story has a twist at the end . . . keep listening.

Minka's story did drag for me a bit at first, but once it got going, it sucked me right in. I ended up liking hers the best. One thing I don't like about Picoult's writing is that she puts in so many POVs that some of them seem superfluous. I liked Leo's character, for instance, but I didn't feel that adding his POV added anything to the storyline. I always find that in Picoult's books, though I do enjoy the multiple POVs to a point.

I am about 2/3 through the book and I don't see a point to Leo's point of view yet either. But it sounds like there is a twist (like most of her books) coming so I may change my mind. :)

I just started the listening last night. So far, I have enjoyed it and it has kept my attention. I have read many of Jodi Picoult novels and enjoy that there is always a strange twist to her stories. Her characters are interesting and most of the time there are some strange situations and characteristics attached to each of the main characters. I can see that already developing in The Storyteller. I am only two and a half hours into the audio book, so there is a lot ground to cover yet.

Thanks Michelle. I will have a listen to it.

I only have about 4 hours left in the story. I am very interested to see how it plays out. Minka is an incredible woman. What she has gone through and survived is a testament to how strong the human race really is.

I finished the book today. The surprise ending was not as dramatic as many of Picoult's endings. I guessed part of it before the end.
The part of the book I liked best was the internal struggles that Sage experienced throughout the book and how she grappled with the difficult issues and experiences. I was disappointed with her final responses. I feel as if she betrayed her beliefs. What do you all think?
The part of the book I liked least was the story within the story. I had a hard time listening to the gory details of Minka's fiction. I know it was meant to be an allegory of her experience, but for me it did not add to the experience of the primary story.

I am on Part 3 now. I have an idea of what the ending might be but am not sure. :) I am looking forward to finding out though.

Carmela, I agree that Minka's fiction didn't add to the main story. I didn't have a hard time listening to it though. I think it was a well written vampire story - at least from my limited exposure to them.

I am just so not a vampire story person. I dislike blood and guts. It seemed out of place in a story like this.
Let me know what you think of the ending when you finish.

I finished it on Friday. I didn't think it was as shocking of an ending as it could be. Its not what I saw coming but I wasn't surprised either.

I think it was a great way to share the story of a survivor. After finishing the book, I think the story that Minka wrote was important as it was the string that tied the story together - its what connected all the pieces (except for Leo - he was definitely a supporting character).

I can't believe that I am still waiting on this book, I am now in the 30's maybe I will have it by July... who knows! with all of this waiting, I hope I like the book.

Its not what I would call a typical Jodi Picolt, I like the divergence from her normal style. I think overall it was a good book. :)

I've just started this book. Can't wait to see what others have thought about it.

I listened to this a couple months back, I think. I thought it was incredible. The story was so interesting and rich and sad and powerful. I also, however, did not really like the story within the story, but I liked what it meant.